Paamoa Community Choir holds summer concert

There was a packed Catholic Community Centre on Monday morning, where friends and family of the Pammoa Community Choir and the Calpe Band were treated to a mixed concert with some beautiful music.

The concert opened with the haunting sound of the bagpipes as Manuel Enriles moved across the balcony above, to join the Calpe Band and Paamoa Choir below, with a heartfelt rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’.

Next was William Gomez’s ‘Ave Maria’, a very well-known piece locally, with guest soloist Fiona Perera’s amazing voice ringing out with crystal clarity.

Allowing the senior citizens to get their breath back, their songs were interspersed with some favourites by the Calpe Band, conducted by Miguel Gomila, such as ‘Highland Cathedral’ and Highlights from Oliver and Abba.

Hearing the Abba music the choir donned their ABBA accessories and belted out with much energy and dancing, three Abba songs to nicely round off the concert.

Rosanna Hitchcock, choir member, was moved emotionally.

“Music is to the soul what exercise is to the body, both are just as important,” she said.

“We all have our everyday lives and a lot to carry, but when you step through that door, you leave everything behind… you come in on a Monday morning, however you are feeling, fill your lungs, sing away, recalibrate and you are ready to face that week.”

She thanked all the organisers for the Paamoa initiatives that look after the older people and see what they have to offer and reiterated how much the choir means to all the members.

An audience member added: “What a wonderful show with a great repertoire of musical talent bringing the whole community together. The hard work that has gone into this, the passion, the hours of rehearsals, the musical detail, the volunteers’ dedication and the choirs’ resilience is heartwarming to see the growth and how much you have all enjoyed this experience. It is commendable to see how you have all excelled in showcasing a spectacular performance… but above all you have grown as a community, with a purpose and have formed beautiful friendships.”

Kayron Pozo, Health and Promotion Officer for Public Health gave a few words at the end of the concert on the health benefits of belonging to a group such as the choir or band.

“Being involved in an organisation such as this has a benefit, not only for your physical and mental health, but for social contact where people may feel isolated, where people may not know where to turn to,” he said.

“These organisations break down a lot of those barriers, keep you busy and break the boredom when you are rehearsing and practising at home; also, once or twice a week you meet up with people and the social events that they organise outside the rehearsals too.”

He encouraged the audience if they know of anyone who would benefit from these groups to let them know about them.

To find out more about joining the Paamoa Choir and times of rehearsals etc email: info@paamoa.gi

To find about more about joining the Calpe Band and picking up an instrument such as woodwind, brass or percussion email: thecalpeband@gmail.com