Plenty of ways to get into the festive spirit: Your Midlands and Shropshire am dram round-up
I can feel the Christmas atmosphere in the air, smell the fir trees and hear the sound of choirs singing carols nearby. There are plenty of Christmas events to choose from in the area.
Let’s begin with The Ellendale Singers, who perform at Brierley Hill Civic Hall. They will present their concert with Sovereign Brass and The Church of Ascension School Junior Choir on December 12 at 7.30pm.
You can expect a host of festive favourites and proceeds from the concert are going to local charities.
l For tickets priced at £8 for adults and £4 for children, visit www.ellendalesingers.org, visit the group’s Facebook page, or call 01384 252771.
Viva Musica, a choir from the Black Country, will present their concert, A Concert for Christmas, on December 15 at St James’ Church in Wollaston.
Father Christmas will be there along with mince pies.
l For tickets call 01562 883480 or 0121 550 5581.
Lovers of a brass band at Christmastime will be pleased to hear that the Wulfruna Ladies Choir from Wolverhampton will be performing t with the City of Wolverhampton Brass Band on December 14, at Low Hill Community Centre, bringing us an evening of festive music.
l Tickets are just £2.50 available from the ladies Facebook page or by calling 01902 552312.
On December 8, Anthem Voices will be performing their Christmas Spectacular at Wednesfield High School. This event has been so popular the choir has put on an extra performance which starts at 5pm.
l Tickets are £7 for adults and £4 for under 14-year olds. Book now to avoid disappointment.
Every year I talk about various Christmas Wassails and I’ve finally gotten around to looking up the exact meaning of the word.
Apparently, it means ‘a spiced ale or mulled wine drunk during celebrations for Twelfth Night and Christmas Eve’, so nothing to do with a show really.
But even so, you can look forward to an evening of Christmas carols, music and stories at the Oldbury Rep on December 15-16. Obviously, there will be a beverage or two to warm your heart as well.
l Tickets from www.oldburyrep.org or call 0121 552 2761.
The Gentleman Songsters Male Voice Choir will present their Christmas concert under the guise of Santa’s Songsters at Dudley Town Hall on December 8.
The choir will be joined by the children from Brook Primary School Choir and Sovereign Brass.
l For tickets, call 01746 763850 or email gsmvc@gmail.com, or visit www.boroughhalls.co.uk
At Forest Arts Centre in Walsall from December 14-22, you can catch a very modern version of Beauty and the Beast.
The beautiful Belle character is still the same in this great family show packed with songs, audience participation and some of the worst jokes ever!
l For tickets visit www.forestartscentre.co.uk or call 0300 555 2898.
At the Dudley Evolve Theatre you can see Liberate Youth Theatre’s production of Alice Through the Magnifying Glass on December 8 with performances at 2pm and 6pm.
The show is based on Lewis Carroll’s tale of Alice Through the Looking Glass.
l For tickets visit www.ticketsource.co.uk
At Austin Sports and Social Club on December 16, why not pop along to see Birmingham School of Performing Arts present their Christmas show, Welcome to Winterland?
Look out for fairies, witches and a slightly barmy reindeer.
l For tickets visit www.thebspa.com/book-tickets. The show starts at 4.30pm.
Over in the Shropshire area, choral group Jigsaw Sound will be performing a candlelit Christmas concert at St. Mary’s Church, Kinnerley on December 11 at 7.30pm.
They will then move to St. George’s Church in Frankwell, Shrewsbury on December 15 and are raising funds for St Mary’s Church and the Shrewsbury Food Hub respectively.
l For more information and tickets, visit www.jigsawsound.org or call 01743 244195.
The Shrewsbury Cantata Choir will present Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle at Holy Trinity Church, Meole Brace on December 8 at 7.30pm.
Conducted by Stavros Kokkinos, the title translates at Little Solemn Mass and was written in 1863. Although it is not especially sung over the festive period, it really is a beautiful piece of music to celebrate to.
l For tickets priced at £12 each and free for under 18’s, visit www.shrewsburycantatachoir.moonfruit.com
On December 8 you will be spoilt for choice, as here are details of yet another concert, this time in Ludlow. A five-piece group will perform The Christmas Oratorio by J.S Bach at St. Laurence’s Church, at 7.30pm, under the musical director and conducting of Patrick Larley.
l Visit www.ludlowchoral.org.uk for information.
That’s all for this week. Send all your news and colour photos to me at a.norton@expressandstar.co.uk, call me on01902 319662 or follow me on Twitter @AlisonNorton
