THE ORCHESTRA of St John’s Music from the Snowman made for an amazingly atmospheric and festive evening.
It began with the Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s children’s choir performing Little Drummer Boy and the orchestra a fantastic version of Sleigh Ride.
Then came the score from the Raymond Briggs’ classic film – the orchestra put on an immensely impressive show and Bromsgrove Town Crier Kevin Ward read the story over the top of the music.
There were plenty of smiles and chuckles, especially during the quirky parts of the score and what was incredible was if you closed your eyes, so well-known is the film, you could see the images from the movie playing in your mind.
The concert closed with everyone joining in with a singalong ‘Walking in the Air’ – everyone had the words in the back of the programme.
What was also fantastic about this was it showed the versatility of the church’s historic building for holding activities, as well as worship.
There was a really relaxed atmosphere throughout and, in addition to show the Orchestra of St John’s tremendous talent, it was a great way to introduce children of all ages to classical music.
More than 600 people watched the two performances, hopefully generating plenty of cash for the Friends of St John’s ambitious Heritage Future Appeal aimed at raising £1million to restore the historic church.
And I am told when the restoration has taken place, the interior design will make it even easier for events of this type to be staged there.
Churches should not just be a place for services, weddings and funerals, they should be the beating heart of their community and, judging by this and other events, St John’s is leading the way in showing how it should be done.
