Lakeland Voice hosts successful choir weekend at Sedbergh (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Lakeland Voice hosts successful choir weekend at Sedbergh

8:40am Monday 21st June 2010 in

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MORE than 150 singers descended on Sedbergh from across the world for pub and street performances before joining local singers in a packed People's Hall for a massed choir concert.

Many of the ensembles came with musicians and folk dance callers who provided an evening of British, Balkan and Slovenian dancing. The choirs also got together in a series of workshops as well as taking to the hills and byways of Sedbergh for several impromtu concerts - on top of Winder fell, outside the Nat West bank in the centre of the town, and inside Garth Steadman's butcher's shop.

"Our customers were very suprised when the singers suddenly burst into singing Slovenian songs," said Mr Steadman, who is also the chairman of the Sedbergh Town Twinning Group.

The event was organised and funded by highly acclaimed Lakeland Voice, a South Lakeland community choir and singing organisation making harmony singing as accessible as possible for everyone.

LV director and Sedbergh Town Twinning cultural commissar David Burbidge said he was really pleased with how the weekend went: "All the singers loved being in Sedbergh and were very grateful to the people of Sedbergh for how welcome they were made. In return we provided all our concerts and meals for free to the good people of this town."

The event also featured a family of eight singers from Sedbergh's twin town Zrece in Slovenia - the Pevke iz Brinjeve Gore, as well as folk legend Sandra Kerr, a leading figure in the British folk music revival. She was accompanied by her award-winning Northumbria folk choir Werca's Folk.

Lakeland Voice events continue through the summer with Tuesday Summer Evening Singing Walks and singing weekends.

For further information visit www.lakelandvoice.co.uk.