Tararua District choirs set to entertain for Christmas

Dannevirke’s Viking Choir singing at a concert in 2023.

Four singing groups, involving more than 80 performers, will come together for two concerts to entertain the Dannevirke and Woodville communities.

Dannevirke’s Viking Choir, Woodville’s Stand Up and Sing and guests Mangatainoka and Totara College singers are combining for the Kiwi Cracker Christmas concerts to be performed at the Dannevirke Anglican Church on November 23 and Woodville’s Holy Trinity Church on December 7.

The choirs have been in rehearsal since July and singing together en masse is becoming very popular, the Viking Choir filling Knox Church with the Dannevirke Brass Band in July and an equally amazing experience in Waipukurau at Central’s Musical Fling which had three choirs and an orchestra on October 10.

The two concerts will provide a range of popular songs with a taste of Christmas sprinkled throughout the programme.

The show will begin with the Viking Choir and Stand Up and Sing together presenting a medley of songs from Sister Act followed by We Wish You A Merry Christmas.

Woodville’s choir will then take the stage with A Whole New World, The Rose and Down to the River to Pray followed by the Viking Choir singing Summer Nights and Hallelujah.

One song each from the Harmony Sisters Sextet and Tōtara College will be performed in the first half which ends with all the choir members singing the haunting Pepeha.

The second half programme has a similar pattern to the first, beginning with numbers like The Time Warp, Lean on Me, and Jingle Bells (a different version) concluding with a Les Miserables medley before Tōtara College and the Mangatainoka School Choir join to present a Lion King medley and the popular I’m a Believer late in the programme.

It is then the turn of everyone in the church to join all 80-plus choir singers in well-known Christmas carols (words provided) to conclude the evening.

Each concert starts at 7pm and the cost is $10 per adult, wih children under 13 free. Cash sales only at the door, with no Eftpos.