Forgotten Carols Workshops and Performances
“The Forgotten Carols Concert is fast becoming one of our most eagerly anticipated and popular events of the year – a truly magical evening.”
Dumfries Museum
Ali’s research of British folk carols has inspired Forgotten Carols workshops and performances. The performances which take place in different parts of Britain every year aim to put magic and meaning back into midwinter and Christmas.
Forgotten Carols draws on Britain’s rich legacy of folk carols and related songs sung by ordinary people across the country, from Cornwall to Orkney, from Northumberland to the Western Isles. Ali’s arrangements are wonderful to sing and are now available in her first collection of carols and songs for midwinter, Raining Bliss and Benison.
The workshops led by Alison are open to anyone who wants to sing and celebrate. Singers learn the songs and their history. Participants don’t have to read music, although it is available for anyone who wants it. A CD of the separate parts is also available.
Forgotten Carols workshops can be held on a single day, over a weekend or in a series of sessions, culminating in a performance. The performance is optional and can vary from an informal gathering of participants and friends to a concert event supported by a professional singer and reader where carols are woven together with readings of contemporary poetry and prose.
“Last year I went along to Forgotten Carols for the first time. I thought it was one of the most perfect events I'd ever seen - the blend of carols and recitations worked so well together and because I was unfamiliar with most of the material, it brought me to a renewed sense of all the rich meanings of Christmas. This year, reading for the Forgotten Carols was one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things I've ever done and has confirmed for me what I'd always suspected - Ali Burns is something of a genius….It made me want to give of my best too, to bring all the sensitivity and intelligence I could muster to make the readings come alive.”
Writer Tom Pow (www.tompow.co.uk)