Hospital choir teams up with Norwich Community Choir for charity carol concert

Over 50 members of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital choir and 60 members of Norwich Community Choir will be performing at a family Christmas carol concert in Norwich this week in aid of Keeping Abreast.

Norwich Community Choir led by Meg Turpin and the hospital choir led by Hilary Winch will perform a mix of modern festive songs as well as traditional carols at St Peter Mancroft Church on Chantry Road in Norwich at 7pm on Thursday 20th December. There will be readings from some well-known supporters of the charity including Anglia TV’s Becky Jaygo and Chief Executive of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Anna Dugdale.

Hilary Winch, Choir leader at NNUH said: “We are very much looking forward to this opportunity of singing at St Peter Mancroft Church, sharing this event with Norwich Community Choir as well as supporting such a worthwhile cause. Our contribution will include 4 Christmas songs – the traditional Silent Night’, an upbeat version of ‘Joy to the World’, the much loved ‘When a child is born’ and a beautiful arrangement of ‘Who would imagine a King’.”

Meg Turpin, director of Norwich Community Choir and a former breast cancer sufferer, said: “This service will inspire everyone with the true joy of Christmas. Norwich Community Choir will open the service in the traditional way with a soloist on the first verse of “Once In Royal” followed by an unaccompanied choir verse. We will sing three a cappella songs, an arrangement of an African song which alternates between quiet reverence and outpourings of joy, then the traditional “Nativity Carol” by the well-known John Rutter, we will finish with “One Morning Soon”, an exuberant Spiritual about the joy of Christ’s coming.”

Fundraising and Development Manager at Keeping Abreast, Victoria White, added: “We warmly invite anyone who would like to come along to the concert. It is free to attend and there is no need to book; St Peter Mancroft is a huge church, which we are extremely thankful for, as the choirs exceed 120 people and it promises to be a wonderful evening. Many of our supporters will be coming along on the evening, but we are also hoping that last minute Christmas shoppers, enjoying the last late night shopping before Christmas, might pop in to join us!”

Mince pies and mulled wine will be on sale after the concert with all profits going to Keeping Abreast.