November 1st
Mostly this month is about preparing for Christmas singing with the various choirs that I am part of, and specifically today there were posters for The Bridge Singers’ 10th Birthday Christmas Concerts to be finalised, ready for distributing and the like. We’re singing two concerts and one carol service this year, all within a week of each other. In the first of these, we’ll be singing all the things from our inaugural concert exactly ten years ago, plus a few of our Christmas favourites from our recent poll. If you’d like tickets for that, you’ll need to reserve them from Shirley at bridgesingers@gmail.com

November 2nd
Not much of note seems to have happened today so I’ll share a mini video from the end of October, which features some images from Cragside near Rothbury and The Bridge Singers on the end of my song “Four Pence A Day” from a performance in April, The solo at the end is my pal Richard who last week moved south to be nearer his family.

November 3rd
The main event of any Monday is The Bridge Singers’ practice in the evening. This time we had a proper go at Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium and Handel’s Halleujah. These are both massive sings and very high and very low, but we did well and there was much merriment as ever. You can read all about The Bridge Singers here!

November 4th
I’ve been working on a newsletter to send out to The Bridge Singers’ mailing list. This is one of our tenth birthday initiatives…the mailing list, and the newsletters. We’re thinking that one will go out every month. You can see the first edition here, but if you like to go on the choir’s mailing list to receive subsequent newsletters, send word to the choir: bridgesingers@gmail.com

November 5th
We started learning In The Bleak Midwinter in Swarland Voices this evening. They seem to like it. This is for a performance at the Northumberland Woodland Burials Crematorium in December. Also, I had a look at their list of favourites for the concert coming up in March and this is up there near the top, which is pleasing!

November 6th
Last Thursday, I started back at the afternoon choir based in Lesbury. I was there a couple of years ago when the choir leader went to visit family overseas, and now I’m back for I’m not sure how long. A couple of them specifically requested that we sing The Lamb, which I’d done with them then, and we also had a crack at a few other festive numbers from that time. It was very cheery to be back amongst them again.

November 7th
News today that someone in Wales is going to use Alleluia Into The Light in one of her workshops in a couple of weeks. Hopefully there’ll be further news on that at the time. She’s been reading this: Song Stories: Alleluia! Into The Light! Also, there was a foggy sunrise with not much sun, but lots to look at nonetheless!

November 8th
Train to London today. That’s all. The East Coast main line was closed for repairs, so we had to get on a bus at York and be driven to Wakefield Westgate. I haven’t been to Wakefield for over five years, and even though all we did was get off a bus and onto a train, we did spot lots of my old places from the windows, including The Hepworth Wakefield where I was a creative practitioner for several years when it first opened. You can read all about that here!

November 9th
Yesterday we came to London via a variety of trains and buses. Today we wandered the quiet(ish) Sunday streets in the morning, then in the afternoon went to hear The King’s Singers and Colin Currie perform at Kings Place. Colin Currie is a marimba player, and the combination was splendid.. My favourite things in the concert were Steve Martland’s Street Songs – so dynamic with lots of rhythmic delights and performed so thrillingly and precisely. Also, on the wall outside the concert hall, was this by Barbara Hepworth – this was the work that got me my job at The Hepworth Wakefield, years ago (you’ll know this if you clicked on yesterday’s link!) – I made a set of activities to go with it as part of my application process – quite the thrill to see it again!

November 10th
We came back from London in plenty of time for The Bridge Singers preparations for Christmas, including Chantry Chapel Carol, which is sounding very cheery and crisp. While all this was happening there were sales of Burns arrangements to someone in Scotland which has made me happy. There has been a lot of listening to Burns songs going on in recent weeks – people preparing for Burns Night perhaps? This was one of the scores they went for this time!

November 11th
Listening to the marimba music on Sunday brought my own marimba concerto to mind. I composed it as part of my DMus folio in the early 1990s. I’ve been listening again. I like it! You can hear the full thing here! but here’s part of it with some of this weekend’s photos.

November 12th
I was reminded of this by a pal today, who is going to sing it with some other pals at a choir residential in Wales later in the week. This recording is of The Bridge Singers at their St. David’s Day concert on March 1st 2023. Also today, Swarland Voices have continued their own Christmas prep with more work on In the Bleak Midwinter – it’s sounding lovely. I made a new version for them…just a transposition, really, to suit the voices we have.

