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Beckenham Chorale Members sing for Alzheimer's Society
Two of the chorale's alto section - Anne and Brenda - performed alongside the London Philharmonic Choir and the Bournemouth Symphony orchestra with a rousing rendition of the Pilgrim's Chorus from Wagner's Tannhauser at a concert held at Buckingham Palace on Monday 12th February in front of HRH Princess Alexandra.
Anne and Brenda regularly volunteer with the Alzheimer's Society's Croydon Singing for the Brain group. Singing for the Brain is a service provided by the Society which uses singing to bring people together in a friendly and stimulating environment, and as such, provides a way for people with dementia, along with their carers, to express themselves and socialise in a fun and supportive group.
Princess Alexandra is patron of Alzheimer's Society, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Choir and Wigmore Hall's 'Music for Life'. The concert 'A Celebration' brought together these organisations as one way of celebrating the power of music in transforming the lives of people experiencing difficulties. The Alzheimer's Society's Croydon Singing for the Brain group performed a medley of traditional songs with great gusto, and then were accompanied by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for a heart-felt rendition of John Denver's Annie's Song.
For Anne and Brenda, the whole evening was a fantastic experience - the highlight of course being a part of the Singing for the Brain group [dementia sufferers, carers, and volunteers] . And, as an aside, it was wonderful to be 'allowed' to join in the concert's final offering, namely the Pilgrim's Chorus; and listening to the London Philharmonic Choir's sublime rendition of Lauridsen's 'O Magnum Mysterium' was an added bonus!
Bromley Youth Music Trust held their bi-annual Alumni Concert on Saturday 20th January 2018 at Langley Park Performing Arts Centre. On this very special evening, past BYMT students were welcomed back to join together in a one-off concert to raise money for the Young Musicians Fund. Nearly 200 players and singers in the XBY Concert Band, Chamber Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra took part in all-day rehearsals culminating in a spectacular concert.
Beckenham Chorale were invited to set up a promotional stall for the day along with some other local choirs and orchestras to show who we are and what we do. It was a good opportunity to do some networking with these groups as well as the musicians and the concert audience. Several of us attended the concert and enjoyed it immensely agreeing that the performance of Holst's The Planets was definitely the highlight.
Many thanks to BYMT and Making Music who arranged for us to participate in this event.
We have updated our Vision for the Beckenham Chorale
We now have a date for the Beckenham Chorale Quiz Night: FRIDAY 11 MAY 2018
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