Keith Community Christmas Concert features Ida Girls and West End singer Wendy Carr
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AN ONLINE Christmas concert organised by a singer and actress from Keith will aim to give people some festive respite from Covid and raise money for two local causes.
The Keith Community Christmas Concert will feature West End and TV performer Wendy Carr as well as many local solo performers and groups.
The event tomorrow (Wednesday) will be a fantastic evening of festive favourites, folk music, iconic numbers from the stage and screen, and much more.
Wendy, from Keith, was a member of Stagestars Scotland and the Strathspey Fiddlers while growing up in the town and attending The Gordon Schools in Huntly.
Having trained classically, she has had leading roles in opera and musical theatre, but is also an original member and musical director of London’s leading classical-crossover girl group, Ida Girls, as seen on ITV's Walk the Line recently.
Ida was formed in 2015, having met on the London production of Princess Ida by Gilbert and Sullivan, and since then have performed on BBC1, at Windsor Castle, and at West End Live to over 20,000 people, as well as performing their shows in regional UK theatres, the West End and internationally.
The music and performing industries have been hit particularly bad by the ongoing pandemic, so all Wendy’s performing work was cancelled or postponed indefinitely last year.
So during 2020, Wendy moved from London to her family home in Keith and made herself busy recording and creating her Wendy Sings Wednesday videos on her YouTube channel, including collaborations with other singers and musicians, as part of her DistanSING series.
Throughout 2021 she continued with her online videos and since the summer has had her usual paid performing work slowly being re-introduced as Covid-19 restrictions eased.
She has also frequently featured (as a soloist and as part of the Ida Girls) in multiple online concerts, so was inspired to create the upcoming Keith Community Christmas Concert.
Wendy said: “I wanted to create this concert to give the local groups and performers something to work towards and share with friends and family, as live entertainment and gatherings in the lead up to Christmas are so few and far between due to Covid-19."
Last year's concert was such a success that Wendy was determined to arrange a second one this Christmas.
“The concert will be family-friendly and free to watch, however the audience will be encouraged to make a donation to our charity fund.
"Charities continue to suffer because of the pandemic, so we’d love to raise as much money as we can for local charities Moray Food Plus+ and Keith Rotary Club.”
During the concert, there will be a link in the description box to donate via the concert's GoFundMe page, gofundme.com/keithcommunitychristmasconcert, as well as more information about Wendy’s multiple special guests.
“I’m so excited to be featuring some of the amazing talent from the local area, including the Strathisla Pipe Band, Strathspey Fiddlers, the Keith & District Silver Band, highland dancers, solo musicians and many more.
"It really will be a variety performance – watch out Royal Albert Hall; you have competition!”
You can tune in to the Keith Community Christmas Concert at 7pm on Wednesday, December 22 on Wendy’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/wendycarr.
