‘ Shall we dance?
On a bright cloud of music shall we fly?’
( From the King and I by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II)
An enthusiastic rendition of Feel Good, always a firm choir favourite, opened our first performance of 2026 at Caritas in the Catholic Church Hall, Rant Meadow, on 18 January. A trio of uplifting songs, I Woke Up This Morning with the Sun in My Heart, All My Trials and This Little Light, helped us settle in and connect warmly with the audience. Their appreciation grew as we moved through a varied repertoire including the foot tapping A Broadway Song, alongside moving interpretations of Moonlight Serenade and Alan Jay Lerner’ s I Could Have Danced All Night. Many in the audience joined in, adding to the atmosphere and making us feel very welcome.
A lively sequence of Banaha, Eriskay Love Lilt and Follow the Heron led into our final piece, the haunting Peace I Leave with You. We were then treated to a wonderful spread of refreshments and we were able to talk at length to the audience members. Many thanks go to our accompanist Judi Kelly who provided support and gentle encouragement throughout.
The Methodist Church in Northridge Way will once again provide the perfect setting for our Spring Concert on 25 April at 5pm. This year’ s theme, Shall We
Dance?, reminds us how singing and dancing can both lift our spirits, improve our mental and physical agility and provide us with the opportunity to work collaboratively in equal measure. The programme blends familiar favourites with exciting new ventures. Steve Milloy’ s gospel rock opener I Will Sing Joy! sets a bright tone, followed by Cole Porter’ s dreamy Begin the Beguine. Thomas Ravenscroft’ s Three Country Dances in One gives every voice a moment to shine, leading into Pat Shaw’ s charming Fandango Dance
Round. Bob Chilcott’ s arrangement of the Irish folksong Mairi’ s Wedding is sure to get feet tapping.
A Flute Ensemble introduces three of Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes( excerpt), sung in German and including the much loved Ode to a Nightingale. Richard Rodgers’ I Like to Recognise the Tune, arranged by Mac Huff, opens a set of well known songs featuring Shall We Dance?, There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame and a stirring Climb Ev’ ry Mountain. Guy Turner’ s The Song Goes On lifts the mood as we move into the final section.
The Flute Ensemble returns to introduce more Rodgers classics, including With a Song in My Heart, selections from The Sound of Music, Oklahoma! and Some Enchanted Evening, ending with the inspirational You’ ll Never Walk Alone. We then shift to the bright beat of Forty Second Street by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, arranged by Lin Marsh- a lively finale before our encore, the exuberant The Rhythm of Life.
For more information please visit our website www. dacorumcommunitychoir. org or our Facebook page for photos and up to date news.
Dacorum Community Choir Spring Concert“ Shall We Dance”
Music Director: Rufus Frowde Accompanist: Richard Sisson Featuring: Star Flutes
Saturday April 25th 5.00pm
Hemel Hempstead Methodist Church HP1 2AU Tickets £ 15, under 16’ s free
www. dacorumcommunitychoir. org
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