Well, Christmas comes but once a year, and again this year it brought us the cheer of another St Michaels Singers Christmas Concert. As usual with this talented group it was well up to standard with wonderful ensemble singing and excellent solo and duet performances.

Two innovations this year - the singers gave two concerts - Tuesday and Friday evenings. This was due to the overwhelming support they have received in the past, and so saved people being disappointed at not being able to reserve seats. Such is their following that both nights were complete sell-outs. Accordingly the experiment will be continued in 2008.

The other happening was that the conducting was split into two - Bryan Fisher of course, and in the first half by John Swindells - St Michaels Church organist and choirmaster. This ploy proved a great success, each conductor bringing their own personal style to the performances.

As always Musical Director Bryan Fisher had compiled a varied and interesting programme combining Christmas church music and traditional carols, all most beautifully sung by the choir. It is amazing how many lovely voices inhabit our parish and how well they respond to Bryan’s coaching and rehearsing.

The soloists and duettists were very well presented and richly deserved the tremendous  ovations they received. They began with Margaret and Christine singing a carol ‘Angels’ (John Rutter) a quite delightful duet. Then a more modern offering ‘Christmas in New York’ with Louise and Peter, who captured the mood changes extremely well. This was followed later in the evening with a humorous solo by Tony Penn ‘Five Eyes’ which came over very well indeed. Then came another duet with Janet and Jackie, Rossini’s ‘Cat Duet’, the singers combining to give a vivid visual and musical effect of a cat duologue!

I am running out of space, but there were even more goodies to come, including a gospel style rendering of Silent Night with Sophie, Jackie and Rhiannon. Then young Jenny who was so good last year, captured all our hearts again singing ‘I Saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus’. Quite a mature voice for one so young. The Barber Shop singers delighted us again this year and Peter surpassed himself and (very nearly) brought the house down with ‘Great Balls of Fire’.

The evening of course would not have been complete without some wonderfully performed monologues and duologues from Chris and Mike. Actually if they don’t come back next year I shan’t buy any tickets!

Last but by no means least, the singers were given great support and backing by the very professional playing of Kath. Altogether it was an exceptional evening and I (and everyone else) thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. I can’t wait until Xmas comes round again. Well done all of you.

However, between now and then, we can look forward to a performance of Faure’s Requiem which the Singers are giving in St Michaels Church on 12th July, so do join them and give them your support, and yourselves a musical feast.

The omens were already positive for this concert as (remarkably) for this summer the evening was dry, warm and sunny. The ambitious 2006 performance of "The Armed Man", which had proved so successful, was referred to nostalgically by the packed audience as they gathered ready for this year's concert to begin.

The eclectic 2007 programme was an inspired choice by Bryan Fisher and a fitting tribute to the  memory of Pauline Free and Dr. John Sharp to whom the concert was dedicated. From the fiery beginnings of the opening excerpts from "Carmina Burana"

With an excellently-conceived first solo by Paul Bayliss, and onto the clear and melodious tones of this year's guest soloist, David Barclay, (singing three very varied pieces in three separate languages) the first half was a wonderful celebration of local talent and dedicated commitment. John Swindells' owm composition to Hilaire Belloc's 'The Birds' concluded a powerfully - delivered first half which had also included a trumpet solo by John Swindells, a J.S. Bach duet by Bryan Fisher and Jackie Bunn and an organ piece by Michael Hart.

After the interval, we were given a tribute to Sir Edward Elgar, in this the 150th anniversary of his birth. Michael Hart's rendition of Nimrod No.9 was truly moving and demonstrated the resilience and glory of the church organ. Graham Pender's  evocative poem 'After Gerontius' provided a chance for the audience to hear the spoken word after the  Singers haunting opening of Ave Verum Corpus.

The finale, Vivaldi's Gloria was a magnificent culmination, filling every corner of the church. The duet of Jackie Bunn and Sophie Whitworth was a real treat in delicate harmony and Janet Penn gave a good solo performance. The Singers excelled themselves (and the audience's expectations) with their interpretations of the various melodies.

This is a very strong amateur group who have become more driven in their desire to meet the challenges of serious and testing music. Bryan Fisher has motivated The Singers into an ambitious cohesive unit of which he should be very proud;  the only pity is that there are only two chances to hear this group each year!