12th October 2024
Saturday dawned bright and early and the Belles arrived at Portholme Church to start setting up for our Anniversary Show. Luckily the new additional risers arrived just in the nick of time and they looked grand (and very large)! The chairs and piano were moved, the bunting and decorations were put up, cake and raffle tables set up and trophies and year books assembled. Massive thanks to the husbands and partners who helped out all day.
Other thanks must go to Paul from Ewe Move for sponsoring our event and designing and printing the poster, programme and tickets.
Thank you also to all the people and Businesses that donated raffle prizes for the event. Weatherells, Jinnah, Jac D Boutique, amongst others were invaluable in enabling us to raise funds with tonight's raffle.
Before the audience took their seats there was a final chance to warm up and rehearse and then some photo opportunities. Special thanks to Kyra for our wonderful 30th anniversary cake!
The anniversary show showcased the chorus’s journey over three decades, featuring not only the main group but also various quartets and small ensembles:
Picardy Fourth
Janet (Tenor), Sueperb (Lead), Della (Bari), Liz (Bass)
In 2023, not one of us dreamt that we would form a quartet, but we did.
In 2024 we never dreamt that we'd have the bottle to sing to the chorus, but we did that too!
The Abbey Belles' Show was Picardy Fourth's first public appearance, they sang 'Lean On Me' and we were so proud of them!
For their second song, they were joined by Jabberwocky to sing 'One Fine Day' - which name do you like best?
0%Picardywocky
0%Jabberforth
0%Pick-a-wock
0%Something else - answer in the comments
Juniper
Gill (Tenor), Sylvia (Lead), Heath (Bari), Candy (Bass)
Juniper formed only a few months ago and again, this was their first public outing. They sang a beautiful ballad "When You Wish Upon A Star".
Fun fact: To qualify for competition as a 'Senior Quartet' at LABBS Quartet Competition, the total of our ages has to be over 250. We are overqualified!
Vintage Vocals
MD: Susan
Tenors: Kyra H, Susan
Leads: Ann M, Helen, Mary, Tracy Baris: Geraldine, Heath
Basses: Anne T, Bernice, Candy, Kate
Made up of members from the Abbey Belles, Vintage Vocals gave a one-time only performance of "Give Me A Barbershop Style". This was the song we used to sing 30 years ago to open our shows. Back then, there were only around 12 in the chorus and so 12 members recreated this song with only a few rehearsals beforehand.
Eclipse
Anne T, Carol, Della, Jamie, Janet, Jo
Eclipse celebrated their 15th anniversary this year!
They sing in a variety of styles, both A Cappella and accompanied, and have songs in their repertoire in two-, three- and four-part harmony. Always keen to try something new, the group have experimented with beatboxing and are known for having fun with choreography as part of their performances.
When not singing they enjoy Cake and Escape Rooms! At the concert they sang a wonderful rendition of 'Sound Of Silence' followed by a 'Beach Boys Medley'.
Jabberwocky
Victoria (Tenor), Trot (Lead), Amy (Bari), Natalie (Bass)
Jabberwocky have been singing together in their current line up since 2018. Also known as 'The Wockies' we have a lot of fun and laughter together. At the concert we sang our package as a dress-rehearsal for the LABBS Quartet Semi-finals which happened in Bournemouth at the end of October.
Check our our facebook page to see how we did and while you're at it, have a look at the fun we had with our 'Most Improved# trophy in 2022! #WockyWedneday
The Three Tenors / Cat Duet
Gill, Janet, Susan
A surprise act for our Show had the audience in giggles as Janet and Susan performed a Rossini Duet for piano and voice. They were sadly interrupted by Gill and their playing 'cat'-a-wauling brought laughter and joy to the audience.
We are so proud of all we have achieved over the last 30 years and our celebration show was the culmination of all this hard work. For many of our newer Belles, it was the first time their families got to hear us sing and the comments we received after were lovely:
"She thought we'd be good, but NOT that good!! She was blown away and though you were all lovely"
"They were impressed how good we were. I explained no music, that our voices were the instruments, this was before they bought a ticket, they were just amazed how the songs came across, and the intricate vocals, plus we all looked so glamorous and professional"
"My friends came from York and were blown away at how good we were, they saw a few of us sing recently and loved it so wanted to hear us again. But they said we were totally out of this world and couldn't believe what a beautiful sound we could make without music and didn't want it to end."
“As an MD, all you want is for the chorus to make the sound you know they can achieve, and they truly did just that.”
Reflecting on this milestone, we are grateful for the friendships formed, skills developed, and memories created. The Abbey Belles’ journey has been marked by hard work and passion, and we eagerly anticipate where our love for barbershop singing will take us next. Here’s to the next chapter—filled with harmony, laughter, and the joy of music. Thank you to everyone who has been part of our 30-year journey; we can’t wait to see what the next 30 years hold!
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