Page 12 - BYC Christmas Concert 2016

Edinburgh Fringe Festival
9th – 16th August 2016
We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to take 70 of our young people to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August of this year. For many this was their first residential trip. As a Volunteer, I was nervous about the logistics of moving 70 excited young people plus
a band and their equipment from one venue to another through the centre of a very busy Edinburgh but after a couple of days we had this down to a fine art.
Our accommodation was based in the famous Loretto School. The chapel situated in the grounds, which we had the privilege of using every day for rehearsal, was stunning. Gareth Taylor was in his element playing the chapels Steinway piano and the choir basked in the fabulous acoustics. Most mornings were spent on the Royal Mile flyering to promote the
shows – vital in Edinburgh. Some days included a performance on the outdoor Mercat stage situated on the Royal Mile. It makes you very emotional to see people walking by stop in their tracks when BYC start to sing.
The performances at the beautiful Greyfriars Kirk were outstanding with every show receiving a standing ovation. We asked the audience to write a comment as they left to give us an insight into what they thought of the Choir.
“A performance I will remember for the rest of my life”, and “I’ve been coming to the fringe for years and this was the best performance I have ever seen” were just a couple of them.
The weekend came and with it Choireoke!
The public obviously loved the idea with both workshops selling out but there were some very nervous faces as they entered and took their seat next to the choir. Mat in his unique way made
P12 Barnsley Youth Choir Christmas Concert Weekend 2016