Skipton choir join forces with The Tenmours for birthday concert
Craven Herald & Pioneer
20th December 2024
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SKIPTON-based musicians and singers joined forces for a tour-de-force concert to raise money for Martin House Children's Hospice.
The Skipton Choir and The Tenmours came together for the choir's fifth anniversary concert at Skipton Town Hall and with barely a spare seat in the house, raised an impressive £2,000 towards the Boston Spa hospice's new build project, which aims to replace part of its existing premises.
The 70-strong choir performed in full harmony, singing energetic arrangements of well-known songs such as 'Fields of Gold', 'Happy', and 'Defying Gravity' - from the musical Wicked.
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A particular highlight was their soulful mash-up of 'Oh When the Saints' with 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot'.
The choir's musical director, David Weale-Davey said afterwards, "The concert was one of the best we’ve performed. The choir sounded stunning and showcased lots of different styles and genres. It was a truly polished performance, and I was extremely proud."
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During the second half, The Tenmours treated the audience to some of their original songs, including the haunting 'Elise', and a song dedicated to Yorkshire – 'No place like home'.
A spokesperson for The Skipton Choir said: "For the finale, both ensembles came together to perform a special number written by Alex Seymour-Johnson of The Tenmours, in response to the crisis in Ukraine. 'We are Listening', originally performed by the band, has been sensitively arranged for choirs. It was the first time that the band had performed the song with the backing of a full choir, making for a truly moving finale."
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​A cheque for £2,000 has been presented to Roma Turner, community ambassador for Martin House, by David Weale-Davey, Skipton Choir's musical director, and Carol Squire, chair of the choir committee. Roma expressed her sincere gratitude to all those involved, and to the audience for their generosity and support.
​Here is a video of "We are Listening" by The Tenmours, which we were honoured to perform with The Tenmours themselves!
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To view some more videos from the concert, please click here.
‘Skipton Rocks On!’
Song release!
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THE SKIPTON CHOIR RELEASES NEW SONG FOR CHARITY
The Skipton Choir released a festive song for peace – aired for the first time at its Christ Church Christmas concert on Saturday December 2nd 2023 – in aid of charity.
The song, ‘Shine Out’, written by choir chairman Carol Squire with the score by musical director David Weale-Davey, is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/tdbJTgiU7a8) with a link to JustGiving (https://www.justgiving.com/page/skiptonsongforpeace) where people can make a donation to the British Red Cross. People can also donate through the choir’s Facebook page, The Skipton Choir 'Skipton Rocks On'.
Said Carol: “The song is very much about peace and hope at Christmas and was incredibly well received when we performed it as our finale at the concert. Given everything that is happening around the world at the moment, we felt that by making it available to stream, we could present our song to a wider audience and raise money for an important cause.”
The concert itself was held in aid of ‘Skipton Step into Action’ and raised £500 for the local charity. The audience of 82 people enjoyed a first half mix of musical mashups, upbeat swing and iconic pop classics. Said David: “There was something for everyone – lots of well-known tracks as well as a couple of more considered pieces, including Shine Out. The second half gave everyone a chance to join in and sing along to a selection of Christmas favourites and evergreens.”