Wayfarers’ 30th Anniversary Concert
On Friday 21 June, the Wayfarers Barbershop Chorus, in conjunction with The Rotary Club of Southport, held a charity concert to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the chorus’ formation.
The concert venue was The Gild Hall in Formby and the nominated charity was Cancer Research UK. As per previous concerts held by Wayfarers Chorus, the event was a total sell out with the audience more than ready to be entertained.
Southport based musician, Jeff Colligan, opened the proceedings with a variety of pop hits, both classic and contemporary. Following Jeff, the Gild Hall’s resident band ‘Country Folk’ took to the stage with a selection of country and folk songs from Britain and America.
The first two acts having got the audience nicely warmed up, Wayfarers Chorus took to the stage for their first set. Unlike many choral styles, Barbershop is as much about the performance as the singing and the Wayfarers always set out to entertain. The audience responded with enthusiasm to the performance, which opened with the light and harmonic ‘Mr Sandman’ and concluded with the rousing ‘Do You Hear The People Sing’ from ‘Les Miserables’.
Following the interval and charity raffle, the audience were treated to a selection of songs from shows such as ‘Cats’ and ‘Chicago’, by Louise Longstaff. Louise was a professional singer, before taking a career break to raise a family and is now in the process of resuming her career. The concert was perfectly timed to fit into her schedule and it was a privilege to hear her perform.
The final performance of the evening was the Wayfarers Chorus’ second set, which again included a mix of upbeat songs and ballads and ended with ‘Sweet Gypsy Rose’, the tragic tale of love lost to adventure!
The concert was a major success, both in terms of entertainment value and fundraising. Following the final song, a presentation was made to Cancer Research UK, in the form of a cheque for £1,590.
The popularity of the Wayfarers Chorus’ and the enthusiasm of its members suggests that it will be around, raising money for charity, for another 30 years. If you are interested in getting involved or booking the chorus for your event, contact the chorus via email to info@wayfarerschorus.com, or using the form on this website.
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