Withernsea’s Dickensian Christmas on December 6 will feature a specially produced music and video project showcasing the town’s own musicians and singers.
It was created for the event by Blue Light Weekend’s co-director, Andy Medcalf, and directed by Withernsea deputy mayor Kristina Richardson.
The soundtrack to the video, which focuses on the story of Scrooge with a few Withernsea twists, features a string quartet made up of four local musicians – David Constantine, Vicky Thompson, Lewis Fryer and Rebecca McKee. On the night, a live performance by Withernsea Ladies’ Choir will complete the performance.
Rebecca, who teaches with the East Riding School Music Service and works at Withernsea High School, among others, was recently named Visiting Teacher of the Year at the Classic FM Teacher of the Year awards.
The quartet recorded eight Christmas carols for the project, including Silent Night, Away in a Manger and Once in Royal David’s City. The session was recorded at the home studio of Gary Richardson, of Richardson Electrical, who volunteered his recording and sound engineering expertise for the project.
Gary said he was approached by Cllr Richardson because of his interest in recording and his purpose-built studio. He said: “The session only took a few hours to record the eight tracks as the musicians were absolute professionals.
“We recorded everything live in single takes with no overdubs. It was great fun. We all had a good laugh during the process, which always helps. It was great to offer my services to a local community project.”
Cllr Richardson said: “Credit not only to the musicians, who played together as a quartet for the first time that evening, but also to Gary’s recording skills and setup. His equipment and expertise really blew everyone away – even the musicians commented on how incredible it all was.”
Lewis Fryer, teacher of music at Withernsea High School, said: “I was delighted to be invited by Rebecca McKee to take part in a recording session for Withernsea’s Christmas event. Playing the cello and recording eight Christmas carols was a real joy. It was wonderful to collaborate with other local musicians and contribute to something that brings the community together during the festive season.”
The finished project will be revealed during the Dickensian Christmas celebration in Valley Gardens on Saturday, December 6.