Letter: Which Christmas Concert Will You Attend?

Published on: 6 Dec, 2012
Updated on: 7 Dec, 2012

From Hon Alderman Bernard Parke

The Mayor’s annual Christmas Concert, this year on Sunday, December 16, is a unique occasion where Guildfordians can meet and contribute to a very worthy cause.

The concert was first held on the steps of Holy Trinity Church and then inside the church itself.

Later, a then mayor of Guildford was able to acquire the former Guildford Civc Hall free of charge for this wonderful occasion. Sadly those days are now very much in the past. The concert is now held back at Holy Trinity Church.

It is interesting to note that this year the Mayor’s Christmas Concert takes place on the same day as G Live offers its own show called The Glory of Christmas. It’s billed as a “concert of joyous seasonal and traditional music that perfectly captures the true spirit of Christmas”. That one starts at 3pm, while the Mayor’s concert is in the evening, starting at 7pm.

Tickets for the G Live concert range from £28.50 to £37, plus a £2 booking fee. The Mayor’s concert, featuring Vivace Chorus, is priced at £9 adults, £5 children and a free programme is included, and of course, it’s a charity fundraiser.

Which one will you choose to go to?

Responses to Letter: Which Christmas Concert Will You Attend?

Gill Perkins Reply

December 10, 2012 at 5:38 pm

Well, I’m biased because I sing with the Vivace Chorus, but the candle-lit atmosphere, community carols and beautiful pieces we are singing this year make the Mayor’s Carol Concert the obvious choice!
Hilary Trigg Reply

December 13, 2012 at 8:26 pm

I, too, remember with affection the Christmas concerts at the Civic Hall.
However, the lovely atmosphere of Holy Trinity, devoid of commercialism but filled with the spirit of Christmas, is quite the perfect way to start the season. Beautiful singing, a few readings and candles in that lovely building – wonderful!
Bernard Parke Reply

December 14, 2012 at 7:41 am

In those days, now gone for ever, we had celebrities who used to appear at the local pantomimes. Stars who willingly came to The Mayor’s Christmas Concert without any wish of payment.

Surely that was the true Christmas spirit when finance and profit was not the driving force.
Gill Perkins Reply

December 17, 2012 at 4:51 pm

I just wanted to thank everyone who came to last night’s carol concert at Holy Trinity. The church was full, the audience sang brilliantly, and it was a great atmosphere all round. Hopefully, the evening raised a good sum for the Mayor’s Distress Fund, which is a fantastic cause.