A Tip Top Performance for Pathways
Isn’t it great when you can bless others and find that in doing so, you are also blessed?
Our Tip Top musicians certainly blessed family and friends with polished performances in our Christmas Concert on Saturday 14th December 2024. Tickets and refreshments were all free but generous donations were made to support Pathways of Chesterfield, therefore… we could bless others. 😊💗
Preparing for the performance was a great motivation to practise more; it brought musicians together, enthralled listeners and provided the perfect opportunity to think about people who are not having an easy time. We were absolutely overjoyed to raise £352.50 and want to thank everyone who donated.
It was a privilege to meet the team members at Pathways (Sian, Thobani, Laura & Jules). Laura Roberts said:
‘Thank you so much for the generous donation of £352.50 raised at your Christmas Concert. At Pathways, we are fortunate to be able to provide a holistic service including housing and tenancy support, specialist mental health nursing, outreach services, emergency food and clothing provisions. However, we would be unable to provide such an impactful and varied service without the kind support of donors such as yourselves. Your donation has made a tangible difference in the lives of both individuals and families experiencing homelessness or a housing crisis within our community.’
You can find our more about the amazing work of the dedicated Pathways team and support them further by visiting: https://www.pathwaysofchesterfield.co.uk/
Littlemoor Gospel Chapel kindly hosted the concert where Pastor Colin Lamb welcomed the families and musicians. The concert was co-produced with my friend, musician and teacher Claire Lisi and featured musicians from aged 8 upwards. Claire reflected; ‘It was a lovely collaboration between us and a safe platform for musicians to share their love of music.’
We have had very positive and complimentary feedback from pupils and parents. Heidi, Mum of Reuben (aged 10):
‘Since taking part in these concerts Reuben has grown in self-confidence and finds performing in front of others easier which also makes the graded piano exams a little less scary!’ Reuben added:
‘It’s nice to listen to other performers and to get together with other musicians because I don’t really know anybody else who shares the same interests as me.’
Lisa , Mum of Darci (aged 13);
‘The Christmas concert was an amazing opportunity for young musicians to showcase their abilities, experience playing to an audience and aspire to continually improve. As a parent it is wonderful to see how special music is to these young musicians and we are grateful to Julie for supporting Darci and giving her the confidence to play.
Hannah (aged 8); ‘I was excited, and it was then really fun to play.’
Lia (aged 11), ‘I felt nervous to begin with, but happy I did it and thought it went well.’
Steve (Dad of Hannah & Lia);
‘Lana and I found it quite emotional watching them. To have first seen them doing their French time names to then playing a full-sized piano with synchronised hands and in time with Julie... Lana may have had a tear in her eye. I definitely didn't.’ (I'm afraid I just don’t believe you Steve! 😉)
Emma, Mum of Olivia (aged 8);
‘We thought the concert was a great way for young musicians to gain experience performing in a supportive environment. Julie’s hard work and dedication shines through. Fundraising to support a local charity is the icing on the cake of a lovely event.’
The program featured plenty of traditional Christmas music; celebrating our rich Judeo/Christian heritage and sharing the true meaning of Christmas. Playing Christmas music just brings people together in a very special way. I have the privilege of seeing these brave young musicians performing in concerts but it is also thoroughly heart-warming to see families happily singing together around the piano in their homes.
Solos, piano duets and the flute ensembles floated beautifully across the chapel, featuring music from Bach to Tchaikovsky to Abba. It was a joy to conclude the concert with a rousing rendition of ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’. With only one brief rehearsal altogether, our ensemble (2 pianists, 6 flautists and a euphonium player) quickly followed my directions and were able to lead the audience in singing. Bravo!
I look forward to 2025 and hope I am blessed to work with more budding musicians.
Julie Csorba
30th December 2024
