City of Strangers:
The Voice Project Choir’s 2012 Christmas show
Saturday 15th December 2012
Separate performances at 5pm, 7pm and 9pm (approx 75mins)
The Voice Project Choir’s Christmas Concert: City of Strangers
A celebration of the multicultural history of Norwich in song by 100 piece choir and soloists
Tickets £12, concessions £10
Friends Meeting House, Upper Goat Lane, Norwich NR2 1EW 01603 624854
www.voiceproject.co.uk
Following the remarkable success of Singing the City in May, Norwich’s internationally renowned Voice Project Choir have announced Christmas concerts that develop the ideas of animating spaces with singing, creating a visual as well as a musical world with themes of home and refuge.
On 15th December 2012, for three performances City of Strangers celebrates Norwich’s unique position as a medieval city that was established with considerable support from immigrant workers or ‘strangers’, many of whom arrived in the city as refugees to escape religious or political persecution. The shows will not be bound by the building but will use the surrounding architecture to truly celebrate our City of Strangers and what it has become.
The city can lay just claim to be one of the earliest multicultural cities in Britain, the first big influx of ‘strangers’ arrived in the city in 1565 from the Spanish Netherlands as asylum seeking political refugees. They were welcomed by the city as a valuable addition to the population and a considerable boost to the burgeoning textile trade. At one point they accounted for over a third of Norwich’s population.
The Voice Project Choir is made up of participants of all abilities, ages, and backgrounds. No previous singing experience is needed, there are no auditions and everyone is welcome. Many members of the choir join time and time again, extolling the relaxing and therapeutic values of singing, others join on a one–off basis leaving with an enhanced sense of achievement and satisfaction.
Voice Project co-Director Sian Croose said ‘Singing The City at this year’s Norfolk & Norwich Festival was one of the most popular things we have done with the ancient streets around Elm Hill teeming with people and singers. After that we realised how much people enjoy celebrating their city so we wanted to create another project to do just that and welcome people to the choir’s “home” – the Friends Meeting House.’ Co-Director Jonathan Baker added ‘Norwich has a proud tradition of welcome, understanding and enjoyment of the culture of others that we want to celebrate – and what better time than Christmas to celebrate goodwill to all men’.
A mixture of the ethereal, the spiritual and the theatrical, this will be a genuinely unmissable Christmas event.
We can promote your business every week on the Iceni Post!
