In this section you will find reports on our concerts, singing days, social events and other aspects of Barnby life in the past few years.
February 2020
Singing Day 2020
The first event of our spring season was our annual Singing Day on 15 February, when we welcomed singers from across the region to a most enjoyable day led, once again, by our good friend Keith Orrell, director of the William Byrd Singers of Manchester and the Liverpool Welsh Choral, and Vocal Projects Leader for Wigan Borough.
December 2019
Christmas activities 2019
Once again, Christmas for the Barnby Choir began on the first Saturday in December, with our annual visit to St Mary’s, Nether Alderley, where we sang a selection of carols as a backdrop to the traditional Christmas Fayre.
June 2019
Enjoyable end to season
Our final concert of the 2018-19 Season was held at St Bartholomew’s Church, Wilmslow, on Sunday, 16 June. We were delighted to see so many of our regular supporters as well as some new faces in the audience for our summer programme of music by John Rutter, Bob Chilcott, Ola Gjeilo, James MacMillan, Percy Whitlock and our very own Lloyd Buck! Audience feedback was extremely positive: the variety of works and styles in the programme was greatly enjoyed and there was a special commendation for Lloyd’s new work, The Returning Sea.
May 2019
Spring concert success
Our Spring Concert on 30 March, featuring Carl Orff’s exciting Carmina Burana and Bob Chilcott’s delightful Little Jazz Mass, drew a huge audience to Alderley Edge Festival Hall – a new venue for us and a highly successful one. Conducted by Lloyd Buck, the concert featured not only the Barnby Choir, three soloists, two pianists, a bassist and multiple percussion players, but also the Ryleys School Chamber Choir, conducted by Jennifer Limond, who joined us in Carmina Burana, and sang a delightful medley of their own to end the first half.
April 2019
Excellent Singing Day
We were delighted to welcome singers from across the region to our Singing Day on 9 February on The Canterbury Pilgrims by George Dyson. As has become traditional, the day was led by our good friend Keith Orrell, Musical Director of the William Byrd Singers and the Liverpool Welsh Choral Union, who expertly introduced us to the many highlights of this delightful work. Accompanist Robert Woods and tenor Philip O’Connor also made an invaluable contribution to the success of the day.
January 2019
Christmas season 2018
Our Christmas events began on 1 December with our annual visit to St Mary’s, Nether Alderley, in support of their Christmas Fair. Many visitors came to hear and join in with the carol-singing, and during the interval, we were generously rewarded with Christmas refreshments and a chance to visit the Fair. Many thanks to the Rector and all at St Mary’s for the warm welcome we always receive there.
July 2018
Spring and summer concerts 2018
We were delighted to welcome a large audience to our spring concert on Saturday 10 March at St Michael’s Church, Bramhall, featuring in the first half the Bach cantata Bringet dem Herrn and Mozart’s Mass in C, with soloists Hannah Boxall, soprano; Rhiain Taylor, mezzo-soprano; Sebastian Maclaine, tenor; and Thomas Hopkinson, bass.
March 2018
Outstanding Singing Day
It was a great pleasure to welcome some 70 singers from across the region to our Singing Day on Saturday 10 February, when we learned and performed A Little Jazz Mass by Bob Chilcott, under the inimitable direction of maestro Keith Orrell, Musical Director of the William Byrd Singers and the Liverpool Welsh Choral Union.
January 2018
Christmas events 2017
Already January is marching on, but we look back with pleasure on a most enjoyable Christmas season of singing.The first date in our Christmas calendar was our annual visit to St Mary’s, Nether Alderley, in support of their Christmas Fair, this year on 2 December.
August 2017
Fund-raising success
Our successful year of raising funds for the Choir, inspired by fund-raising supremo Gill Christian, came to a very satisfying conclusion on Sunday 25 June at Anne and Doug Macdonald’s open garden day, which raised a magnificent £228 for Choir funds.
May 2017
Spring and summer concerts 2017
We were very pleased to welcome a large and appreciative audience to St Michael’s Church, Bramhall on Saturday 11 March for our spring concert.
February 2017
Outstanding Singing Day
Our Singing Day on Saturday 11 February 2017 was the most successful yet, attracting more than 70 singers from across the region. Once again, the day was led by Keith Orrell, Musical Director of the William Byrd Singers and the Liverpool Welsh Choral Union, who guided us expertly through three of Rachmaninov’s wonderful Vespers – including tutoring us in the pronunciation of Old Church Slavonic! – and introduced us, by special request, to one of his own compositions, Exsultet, a joyful work based on some of the original plainsong melodies and infused with uplifting rhythms and melodies.