TRINITY High School was once again the host location for a big band Christmas concert on December 5 when the Worcestershire Youth Jazz Orchestra (WYJO) gave a seasonal performance of favourite classics in an event promoted by the Rotary Club of Redditch for the benefit of WYJO and Batchley Support Group, the Rotary Club’s nominated charity for the year.
WYJO, under the leadership of musical director Ian Hattersley, brings together the cream of the county’s young jazz musicians who have nearly all developed their skills through Worcestershire Youth Music, recently re-launched as Severn Arts.
The senior band has performed at an impressive number of events and venues around the region, including concerts at Symphony Hall in Birmingham and averages 10 public performances a year.
Batchley Support Group (BSG), the Rotary Club’s nominated charity, is a community based neighbourhood association which aims to empower local people by building resident participation and involvement in community activities, advance social inclusion and lifelong learning, reduce inequalities in health, and to speak up for Batchley.
The concert attracted an audience of some 200 who were entertained throughout two sessions with a short interval in between.
The evening included a couple of superb sets from vocalist Rose Johnson, who was joined at the end of the evening by co-vocalist Graham Irving for the excellent duet ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside’.
