Yes, it’s official. The “and cake” is back in our
repertoire. And what a spread it was at
St Mary’s yesterday in Buxton. It all looked lovely and certainly the piece of
ginger cake with lemony icing I enjoyed was delicious.
We’ve been going to the Buxton Fringe since 2010, though of
course we were unable to visit in 2020 and 2021.
We usually have glorious weather but yesterday it rained pretty
well all of the day. I was reminded of
that very first time, back in 2010. In earlier years we used to busk at The
Palace Hotel, and a little around the town, then have the concert at St Mary’s in
the afternoon. We were not very well known
that first year, though our efforts around the town were appreciated. Then just before three o’clock there was a
cloud burst. The carnival and fun fair were taking place just around the corner
and people rushed to the church for shelter …. And we had an audience.
Yesterday, by contrast, I began to worry that we might
overfill the church.
Our morning concert was still Simply A Cappella. Another performer
was coming in at 12.00 so there wouldn’t be time to do cake and tea. We
actually wanted o tome to Buxton on 16 July but were unable to book the United
Reformed Church. Note to self. Book venues
for 2024 next week.
The Purple Room at this small church, a short walk from the High
Street is a very pleasant space. It can actually seat 85 but a smaller audience
doesn’t look lost. We didn’t have to
worry about that though; there were only a few seats left. And the seats are very comfortable.
St Mary’s is a completely different sort of space, with a different
but equally effective acoustic. We’ve are always very welcome and we are grateful to our friend s from
St Mary’ who yesterday helped us set up,
made the tea, set out the cakes and helped to clear up at the end. A great joint effort.
Naturally, the music is even more important than the cake,
or whether or not we have an audience, and we certainly enjoyed singing in both
concerts.
We split our repertoire into loose themes this year: blessing,
peace, ones we know and love and new material. Various choir members said a little
about each section. One of our members reminded us that one of the reasons we
enjoy coming to this festival is because of the gorgeous scenery we see on the way.
Yes, it was lovely even in the rain.
Then, the magic happened again. There really is something rather special about
working with another twenty or so other singers to get as balanced and as beautiful
a sound as possible. You’re suddenly grateful for all the hard work Jeff puts
us through every Tuesday. It is hard
work, but it is also a heap of fun. That ratchets up on both counts when we have
the privilege of performing in such a lovely festival.
