Carols by Candlelight Christmas Concert

Orchestra, choir and rock band performances, set against ‘A Christmas Carol’, leading Cooper Hall audience in singing well-known carols whilst awaiting Santa

The ‘Carols by Candlelight’ production showcased two evenings of orchestra, choir and rock band performances, set against the story of Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’.

The combined School Orchestra, conducted by Patrick Dwyer, and Choir, directed by Kevin Neeson, led the full capacity Cooper Hall audience in singing well-known carols, beckoning Santa on his journey across the South China Sea to Dover Road.

Families and friends in the audience were given regular updates about Santa’s location and his imminent arrival, as the bands – Revod, 21^st Century, New Beat, Get Weird and The Night Owls (led by Christian Fernandez and Simon Townsend) – rocked the Cooper Hall.

Excerpts of Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ complemented the live performances at regular intervals, which the drama students, directed by Helen McCann, wholeheartedly acted Dickens’ compelling tale of greed, love and charity.

As the stage curtains drew each scene to a close, and the vibrant festive lighting of green, red and blue dimmed to darkness, the LED candles – purchased by the audience for charity – twinkled during each reflective transition. The candlelight charity donation raised $468.00 for ‘Causes for Animals Singapore’, providing welfare to our furry friends during this time of year.

Santa’s stage appearance during the Night Owls’ encore performance of ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas’, delighted the children who had been anticipating his arrival throughout the show. It was a fitting conclusion to a successful event that brought the Dover Court community together.

DCIS would like to formally acknowledge the generosity of David Bradshaw (Harman Audio) for providing the sound production for both evenings.

Patrick Dwyer
Head of Music
NAE Regional Lead – Southeast Asia