I would say the first half would be ideal for him Milly (also it would mean a not too late bedtime)  Hope they get a good turn out in such cold weather

What a great programme! Wish I was in your area of the country, Milly!

They always get an excellent turn-out because it is a 100+-strong choir and all their relatives and friends go to support them.  Quite often there's standing room only!

Thanks Don.  We've just come back from a long walk with the dog so I'll see how tired he is by the interval.  Last time he asked to stay and it might be the same this time.  At any rate he'll like the first half I'm sure.  I'd love him to stay for all of it but I'm just frightened of pushing it and then putting him off.  On the other hand I don't particularly want him to get used to going to see half a concert.  I'll just play it by ear.

There aren't many young ones in the choir unfortunately.  I'd say probably 90% over retirement age.  The soloists are all young though because our chairman, Barbara Robotham, always chooses really good performers from the Royal Northern.  I've just spoken to mum and she says that they were excellent in rehearsal.  Very young.  She says there are 14 off sick from the actual choir, with colds and the girl she sits next to on the front has a cold as well.  As to the choir keeping going, I would say that unless they get a new influx, within 10 years this choir is unlikely to still exist.

The other choir mum belongs to is a little bit more hopeful in that regard, because it is attached to little 'un's school and the pupils are encouraged to join from senior school level.  That choir is predominantly young, although there are a parents, a few grandparents .....and one great-grandparent!    She's obviously very young to be a great-grandma and doesn't even look her age anyway.  She's sung all her life as a professional entertainer, although not classical and now she's retired from that, she's joined these two choirs to keep going really.

You can only hope she doesn't have children of her own.

Always a good sign if a child asks questions . I'm glad he wanted to stay, and clearly got a lot out of it.

My boys always liked organ music,too, when I took them to the cathedral in Liverpool - I think it was the power, and the unbelievable loudness of it.

Only organists understand the mechanics of organs, I suspect .

With an attitude like that if she has a husband she probably sends him out to the shed all day. On the subject of organs, I found a fascinating site a couple of years ago by a chap who had built his own, and used a blower from a vacuum cleaner but had to reduce the power considerably before it was playable anywhere other than the top of a distant mountain. For a really ingenious bit of organ-building have a look at a bottle organ!