More than 400 singers from across Harrogate and Skipton are gearing up for a varied season of concerts and services this Christmas.
Members of Rock Up and Sing! will take centre stage at concerts and provide musical accompaniment for memorial services across the region.
The Youth Choir will sing for guests at the Cairn Hotel the day before Christmas Eve, bringing some extra festive sparkle to the visitors.
Meanwhile, the adult choir members will take part in the Light Up A Life service at Ripon Cathedral for Saint Michael’s Hospice on 4 December 2016. It will be followed by two services for Martin House Children’s Hospice: one at St Mary’s Church, Boston Spa, on Tuesday, 6 December 2016, and the second at Holy Trinity Church, Skipton, on Wednesday, 7 December 2016.
The choir’s festive season culminates with a spectacular concert at Ripon Cathedral with Ripon City Band on Saturday, 17 December 2016.
Musical director Rhiannon Gayle said:
The festive season is always filled with music and it often reminds us of Christmas in years gone by.
Although it is a time to celebrate and come together as a community, we know that many people find Christmas hard because they remember loved ones who are no longer here to join in the festivities. We have been working hard to find just the right pieces of music to suit all the different occasions we’ll be taking part in, and we’re pleased we can help everyone to mark Christmas in the way that feels right to them.
Tickets for the Ripon concert are £15 each and available by calling Peter Gilby at Ripon City Band on 07974 596882 or 01765 600491.
Details about the Light Up a Life services are available from Saint Michael’s Hospice (www.saintmichaelshospice.org) and Martin House Children’s Hospice (www.martinhouse.org.uk).
Having just returned from a trip to Budapest where they performed two concerts to huge crowds, members of Rock Up and Sing! are already looking forward to a series of events in 2017. A summer spectacular concert is planned for July, as part of a mini-tour of Yorkshire, while several charity events are also on the cards.
Rhiannon added:
We do a lot of fundraising activities for some fantastic charities during the year, and our members are always very generous – we’ve raised more than £30,000 since we started in 2009.
Concerts and events are always a highlight of our year, but we have a lot of fun at the weekly rehearsals too.
Rock Up and Sing! will have a few places available for new choir members in the new year, and lower voices are particularly invited to join the tenor and bass sections.
Anyone interested in joining should email cath@rockupandsing.com to book a place on one of the taster sessions running for two weeks from 9 January 2016.
To find out more about Rock Up and Sing! visit www.rockupandsing.com
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