THE YORK WAITS AT THE PICKERING PARISH CHURCH

            On Friday December 4th at 7.30 pm  at the Pickering Parish Church, the York Waits, with singer Deborah Catterall, present a programme of Christmas Music. Tickets £8 (£6 concessions, children free) from Pickering Tourist Information Centre. Telephone 01751 473791. Proceeds are towards the church funds.

            Much of our familiar and favourite Christmas music dates back to medieval and Tudor times, 1400 – 1600. The York Waits have been performing repertoire from this period for over thirty years, and their Christmas programme has gained a huge following and become one of the essential ingredients of the festive season at churches and concert halls around the country. They have produced three recordings of seasonal music and taken their show to Europe and the USA in previous years.

            The Waits perform in costume on a vast array of period instruments, including shawms, sackbut, curtal, recorders, crumhorns, flutes, fiddle, lute, harp, bagpipes, hurdy gurdy, pipes and tabors, all of which can be viewed close up in the interval.

            Much of the music is well known, but will sound fresh and atmospheric when heard on these unusual renaissance    instruments.

            This years’ concert traces the Christmas Story in music drawn from all over Europe, and the audience is invited to join with Deborah Catterall in singing some of the most well known carols with this unique backing group. Mulled wine and mince pies will be served during the interval.

Tim Bayley.