Every Seat needed at Carol Concert

Every one of the 625 available seats in the newly renovated Wakefield Cathedral was called into use for YPC's annual celebration of Christmas in music at their 'Carols for Everyone' concert on 21 December. This brought to a fitting conclusion a momentous year of music- making and jubilee celebration.

The whole event lived up to its name, for whether you appreciate the traditional favourites, favour newly created works or simply enjoy the seasonal blend of brass and voices there was indeed something for everyone. Every item was delivered to the highest quality now expected of every YPC performance.

The YPC's guests for the evening included the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Junior School choir under the direction of Karen Cousins. They featured in two 'solo' spots both of which drew extended applause from the packed house.

In addition, they joined the YPC in 2 new carol arrangements! 'I Pray' by Paul Mealor and 'The Infant King' by Christopher Robinson from the newly published Carols for Everyone series. Pieces from this collection of 6 new Christmas works, each scored for combined adult and children's voices, were able to be included as a result of the YPC being one of the 9 successful choirs to receive funding, through the Carnegie UK Trust, to do so. The whole project has been promoted by Making Music with publishing by Novello.

Regular guests at this annual event are the Brass Quintet who not only added their distinctive sound to seasonal favourites but also excelled in their individual contributions of 'The Holly and the Ivy' and 'Mary's Boy Child'.

All this, the exciting selection of Christmas music presented by the choir and the enthusiastic audience participation in the traditional carols meant the evening was a huge success and a real celebratory start to the Christmas Season.