Watch Noel (Live) at Carols by Candlelight
Performed by April Shipton & The Chase Choir
The Carols by Candlelight service at my church is a personal favourite of mine, and always feels like a special tradition at Christmas. I can’t be the only one who thinks so, as both the shows at St Andrews Church in Malvern are always a full house.
So for me it’s one of those festive, warming moments to sing with the choir, who are a wonderful and very talented bunch; they are mostly able to sight-read music (extremely impressive to me, a rather uneducated ‘modern’ singer!) – so it’s definitely out of my comfort zone but a fun challenge.
That’s why it’s always quite a relief to be offered a straight solo part – I can do those!! This year I was the soloist for Noel, written by Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin and Ed Cash. Slight drama – I had Laryngitis for two weeks leading up to the show (I’m still not over it!) and as the service is extremely popular, we give two performances; one at 5pm and one at 7pm.
It was a lot on a weak voice, and I felt it wasn’t my best vocal performance this time. (I know we’re our own worst critics, aren’t we, but I do believe in being totally honest here!)
However the lyrics and message of the song are beautiful, and everyone had worked hard to practice their parts and give the whole evening their all – I’m sure it was a powerful moment in the evening, regardless of how I felt about it!
Wishing you a very peaceful and joyful Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
