‘Exhilarating evening’: Christmas carols at Gisborne church

A combined choir will sing carols at a special Christmas concert at St Andrew's church on Sunday. The concert will include arrangements by Sean Scanlen pictured on the piano at a rehearsal this week. Photo / Supplied

Gisborne audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy a special Christmas concert on Sunday with carols sung by a combined choir accompanied by 20 musicians.

Organiser of the St Andrew’s concert series, Catherine Macdonald, said she was happy they could put on the concert this year after several successful concerts using the Lessons and Carols format in the past.

“We will be using Sean Scanlen’s arrangements from previous years with similar forces performing and leading the audience sing-alongs.”

Scanlen has invited a band of instrumentalists to accompany the carols, and Gavin Maclean will conduct the band and choir.

The 30-voice choir boasts a backbone of Gisborne Choral Society members with community singers who are enjoying the challenge of four-part carol singing; 20 instrumentalists have agreed to provide the accompaniment.

The evening will include a mix of choir items and traditional carols for the audience to sing – a thrilling experience with such strong vocal and instrumental backing, Macdonald said.

These are interspersed with traditional Bible readings recounting ancient prophecies and the much-loved Christmas stories.

Readers include invited clergy, musicians from the choir and orchestra, and other local participants ... youthful and mature.

“We look forward to another exhilarating evening, celebrating Christmas without a commercial backdrop.”

With the impending closure of the church next year, a working group has been elected, led by Dame Bronwen Holdsworth, to investigate potential solutions to keep the church for the Gisborne community as a venue for concerts, the arts and more.