On Saturday 28th April we hosted a unique “Together in Harmony” Barbershop Show, when special guests included Lace City Chorus, one of the most successful women’s barbershop choruses in Europe, and Finest Hour, the 2016 British and 2017 European Male Barbershop Quartet Champions. The show also featured Chaos, a quartet from Lace City Chorus, and Crown Derby, a mixed quartet with members from Grand Central Chorus and GEM Connection Ladies Barbershop Chorus.

The show was only the second time that Grand Central Chorus and Lace City Chorus have performed together (the first time being almost 20 years ago back in 1999) and it was a huge success that delighted a packed audience in The John Player Hall, at Nottingham High School. After the show, one of the audience members tweeted “Wow, what a concert! Never seen or experienced so much joyful singing in one place - put a big smile on my face”.

Apart from providing those who came with an opportunity to hear and enjoy top quality barbershop singing, the show also helped raise funds for Open Minds - a small, local Nottingham-based charity. The charity provides social activities for vulnerable disabled people living in Nottingham and the East Midlands and encourages a warm, friendly atmosphere in which members can meet new people and enjoy their company.

Open Minds is the registered charity that Grand Central Chorus members chose to support during 2018 and so we were not only delighted that several of the members of Open Minds were able to attend the event, but that our Chairman, Alan Goldsmith was able to present a cheque for £1000 to Sue from the Open Minds charity at the end of the show:-

Thanks to everyone who helped make this show so special, in particular our Musical Director Zac Booles, as well as Dick Knight, Martin York, Bill Traynor, Tim Oxbrough, Andrew Motson, Paul Searson, Brian Sargent and Ian Gooding, not forgetting all the wives and partners who worked tirelessly on the night "front of house". A particular thank you to Mike McWhinney and Wendy Rogers who worked so hard to organise the raffle, which raised the magnificent sum of £405!

As always, Len Matthews, one of the chorus’s Honorary Life members, was a tremendous Master of Ceremonies, and we are also very grateful to Glenn Chaney and Lace City Chorus, who delivered such an outstanding performance, as did the three wonderful quartets who supported the show, Finest Hour, Chaos and Crown Derby.

Finally, the event also provided an opportunity to perform our 2018 BABS Convention contest set for the first time in front of an audience. With three weeks to go to our pre-Convention “retreat” weekend, this will allow our Music and Performance teams to identify and implement whatever changes and improvements are required, so that we deliver the best possible performance at the UK Men’s Barbershop Competition, in Harrogate at the end of May.

Nelson Blackley - PRO Grand Central Chorus

https://www.grandcentralchorus.com/dbpage.php?pg=news