Tonight, all the KTB Music choirs joined together at Midge Hall Methodist Church to rehearse for Longton's Winter Wonderland event this Sunday, and our Chew's Yard performance on 7 December.
This is also a very special blog post, as KTB Music Theatre Chorus blogger Aeryn is joining forces with The Voice Choir blogger Becky for the first time.
Aeryn: There’s something special - dare I say magical - about meeting someone for the first time (or the first time in months/a whole year), and finding yourselves falling into a piece of music as though you’ve been working together the entire time.
Choir singing, in my experience, involves a great deal of trust. We’re all going to begin together and end together. We'll try not to have everyone breathe in the same places. We’ll catch each other if someone should have a blip. When the time comes, we’ll deliver a performance the audience will enjoy listening to, because we’re listening to each other.
Getting that right means a lot of revision. So. Much. Revision. Never mind tiny sleighs flying across the sky - there’s been tiny sleighs flying across the insides of my eyelids and bouncing around in my skull.
This rehearsal was, in true KTB Music style, filled not only with singing, but also with laughter. Such as when the G string snapped mid-song. (On the piano! The G string on the piano! Honestly, Internet!)
Before Katy finds a way to thwack me with rolled-up sheet music without leaving the studio, I'm going to hand over to Becky...
Becky: Well no pressure then, turns out my new friend Aeryn is a blogging genius… (A: Awwwwww, thank you!) Come on English A-Level, time to dust off your cobwebs! (A: Your writing is so lovely!)
While Monday night’s rehearsal was packed with beautiful singing and festive focus, it wouldn’t have been a true KTB gathering without a healthy dose of comedy. I’m fairly sure we managed to fit in almost as many laughs as we did harmonies.
The running theme of the evening quickly became Katy’s new catchphrase, a cheerfully insistent, “Are we all h-a-p-p-y?” delivered with such gusto that it’s guaranteed to echo in our heads well into the Christmas season. And if that didn’t do it, then Tom’s expertly timed side-eye certainly did. The moment that Katy didn’t play a piano solo in the middle of a tune, was met with an expression from Tom that could only be described as half disbelief, half pure theatrical gold. A perfect snapshot of choir energy: supportive, slightly chaotic, and always hilarious.
Speaking of chaos, nothing unites a group faster than collectively failing to find the correct entrance. Monday night instantly reminded us that even seasoned choir members will confidently attempt every wrong door to enter the building, before stumbling upon the right one. At this point, it feels like a cherished tradition.
A: Listen, the only reason I didn’t walk into the glass doors with a disappointed thump is that I remember doing exactly that last year…
So! Music! This Sunday's Winter Wonderland audience is in for a treat. We got a taste of the sound from all choirs with festive staple hits “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (Brenda Lee) and “Merry Christmas Everyone” (Shakin’ Stevens), modern favourites “Merry Christmas” (Ed Sheeran & Elton John) and “Underneath The Tree” (Kelly Clarkson), and carolling classics “O Come All Ye Faithful”, “Ding Dong Merrily On High (The Celebration’s Starting)”, and “Starry Night.”
And of course, we all needed to make sure that we were spot on with The Twelve Venues of Christmas. In the presence of writer Kate Males, no less. No pressure(!)
If you’re joining us in the food haven that is Chew’s Yard in Preston on 7 December, we also worked on some of the tunes you’ll be hearing, including “I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter” (Connie Francis), and “We Need A Little Christmas” (from MAME).
You will also get to hear some fantastic-if-we-say-so-ourselves semi-chorus pieces, including the famous key-change of You Raise Me Up, and what is set to be a truly beautiful a capella performance of Silent Night.
Those of us in semi-chorus are hoping you will join in with us to sing All I Want For Christmas (can you hit That Mariah Carey Note?) and Sleigh Ride (The Ronettes), and you might find some new-to-you pieces in Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, and White Winter Hymnal (Fleet Foxes).
Now I just need to pick my festive jumper...
B: Between all the silliness, there was something quietly special about the evening too. These combined rehearsals bring together singers from all four choirs, people you might only see once or twice a year, yet you fall straight back into easy conversation as though no time has passed at all. There’s a lovely warmth in those brief reunions; familiar faces, shared jokes, and the sense that although we’re scattered across different groups, we’re all part of one big choir family.
As we head into Longton Winter Wonderland and Chews Yard, it’s moments like these; tiny, joyful, messy, human, that make performing together feel so magical. If Monday night was anything to go by, we’re not just ready… we’re definitely all h-a-p-p-y.
Written by Becky Fowler and Aeryn Isherwood