Wayns Weekly 2nd December 2025

1. Information for Saturday's Rehearsal from Veronica

   Rehearsal is 1pm to 4pm.

   Please arrive15 minutes before the rehearsal starts, particularly as there might need to be a bit of moving around. But don't take your seat before 12.30 as we need to ensure the seating is correct.

   If out of town, use park and ride or public transport as parking is really tricky at Christmas. Please note you can’t use Park and Ride for the concert itself as the last bus is at around 8.30pm.

   Water only on stage for the rehearsal (not the concert) No food at all in the cathedral please

   Keep bags with you

   Toilets are in the North transept

   Please use folders

   Concert dress – All black as usual. Full (ankle) length skirts/trousers. Jackets should be worn. We will be wearing gold scarves/handkerchiefs

   Please don’t wear any perfume and keep any triggering aromas to a minimum as this can set off asthma attacks in some individuals

   Splits are as in the rehearsal.

   All seats will have a coloured label as per the rehearsal. Please leave them there so I can collect at the end of the concert. 

   Programmes on concert day from Chris Town

   In the evening arrive by 7.10 – bear in mind traffic, parking etc.

   Line up at 7.20 and after the interval at the first bell

   Video screens will be in use with multiple shots, so please stay focussed at all times and smile and enjoy

   Return hire copies at the end – in  the boxes at the bottom of the steps

   Let Veronica know any special requirements

   Sits and stands - Andy will be going through these

   We have a full house (again)

2. Music to be Ommitted - no 39

   Further to last week’s list please could you omit no. 39; ‘Their Sound is Gone Out’ so the full list is now:

   The Messiah – Novello/Watkins Shaw

   Part 1: Complete

   No 6 – But Who May Abide – Alto Version

   No 20 – He shall Feed – version for Alto and Soprano

   Part 2: Complete but omitting numbers 34, 35 , 36 and 39

   Number 40 – Why do the Nations…..No recitative at the end

   Part 3:

   Numbers 45,46, 47, 48 (short version) and 53 only

3. Concert Programmes

   Chris Town will be bringing copies of the Messiah programme to Thursday’s rehearsal.
   They will be £2 each for singers, only one per singer (not families/guests/friends) or free for official Friends of the Waynflete Singers. Please make payment by card.

   The limit per singer is that so the programmes can be sold to our audience at £4. We don’t want to run out of programmes and we do want to recover the costs of producing them.

4. Return to Rehearsals

   Our first rehearsal after the Christmas break is on January 8th when we will be continuing our rehearsal of The Dream of Gerontius.

   Please can I remind singers to sign the registers and to mark when there are absences. We do ask that you attend as many rehearsals as possible, if you are going to miss 3 or more then you will not be able to sing in the concert. Any concerns should be addressed to Daniel Benton at daniel.benton@btinternet.com but please take personal responsibility for this. This is so members are well rehearsed in the work, even if you have sung the work numerous times, there will always be bits that are changed or that you have forgotten/never quite got right! This applies to all members to make it fair to all.

5. Happy Christmas

   In case this is the last WW of 2025 (probably not!) and the ‘author’ has consumed too many mince pies and mulled wine, the Committee would like to thank you for your continuing support and wish you a Very Happy Christmas and New Year.

   See you all in 2026!