Choristers' delight at Songs of Praise bow; Fantastic year continues for Huddersfield singers

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), Dec 5, 2007

Byline: By VAL JAVIN Feature Writer

TUNE in to BBC's Songs Of Praise on Sunday and hear Huddersfield Choral Society.

The popular late afternoon programme will include four items recorded by the Choral Society in Huddersfield Town Hall in October.

Two of the pieces feature arrangements by key musicians who work with the society, chorusmaster Joseph Cullen and organist Darius Battiwalla.

A stunning arrangement for choir and virtuoso organ by Darius of I Saw Three Ships contrasts with Joseph's gentle The Holly And The Ivy and his unaccompanied Deck The Halls. The final item is the Advent hymn Come, Thou Long-Expec-ted Jesus.

The recording is just the latest achievement for the Choral in what has been a remarkable year in its history.

Earlier in the year, the choir sang for the Queen and Prince Philip during the couple's visit to Huddersfield and many of the singers have been involved in three overseas trips this year, to the Czech Republic, to Antwerp and to Osaka in Japan.

Sunday's Songs Of Praise programme has another Huddersfield connection. Last month, a BBC crew came to Huddersfield to film the beautiful Polish crib (szopka) made by Polish families working with the Kirklees Museums and Galleries Service in 2001.

The crib was made originally for a Polish Christmas event at Tolson Museum.

It is now featured in an exhibition called Szopki In The Snow which is being hosted by Wakefield Cathedral until January 14. The crib is in fact Krakowian in style, but it has Huddersfield features: Castle Hill and a mill chimney, the lion from the Lion Building and two angels - one black, one white.

The crew filmed in the Polish Church on Fitzwilliam Street in Huddersfield with 80 or so Polish children singing carols in Polish.

Finally, the team went to the home of a member of the town's Polish community to film the family's house and a tree which had been decorated in Polish style. The family cooked the Wigilia meal - the special feast held by Polish families on Christmas Eve.

The programme will be broadcast on December 9 on BBC One at 4.15pm. There are more details on: www.bbc.co.uk/religion/pro-grammes/songsofpraise/pro-gramme.shtml

Huddersfield Choral Society's new CD, The Carols Album and also its Messiah are now stocked at Huddersfield Tourist Information Centre on Albion Street.

CAPTION(S):

SEASONAL PERFORMANCE: Joseph Cullen (right), chorusmaster of Huddersfield Choral Society (below), and Darius Battiwalla playing the organ