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Amici December 2000 The AMICI Choir and Orchestra treated us again on Saturday December 2 to another fine concert. They were accompanied by their soloists Judith Tinson, Cherry Smith, Harry Sharples, Nigel Elbourne together with our youngsters Joshua Black, Andrew Barrie and Catharine Verity as the Pickled Boys. A report on the concert appeared in the February edition of the Parish Link and appears below. "AMICI's third visit to St. Boniface, last December, was a combination of the familiar and the unfamiliar: in the first half we heard another fine performance of Messiah - the first 'Christmas' half this time - followed by an excellent performance of the relatively little known cantata 'St. Nicholas' by Benjamin Britten. To many of our audience this piece (and probably much of Britten's music) was new. It told, in a series of tableaux, the story of St. Nicholas' life and good deeds. It featured significant musical resources: string orchestra, chorus, piano duet and a battery (especially for those seated nearby) of percussion. Harry Sharples sang the part of St. Nicholas and was joined by three young singers - Joshua Black, Andrew Barrie and Catharine Verity (who appeared at less than 24 hours' notice!). They sang the part of the Three Pickled Children who are restored to life in one of the tableaux by St. Nicholas - a very emotive moment as they walked down the aisle singing 'Alleluia'! Andrew Barrie also sang the part of young St. Nicholas and the whole performance was brought together by conductor Ray Lomax. Despite its unfamiliarity, our audience thoroughly enjoyed 'St. Nicholas' and maybe will give more of Britten's music a try in the future. If you've not been to any of the AMICI concerts, then you've missed some real musical treats. We hope to see them again in May when they will probably perform some Opera. If you have enjoyed any of the AMICI concerts at St. Boniface, thank you for coming and we hope you'll support us again in May. One final point: although this was a major event to stage, we still covered all our costs and even made a small profit for church funds. George Robey"
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