PAAMOA community choir - intergenerational Christmas concert

By Angela Sargent
Crowds streamed into Holy Trinity Cathedral as soon as the doors were opened for the PAAMOA Community Choir Christmas Concert on Monday 1st December.

All the extra chairs were needed as Cathy Batchelor, the lead organiser worked with her colleagues to find a seat for as many as possible. Some chose to stand; one attendee even found a kneeler could be pressed into service as an impromptu pouffe! In this informal atmosphere, many families were packed in to see their loved ones perform. The Cathedral, beautifully lit for the evening and with the large nativity scene installed along the south wall, was the perfect venue for this Christmas celebration right at the beginning of Advent.

Not only was the nave filled to capacity with audience members and members of Paamoa Choir, but the Calpe Band filled the area in front of the altar while the children of St. Paul’s School Choir waited in the St. George Chapel for their turn to sing.

The performers spanned at least three generations, with grandparents and perhaps great-grandparents in the Physical Activities Association for Mature Older Adults, known as the ‘PAAMOA Choir’. Some of them had grandchildren in the St. Paul’s choir and were overjoyed to be performing with them - a truly rare event!! The Calpe Band also encourages musicians of all ages and levels to take up an instrument. This inclusive policy gives rise to the joy of bringing the members of two community groups and the school children together.

Beyond the music itself, such intergenerational performances foster a sense of continuity and shared heritage. They allow younger singers to learn from the experience and dedication of their elders, while the older generation is uplifted by the energy, creativity, and fresh perspective of the young. The blending of voices across ages becomes a living symbol of our Gibraltar community. With these special, musical collaborations, tradition and renewal can harmonise. Music bridges and binds the generations as they perform together in mutual respect.

The delight in the faces of the audience was clear to see from the dramatic beginning of the performance when the main lights were dimmed, and the Paamoa Choir processed up the main aisle in twos humming the tune of ‘Silent Night’. Each carried a candle in one hand and their music in the other. They were all dressed in black with a large Poinsettia corsage lovingly crafted by Pam Honeyman, every one unique like the choir members themselves. As they came forward May Clinton began her skilful piano accompaniment, accompanying many of the Carols that evening, whilst Pam and Cathy took turns conducting the 70 strong choir members.

The Choir continued with La Nanita Nana, the beloved Spanish-language Christmas carol published in 1904 by the Spanish songwriter José Ramós Gomis. This carol was performed very tenderly, a lullaby fit for the infant Jesus. A modern arrangement of Adeste Fideles brought the Choir’s first set to a close before they filled back to their seats. Each piece was warmly appreciated by the audience who did not stint in their applause.

Now the stage was clear for the Calpe Band. Their outfits were very festive with bright red waistcoats and under the baton of bandmaster Joe Gomila, former headteacher of Notre Dame School, the accomplished Band gave a powerful rendition of ‘Stop the Cavalry’ by Jona Lewie. It is an anti war song that became a Christmas hit because of its lyrics about wanting to be home for Christmas. This was followed by ‘Rin Rin’ and a clear favourite with those present, ‘Los Peces en el Rio’ – traditional villancicos with music arranged by Joe Gomila.

St. Paul’s Choir then filed out from St. George's Chapel carrying candles. Singing acapella, their first hymn ‘Away in a Manger’ filled the Cathedral with their sweet voices. Many parents and grandparents were on their feet, phones in hand to capture the moment charged with emotion. If that piece was poignant, the next, a song originally from Venezuela, was hilarious. The children, ably led by music teacher, Joelle Barton, performed ‘El Burrito Sabanero’ singing along with energetic and skilfully choreographed actions that left the audience in tears of laughter.

The Paamoa Choir’s second set opened with ‘Brightest and Best’, an old Anglican carol written by the Bishop Reginald Heber for the feast of Epiphany, which first appeared in the ‘Christian Observer’ in November 1811. In September this year, the Choir composed a new melody for the carol during their two-day vocal workshop, with renowned voice coaches Douglas Coombes OBE and Carole Lindsay Douglas. Reaching even further into the past and further afield to Canada, the Choir next tackled an ‘Indian Huron Carol’ written by a Jesuit missionary around the year 1642 in the Huron-Wendat language. Jean de Brébeuf wrote it to share the Nativity story with the Huron people, using imagery they would understand, such as God as the Great Spirit and the three wise men as Chiefs. The Choir ably rendered this two-part tricky melody based on a traditional French folk song.

After a light Spanish Medley, the Choir took their seats again and the Calpe Band continued the upbeat tempo with a Calypso Carol, Rudolph the Reindeer, and then in a master stroke, the Bandmaster, encouraged by Cathy Batchelor, invited the children to come forward again and sing Jingle Bells whilst the Band were playing it! They swiftly took their places at the front of the altar as the Band continued playing with the Bandmaster coming forward to conduct them for each chorus, much to their amusement. A very spontaneous and delightful moment.

Thanks to superb logistical management of so many performers, the audience enjoyed a seamless succession: ‘Joy to the World’ from the Paamoa Choir, ‘Children of the World’ from St. Paul’s Choir, and, in a fitting climax, grandparents and grandchildren lifted their voices in harmony with the Calpe Band for the grand finale, a tour de force, ‘Feliz Navidad.’ As the audience gathered their things to leave the building, the Dean of the Cathedral, Ian Tarrant was heard to comment “Next year they should do two nights!’