Concert to mark end of tree festival
FOR the past five years Loughborough Male Voice Choir has performed at the evening concert that marks the last day of the Loughborough All Saints Parish Church Christmas Tree Festival.
As in previous years the concert was divided into two halves and the Ratcliffe Chorale, under the baton of their musical director Dr Michael Bonshor, began the evening’s entertainment with a programme of Christmas music from England, France, Wales, and America.
After the interval, the chairman of Loughborough Male Voice Choir, Christopher Higgins, invited Ms Rosemary Adams, a representative of the charity Rainbows, to come forward and receive a cheque for £1,000.
As reported in earlier editions of the Loughborough Echo, the Loughborough Male Voice Choir is celebrating the 50th anni- versary of its formation back in 1967.
As part of those celebrations the choir gave a gala concert at Hodson Hall and, due to the success of that concert and the popular support they received, the choir was able to make this generous donation to a very worthy cause.
After the cheque presentation, their musical director Chris Hill led the choir in a varied programme of music that included arrangements of well known Christmas favourites, some Medieval carols and a world premiere performance of Paul Blakemore’s settings of the 16th Century German carol ‘Ein baby wurde geboren’ (A babe was born).
But the highlight of the evening was perhaps a performance of Dimitri Bortniansky’s ‘Tebe Poem.’
This Ukrainian religious piece was sung by the Loughborough Male Voice Choir in its original language.
The lights of the church were dimmed and the effect was magical.