By Gemma Redson, Baritone

Since joining The Barberettes back in July, we have been busy sharing our music at various singouts. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of five singouts since I joined, three of which took place in the past week alone as part of the busy Christmas schedule. The highlight of it all was undoubtedly our recent performance at The Minster in Reading, where we took part in a charity concert supporting the Royal Berkshire Charity alongside other talented choirs and performers. The church was packed with an amazing turnout of six hundred attendees - it was a true celebration of music and giving back to the community.

There's something extra special about singing in a concert and I was lucky enough that my husband was able to attend - his favorite tune was "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," which had an special surprise appearance by the talented Blossom. The atmosphere was amazing as we sang "The 12 Days of Christmas," where I had the unique role of being one of the two turtle doves. It was a new experience for me, serenading an audience with gentle coos, and certainly not something I've done before.

My personal favourite was "Somewhere Only We Know" which always feels very emotional, and "Mary, Did You Know" which I had not heard of prior to joining The Barberettes. The mix of these slower songs alongside the more upbeat "We Need a Little Christmas" and "Feliz Navidad", which seems to certainly be an audience favourite, is one of the reasons I love being a part of this amazing group of singers.

It's also great that we are able to make a positive impact in the community with the concert helping to raise over £4,000. Last week, our performances at Reading Station were dedicated to supporting the same Charity and we were able to help raise an incredible £1,000.

I'm looking forward to many more concerts, and singouts to come. In fact, there's only a week until the next one at Broad Street Mall on Saturday 16th December so why not come along and share in some Christmas magic!