'CHRISTMAS CHEER', December 2008,
United Reformed Church, Helensburgh
Conductor: Marjory Burns

This was our 59th annual Christmas Concert. Catherine Kirk, President of the Choir, commented, “Our Christmas concert this year, 'Christmas Cheer' was held again at United Reformed Church, Helensburgh on Saturday 6th December 2008. Conductor, Marjory Burns had arranged a popular programme of festive music, with audience participation, readings and solos".

The concert included Vivaldi's 'Gloria', 'O Holy Night' by Adam, beautiful new (to the Choir) arrangements of 'Ding Dong! Merrily on High’ and 'White Christmas', four communal carols including 'The First Nowell' accompanied by Peter Anderson on the organ and a last minute addition of a heart-stopping rendition of 'Silent Night' which the men began in unison, pianissimo, followed by the women in harmony and finishing with the full choir in hushed tones - you could have heard a pin drop.

We were entertained with readings, first from Fran Walker - 'The Adoration of the Magi’. Archie Waters told us 'The Shepherd's Tale' an amusing ditty which included him taking a sip of wine, 'for effect' he hastily explained afterwards! Finally Jill Braid gave us the cautionary tale of 'A Parents Night before Christmas' and we are now fully prepared for any little problem that might befall!

Our guests this year were Hermitage Primary School Choir who were excellent. They told the 'Christmas Story in Words and Music’ with their conductor Catherine Kirk, accompanied by Ann Carson. We were also fortunate to engage Cairistiona and Cailean Swainson. Cairistiona added percussion to several of the Choir's pieces and treated us to 'Hombre D'Aout' by Sammut and 'Crystal Mallets' by Lipher. Cailean, tenor, took the solo part in 'O Holy Night' and gave us a foretaste of Christmas with 'I'll be Home for Christmas' and 'Winter Wonderland' accompanied by his father Tony.

The Choir was brilliantly accompanied at the piano by Jane Hepworth, who also took most of the accompaniment at rehearsals.

All in all the concert went really well thanks in large part to our skilful new conductor, Marjory Burns. We had a full house even after putting out extra freestanding chairs. We received some super comments from audience members. Now it's the big one next - our Diamond Jubilee Concert in May!

Programme:

Part 1

Gloria	Vivaldi
Once in Royal David's City - communal	Gauntlett
The Adoration of the Magi read by Fran Walker	Pulling
Good King Wenceslas	arr. Jaques
O Little One Sweet	harm. Bach
Christmas Story in Words and Music by Chapple	Hermitage Primary School Choir
Jesus Child	Rutter
O Holy Night! - Choir with tenor solo Cailean Swainson	Adam
Winter Wonderland - sung by Cailean Swainson	Bernard
I'll be home for Christmas - sung by Cailean Swainson	Kent
The First Nowell - communal	arr. Willcocks

Part 2

Ding Dong! Merrily on High	arr. Willcocks
Nativity Carol	Rutter
Hark! the Herald Angels Sing - Communal	Mendelssohn
Hombre D'Aout - percussion solo by Cairistiona Swainson -	Sammut
Crystal Mallets - percussion solo by Cairistiona Swainson -	Lipher
Pure Imagination - Cairistiona and Cailean Swainson	Bricusse & Newley
Silent Night	Gruber
Deck the Hall	Arr. Parker & Shaw
A Parent's Night Before Christmas - read by Jill Braid	anon
Sleigh Ride	Anderson
White Christmas	Berlin
O Come, All Ye Faithful - communal hymn	arr. Willcocks

Thank You to our Soloists

The Choir would like to thank Cairistiona and Cailean Swainson and their father Tony very much indeed for their most enjoyable contribution to our concert.

Cairistiona Swainson took up percussion in fourth year at school and joined the junior department of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where she studied under Pamela Dow. Cairistiona won the Colin Currie Young Percussionists awards before graduating to the senior school where she performed with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, Scottish Opera mentoring scheme and played as a freelance percussionist with a number of professional orchestras.

She studies with Heather Corbitt and Gordon Rigby of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and is looking forward to a year's work experience at Walt Disney World in Florida next year. She's sure to come back whistling a happy tune!

Cailean Swainson, a talented tenor, started singing in primary school and this led him to performing with the Glasgow Light Opera Club and then with Scottish Opera.

Music took a back seat while he devoted his time to basketball playing for St Mirren and earning 16 international caps playing for Scotland around Europe. However, a number of bad injuries took him back to music and now he studies under Alan Watt at the The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) Junior Academy part time and is in his sixth year at secondary school. He has just been accepted as a full time senior pupil at RSAMD and we wish him every success for the future.

Thank You also to:

Making Music Scotland for their generous Grant towards the funding of this concert.

Thanks also go to:
Hopscotch for acting as our Town box office.
The volunteers who helped front-of-house and with programmes.
The British Red Cross.

Diamond Jubilee Spring Concert, May 2009

Each May Helensburgh Dorian Choir marks the Spring season by performing a concert of shorter pieces of 'Music to Remember' - with 'Something for Everyone' – some well known, some lesser so, chosen from composers of the past 500 years.

Come and celebrate our 60th Anniversary in the Year of Homecoming Scotland.

The "Dorian Diamond" Jubilee concert, is on Saturday 9th May 2009 at Victoria Halls, Helensburgh at 7.30 pm. Click Here for details.

The Concert is funded by a Homecoming Scotland Award from Argyll & Bute Council.

Past Concerts

Click Here for complete programmes and comments about some of our other past concerts.

Click Here for a list of the main works and songs we have performed over the years.

What the Critics Say...

Here you'll find what the critics have made of some of our performances.
Click Here for details.