November 13th
I made another London video using some “Looking Up” photos and a bit of the 2nd movement of the marimba concerto. I also went back to Lesbury for singing merriment in the afternoon, and family merriment in Amble in the evening with Mum and Michael.

November 14th
The musical highlight of today was a Rock Festival Choir practice in the evening including this song (and plenty of other lovely things too!). The concert’s at 3pm, Sunday 30 November 2025, St Paul’s Church, Alnwick (tickets on the door, £12).

November 15th
Half way through the month, and a sleepy Saturday of not much really: two walks; lots of radio to catch up on; leftover yumminess for lunch; a bit of music; a bit of email writing and sorting. Here are a few more London photos and a bit more marimba concerto to tide us over until tomorrow!

November 16th
I’ve spent a lot of time with this song today preparing for The Bridge Singers’ appearance at the Brinkburn Carol Service on December 7th. I love it. Also, I made some stuffing from scratch, making it up as I went along and using things that I found in the fridge and cupboard. It looked revolting, but tasted amazing with the leftover pork joint and roast potatoes. Mmm

November 17th
Choir night…The Bridge Singers night… and we sang The Lamb. They seem to love The Lamb and sing it with great feeling and musicality. I’m very delighted that it received more votes in our recent poll than Tavener’s Lamb, which we also sang tonight. They sing that one with great musicality too, by the way. They both scored well in the vote.

November 18th
I made a choir advert.

November 19th
I’m learning new things all the time about Sibelius as I re-enter things from years gone by that I now cannot open because of the Finale demise. I sort of enjoy it. There was floaty snow today too (more tomorrow, they say, and in greater volumes) and this evening much hard work at Swarland Voices, including on In The Bleak Midwinter, which they seem to like. One of my Sibelius tasks was entering It Came Upon The Midnight Clear, the words of which are pretty cool – never really considered them before. Whether you believe in angels or not, the idea of peaceful and joyous creatures/people spreading good news around a troubled world is quite warming. “For lo! The days are hastening on…when, with the ever-circling years, comes round the age of gold; When peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendours fling, and the whole world send back the song which now the angels sing.”

November 20th
I heard yesterday that one of the people in one of the choirs I lead, was chatting to one of her non-choir acquaintances, mentioned me, and this acquaintance said, “Cheryl Camm, the composer?” I like this very much as, yes I am indeed Cheryl Camm The Composer, in my mind, at all times.

November 21st
I made another advert for The Bridge Singers’ concert. This was the snippet I used! Also tonight was Rock Festival Choir in St. Paul’s. The concert’s on Sunday 30th and included in it is my carol “That First Christmas Night”.

November 22nd
Saturday and nothing urgent, so lots of thinking about the thistles. Thinking time is so good. I also went out for a longer walk – also good for thinking. There’s been so much ice and snow in the last couple of days that I’ve not really felt like braving the pavements!

November 23rd
More thistle thinking and more advert making for The Bridge Singers. Also there’s a mini-notice in the Northumberland Gazette about the RFC concert with a list of composers in the programme – just a list, but better to be on it than not!

November 24th
Choir night for The Bridge Singers and we had an excellent go at lots of our repertoire for Christmas, including Banana Fanfare 2. Only one rehearsal to go now.

November 25th.
Dad’s birthday. There was fish and chips in Amble for lunch with Mum and Frances.

November 26th
A stroll along a bit of sand dunes with Frances before she returns home, and then Swarland Voices in the evening, including In The Bleak Midwinter for SAB choir. There are many versions of this song as you can read here! The version below is one I made for a primary school and included a backing track for them as they had no-one to play any accompaniment for them. It’s one of the Sea Pie Parcel Collection of songs.

November 27th and 28th
Two days of relative calm before the festive singing starts in earnest on Sunday. No photos, no adverts, no videos. I did have two choir practices on Thursday, but still…relative calm! I also did learn that Alleluia Into the Light is going to be on a radio station in northern Texas on 1st December, which is nice!

November 29th
Here’s another advert for The Bridge Singers’ concert next weekend – Ten years of singing in Felton Village Hall! There was also a rehearsal for tomorrow’s concert with Rock Festival Choir!

November 30th
We had the Rock Festival Choir Advent Concert today and it was splendid as ever. My song “That First Christmas Night” was part of the programme, and rather efficiently, I’ve already made that recording into a new video and here it is for you!