14th November 2023

Our last event before focusing on Christmas was a full team performance for Woodcroft WI in St Luke's church, Leek. We played nine pieces on 3 octaves including some original compositions for handbells as well as arrangements of well known tunes. When we played Shepherd's Hey, with the bells all malleted, there were a couple of Morris Dancers in the audience who were tempted to join in. Perhaps the church aisle was a bit small for dancing.

We also played three pieces on 12 bells from our 'Last Night of the Proms' section to show the range of music available to handbell ringers.

They were a very enthusiastic and welcoming audience and we enjoyed a cup of tea and biscuits afterwards when there were quite a few questions about handbells and handbell ringing. 

10^th & 11^th November 2023

We were very pleased to be asked to take part in a performance of Noye’s Fludde, by Benjamin Britten, in Lichfield Cathedral. It is a one act opera intended primarily for amateur performers and involves adult and child soloists, choir, crowds of children representing the animals and a musical score which includes orchestra, piano, a recorder group, tuned mugs and handbells. 

The performance in Lichfield was arranged to celebrate 20 years of MusicShare which is a school singing programme that works with primary, secondary and special schools around Lichfield and across the West Midlands. The production involved 16 singers in the main cast, a young ballet dancer, a 30 strong ladies choir, 50 players in the orchestra and about 200 youngsters across the two nights, plus a lot of technical lighting, sound and video. The groups involved were listed on the back of...