Banchory felt a little quiet last Christmas without a local group’s annual carol concert.
But this year, the Banchory Community Singers are back and ready to spread festive cheer across the area.
On Saturday, December 11 at 2.30pm, they will bring their yuletide repertoire to Banchory Public Hall. There will also be a concert the following day at 4pm.
The weekend’s performances will be their first in two years, as the pandemic ground their weekly rehearsals to a halt.
Musical director Tara Leiper said the group have been working hard to pull their set list together before the concert.
She said: “Since we resumed live rehearsals at the end of the summer, we have been working hard to have a varied programme of song ready in time.
“Although our virtual Zoom concerts were successful, we have all been looking forward to a return to live community performances.”
Covid-safe carols
The singers have made arrangements to ensure the carol concert is as Covid-safe as possible, with the new Omicron variant spreading across the country.
There will be no interval during the performance to limit social mixing, and there won’t be food or drink available as in previous years.
Though there will be a reduced number of seats, they have assured that there will be no reduction in festive cheer.
Chairman Stan Jastrzebski said: “The choir have been enjoying live rehearsals and we hope that our festive concerts will make their usual contribution to Banchory’s festive celebrations.
“We are looking forward to seeing our audience back in the town hall once again.”
Tickets for the weekend concert should be bought in advance on the event website.
The singers have also encouraged anyone who might want to join in the new year to get in touch and come along to their Wednesday evening rehearsals.
Maggie’s Aberdeen concert
Later in the week, another carol concert will take place in Aberdeen city centre.
Maggie’s Aberdeen’s Christmas carol concert will start at 7pm on December 16 in Midstocket Chruch.
It promises an array of carol singing and festive performances. There are still tickets left on the event website.
