SDFS at W&DLM Christmas Market – Report

Here's a report from Alan for our performances on 23rd November 2019:

Thanks to 40 SDFS members for turning up on a damp, cloudy, muddy day at the Christmas Market at the Weald & Downland Museum. Thanks to those from the eastern provinces in particular and to Dave and Amaryllis for organising their respective halves of a newly-tightened semi circle. Also to Dave for announcing.

All went quite well despite rain in the first performance. It was worrying as books drooped and words vanished from pages. A spell cast by Emily to impress upon us the importance of learning our words?

Great singing despite my novel, idiosyncratic activities as conductor. But could it have been those that gained your attention to my unusual gesticulations, leaving John Barbirolli way behind? Two sessions outside with the full complement. At the second session by the café the singers somehow managed to position the leader in a puddle, with a little child stamping up and down behind and determined to make everyone wet. At the request of the organisers, we gave a third performance with about 15 or so who stayed to sing in the Gridshell. Although tired, damp and muddy, a super Gridshell performance. It is so much easier to impress when singing inside a building.

The gentlemen gave of their best due to a larger-than-usual complement of excellent singers. Their harmony lines of some of the songs were particularly powerful. The ladies were their usual solid, competent selves with a large group of top-part-harmony-singers voices adding an extra level of beauty to the songs.

“Thank you Emily for teaching so well that we can feel pleased with our performances and can entertain audiences.”