Concert marks 50 years of choir carols

A concert of Christmas music will be presented by Newark Choral Society to mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Carols For Choirs Book 1.

The society will be joined by the Barnby Road Academy School Choirs, the Trent Chamber Academy of Strings and organist David Butterworth. Compered by Tony Roberts, the concert takes place in Barnbygate Methodist Church, Newark, on Sunday, December 11, at 3pm.

Choral society chairman Mike Wilson said: “This is a concert for all ages with a feast of music from all ages and styles for everyone to enjoy. The timing of it is in response to comments from families and the elderly who find an evening concert difficult to attend.

“Those performing will sing and play a variety of seasonal music from catchy children’s songs to the Corelli Christmas concerto, with plenty of audience participation.”

Mike said this year marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Carols For Choirs Book 1, usually called the Green Book, and the choral society would celebrate the occasion by performing items from it and its successors.

Mike said: “The green book really changed the repertoire for choirs at Christmas and was the launch pad for John Rutter who is considered to be the composer for Christmas so there will be one of John’s arrangements in the programme.”

David will give an organ solo and will accompany the singing with the Trent Chamber Academy of Strings. The academy will also accompany the Christmas sequence from Handel’s Messiah, under the baton of musical director Roger Bryan.