SAPL music report 23-24
Positives:
- Kit Swanson was able to direct the choir between September 2022 and Christmas 2023 so we were able to experiment with new directions for the choir, while tapping into Kit’s knowledge and experience as a trained singer.
- Although the choir practices weren’t weekly during the time period mentioned above, Christmas and Easter services were covered during this time and many people took part who had previously not been in the choir.
- All services continue to have live musicians playing the hymns despite Simon stepping down as Musical Director at the end of 2023. Many thanks should be given to John Booler and the band for covering many of the services and to Mary Mitchell for taking on the responsibility of making sure the services have someone / people organised to play the music.
- Having different musicians play for different services offers variation in playing styles and personalities.
- SAPL has been hired by the local folk promoter Live @ Sam’s several times within the year 23-24, bringing large audiences into the church on most occasions. Future concerts are also planned.
Negatives / areas for improvement
- The role of Musical Director hasn’t been filled yet. It may prove difficult to attract one single person to this role as it is a big commitment for one person. A possible interim solution could be for the role to filled by more than one person so that the overall commitment is less and the role more attractive.