Chew’s Yard, you absolutely blew us away! What a fantastic way to spend an afternoon: an amazing audience, sparkly lights, welcoming staff (who didn’t mind us immediately rearranging all the furniture), and smells that made us hungry.
Becky: Well, where do I even begin? Chew’s Yard had us sparkling, singing and laughing from the moment we walked in… and i’m pretty sure I floated home on pure festive joy.
Aeryn: My personal highlights? Let’s do this as a list (in no particular order):
- Experiencing a repeat of last year’s “Twelve Days Of Christmas” phenomenon: getting to around day five and having the audience slowly fall silent as they realised this was definitely not the version they were used to or expecting, followed by thunderous applause when we nailed it.
- That part in “There Is A Santa Claus” when one of the MTC squad got up on a chair to yell a line, making us all crack up laughing while singing because we didn’t know it was going to happen quite like that.
- Katy playing an entire piece with no music dots (we were all so bloomin’ impressed) because it was a last minute swap-in. Us managing to sing said piece with no music or lyrics. I had very recently joked to Katy about one day having us all performing something without any music or lyrics. Maybe I should try joking about us all becoming multi-millionaires next?
- Lots and lots of audience singalong. Also audience baby-waving! (You had to be there to get this one.)
- Listening to “Silent Night”. Oh, wow, you were stunning. In fact, the semi-chorus pieces as a whole were brilliant – well done, everyone!
I was feeling so warm and festive on the way home that I didn’t even mind the ridiculously heavy rain that much.
B: I have to agree with Aeryn, this year’s ‘Chew’s Yard’ performance had me ready for a mulled wine by the fire! There were so many golden moments, but as always reader, I shall provide you with the laugh out loud ones…
- Sally casually stealing Kate’s Christmas hat like it was the most natural thing in the world… As I’m sure you can imagine, Kate was gravely insulted!
- David turning up in that slightly bonkers Christmas suit. No hate David, you were truly the Belle of the ball!
- And I had to mention that side of the room who simply could not resist a little bop every time we hit a festive groove. You know who you are… and honestly, never stop!
I’d also like to give a shout out to the semi-choruses. I absolutely love getting to be a part of a few semi-chorus songs for the first time this year, honestly what a buzz! I may or may not have started a You Raise Me Up chorus a little early, and sang a few bum notes… but hearing you all sing in beautiful harmony without being overwhelmed by xmas market background buzz was so impressive & a proper treat.
A: We had some great feedback from the audience, which is always such a lovely thing to hear. Honestly, I’m already looking forward to next year!
B: There was something genuinely magical about seeing all the KTB Choirs gathered together in one place. All those voices, all that joy, all that sparkly Christmas energy under one roof. It felt like a true celebration of everything we’ve been working towards this year, and a reminder of just how lucky we are to sing with such brilliant people.
A&B: Katy & Kate: thank you for organising this, wrangling us all (we know… cats are easier), and putting together such a fun set! Also, huge thank yous to Tom and our percussion team for adding the musical tinsel, and to the Men Who Saved The Day (you know who you are) for making sure that MTC didn’t have to drop half of the numbers due to a lack of tenors and basses!
More festivities are on the way from KTB Music. Check out our upcoming events for more information!
Written by Becky Fowler and Aeryn Isherwood