More than 80 tickets were given away to people with sight of hearing problems at Honley Male Voice Choir’s Christmas concert.
The event featuring Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band – ranked among the world’s top 10 brass bands – was the first time they had had someone signing for the deaf from the stage.
This was profoundly deaf Paul Whittaker, OBE, who set up the charity Music and the Deaf in 1988 and skilfully communicated what was said by musical director Steve Roberts and the band’s musical director Ian McElligot along with the words of all of the choir’s songs.
His interpretation of Frederick Silver’s humorous The Twelve Days after Christmas, a piece new to the choir, particularly contributed to a fun-filled evening.
Honley Male Voice Choir’s recruitment campaign is paying rich dividends with nine new members taking part in the concert.
Audience participation is always a feature of Honley’s concerts and this one was no exception with the patrons swaying, jumping and singing along with the choir, accompanied by the band, in Goff Richards Schneewaltzer (The Snow Waltz) to round off the evening.
