PAAMOA Community Choir and Calpe Band spread festive cheer with inclusive Christmas Concert

Family and friends were treated to a selection of Festive Carols on Monday morning at The Holy Trinity Church, by the newly formed PAAMOA Community Choir.

The Choir, led by retired music teachers, Cathy Batchelor, Pamela Honeyman and May Clinton came together in November this year, and after only six rehearsals only treated the audience to a mixture of Christmas Carols.

Traditional Carols such as 'When a Child is Born' and 'Joy to the World', blended nicely with Villancicos including 'Campana Sobre Campana'.

The Choir were then accompanied by their special guests, the Calpe Band.

The PAAMOA charity, whose chairperson is Marie Carmen Vallejo, do work for retirees that are over 55 by offering many free classes of physical activities such as pilates, tai chi and aqua aerobics to name but a few.

This addition of a choir, an idea initiated by Michelle Turner, has many benefits for the older community, said a statement from PAAMOA.

“The organisers stressed that everyone was welcome to come along and participate. Singing is aerobic, in that it is a form of exercise that improves the efficiency of the body's cardiovascular system, it lowers cortisol, blood pressure and relieves stress and tension,” said the statement.

Being in a choir also fosters a sense of community and improves general wellbeing - as one of the choir members said after the concert, "I would like to say how grateful I am to belong to this choir that prioritises community, inclusivity, connection and the joy of singing. So often over the years I have wished I was able to join a choir led by these values....and now we all can! Thank you so much to all of you in PAAMOA who made it happen".

The PAAMOA statement included some information about an upcoming Calpe Band initiative. Elizabeth Borge, a retired nurse practitioner, together with Kayron Pozo, the GHA Health Promotion Officer, are hoping to encourage senior citizens who played a musical instrument in their youth to pick it up again and join the Band.

“The Calpe Band is also an inclusive Band for young and old musicians, everyone is welcome, and the benefits include enhancing cognitive skills, combatting depression and loneliness and improving overall health,” said the statement.

The Band treated the audience to a variety of Carols from 'Away in a Manger' and 'Silent Night' to 'Rudolph' and 'Jingle Bells'. There was also a special performance of 'Walking in the Air' followed by the Band accompanying the Choir for Feliz Navidad, with much enthusiastic audience participation also.

The organisers are keen to stress that to join the choir all you have to do is get in touch with PAAMOA at: info@paamoa.gi - rehearsals are every Monday morning at 10.30am.

Also, if you would like to join the Calpe Band, get in touch at: thecalpeband@gmail.com - or go along on a Monday evening or Wednesday evening at 7pm to 35A Town Range.

“So, if you know of a friend or relative who might benefit from joining either of these great community initiatives, do let them know about them. I hope we are treated to more inclusive concerts like these in the future,” the statement added.