Say "Strawberries!"
At least three of us were taking photos at our recent Silver Jubilee Celebration Strawberry Tea - well, "Say 'strawberries!'" is a nice alternative to saying cheese! So here are three albums for you to enjoy! Click the links.
Enjoy!
Bravo!
A WELL DESERVED standing ovation for John Rutter and our accompanist Chris Wright at the end of a brilliant singing day for over 400 singers one Saturday in June in Scarborough!
More details when we can draw breath, but it was a huge, overwhelming success! They all wanted to do it again - so watch this space! Meanwhile click here for an album of pictures taken on the day by Glynis, Wendy and Trevor. You are welcome to copy, download or print any of these images, but we'd be grateful if you would credit Staxton Singers when you do.
Well done at Sainsbury's!
Carol singing raises £235.46 for MacMillan Nurses!
Thanks to Sainsbury's for their hospitality this year we sang carols indoors - a welcome chaqnge from the rain and snow of the last few years! And thanks to the generosity of Sainsbury's shoppers, we were able to present Macmillan Nurses with £235.46!"
After the hour long carol singing - unaccompanied and led on this occasion by our accompanist, Chris Wright - Sainsbury's refreshed us all with a complementary mince pie and a coffee, then for quite a few of us, a little last minute shopping...
Happy to oblige!
...or, always carry a camera!
We had a whole day practice last weekend and one of our number complained that her photo wasn't in the gallery... happy to oblige, Margaret!
Backstage at a performance
Anyone who has ever performed in public will know well the range of anxieties we suffer backstage before a performance. So although there was little light ion the dressing area (it was in a church) I didn't want to use flash for some informal backstage pictures at a recent performance of Music for Easter. Apologies, then, for the low quality of the pictures: but the concentration and the performance anxieties are real!
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Happy Anniversary!
Eunice Brewster sent this photograph of Maurice & Ruth Taylor who have just celebrated their Ruby Wedding! Many congratulations to them both!
Singing and knitting
An unusual event for Staxton Singers! Mothers' Union staged a marathon knitting event - their 'Knitathon' - at St John's Church, Filey, to raise the profile of Mothers' Union and to knit woolly hats for sailors. One of the members of Staxton Singers was involved in the planning and asked if the Singers might hold an open rehearsal on the Saturday morning "to keep the knitters awake!" Stan readily agreed (even though it was his first wedding anniversary...!> and so for 45 minutes Stan conducted Staxton Singers, members of Mothers' Union and various visitors in a choir practice. Everyone enjoyed the session, and there are hopes that it might even have attracted new members.
Looking at the photo I'm instantly struck by the number of folk not watching the conductor!
First choir photo 1985
Click the picture
to see an annotated copy
Staxton Singers' first choir photo taken at a wedding in St Peter's Church, Willerby, on October 5th, 1985. Congratulations to those who are still members in 2009! We're hoping to include on this web site a history of Staxton Singers and your anecdotes, photographs and memories will be very welcome, along with old programmes and anything else to do with our choir. Please get in touch by email or via our contact form.
Seen at a recent rehearsal
| At our rehearsals we have fun... | 
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We also have conversations | 
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| We have more conversations... | 
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But we also concentrate! | 
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It can be serious... | 
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...but always happy and smiling! | 
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Is paying the subs serious? | 
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Apparently not! | 
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(Carol) singing in the rain!
Here are two pictures from our 2008 carol singing in Huntriss Row! It was wet, it was cold - but strangely we enjoyed it and we raised money for Marie Curie Nurses. Then our chairman, Monica, wrote a poem...!
Singing in the rain
I've done some daft things in my life;
As I'm sure you all have too;
But Saturday goes at the top of my list
Of things that you shouldn't do.
BUT despite the wind and the rain and the cold
There appeared a motley crowd
Of Staxton Singers, with brollies and boots
Who made me extremely proud.
And despite the fact that the ground was wet
And the skies were leaking non-stop
And the wind was blowing our brollies about
We collected outside a shop.
Chris got us going with pitching notes
And set us a cracking pace!
And most of us managed to sing in tune
And in parts from the sops to the bass.
Gene Kelly once danced in pouring rain,
But Chris was ten times better,
And while he led the singing
My arms got even wetter!
(Because I was standing behind him
holding the umbrella while he danced
from side to side!!!)
And for our effort and lunacy,
We got mulled wine and pies,
And raised some money for charity,
So thank you gals and guys!