Covid-Secure Christmas Cracker

For the first time since 2019, Cadenza are delighted to be back in concert. While the pandemic has prevented any performance from us, it hasn’t stopped us meeting and rehearsing (virtually at first, now in-person) and we have been chomping at the bit to show you the results of our efforts.

And so, with pleasure, we present Cadenza at Christmas 2021 – and we’d love to see you there!

The concert will feel pleasingly familiar in some respects. Jenny Sumerling, our Musical Director, has selected another fantastic mix of festive songs old and new, guaranteed to put you in the mood for Christmas! We’re delighted to be joined by Morley Whitehead to accompany us on organ and piano. And we will be in the familiar surroundings of Polwarth Parish Church again.

Polwarth Parish Church
Polwarth Parish Church in the snow

However, inevitably there will also be differences. We won’t have a guest artist and so the concert will be shorter, at around 60 minutes. As a result, we will not have an interval and we cannot therefore provide refreshments. We will provide a simple (and free!) programme to everyone as they arrive, but unfortunately there will be no opportunity to join us for communal singing. And, to comply with current Scottish Government requirements, we ask that you wear a face covering at all times.

To help you feel more comfortable in the venue itself, we will be inviting you to sit together in your own group ‘bubble’ while leaving a space between different groups. Our ushers will guide you to your seats and make sure you are happy. We are also ensuring we are limiting numbers to a safe level for the capacity available to us.

It’s difficult to express fully the challenges involved with putting on a concert in these circumstances, but as Jenny says:

The past 18 months have really challenged Cadenza. While we have been able to rehearse over Zoom, individual choristers cannot hear one another, and I can’t hear anyone at all! It is only when one is not able to do something that one realises how much it is missed, and so getting back to in-person rehearsals has brought mixed-feelings of excitement – and some trepidation!

During and since our enforced separation we have been working hard and I now invite you to experience again the joy of Christmas with Cadenza. Just as we have been thrilled to hear one another again, I hope that you too are equally delighted with our carefully chosen programme of Christmas favourites!

Jenny Sumerling, Musical Director

Tickets are £12, £10 (concessions) and £3 (schoolchildren) and are available on Eventbrite (additional fees apply), via choir members, or phone our Concert Manager (07903 104 557). We are investigating the feasibility of on-the-door ticket sales, but with limited numbers and high interest already early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment!