Ring out the old , ring in the new , Ring , happy bells , across the snow : The year is going , let him go ; Alfred Lord Tennyson , 6 / 8 / 1809 – 6 / 10 / 1892
Christmas will have gone by the time you read this and the goose will have got considerably thinner - literally down to skin and bone and in the soup !
But , before I move on to the New Year I just want to add a few words about the Choir ' s amazing Christmas performances , culminating in our concert in St . John ' s Boxmoor on Tuesday 12th December . A large and enthusiastic audience greeted all our efforts with loud applause , joined in our carols and were a joy to sing with . Thanks to all who took part , members and audience alike !
Another first , we welcomed Thomas Dilley , a young organist in his early twenties and at the start of his professional career . Tom was brought up in St Albans and in 2013 he started to study the organ , with Andrew Lucas at the Abbey . We were privileged to be joined by such a talented young man .
If you weren ' t able to make it to the concert , you can listen to tracks from the evening on Dacorum Community Choir ' s facebook page .
So that ' s 2023 , done with – what lies ahead ?
More challenges no doubt – a Spring concert in May in one of our favourite venues , Hemel Methodist Church , is already in the programme . More performances , including singing in care homes and clubs , plus a summer tour to Shropshire and of course , Christmas 2024 will be here before we know it – start saving now !
The new year may also be the time when you decide to give choral singing a go . New members are always welcome . We ' re rightly known as the friendly choir , so just come along and give us a go . Studies have shown that singing is good for mind and body , and it ' s also a great way to make new friends .
Happy New Year !
Photo by Claire Wells
Our amazing MD , Rufus Frowde , had challenged himself not to repeat any of the programme in any of his Christmas concerts . No mean feat , since his total performances numbered 17 – WOW ! ( I suspect he may , in contrast to the goose , have got a bit thinner before the feast .)
The new repertoire presented a bit of a challenge for the choir as well as we were introduced to new variations on familiar tunes – a steep learning curve for some of us .
8 < Boxmoor Direct < January 2024 <