Octave ready to hit the right note for charity

Award-winning Lanarkshire singing ensemble Octave are preparing to take to the stage again for their eighth annual charity concerts.
The members of Octave, who will perform at Motherwells GLO Auditorium next week.The members of Octave, who will perform at Motherwells GLO Auditorium next week.
The members of Octave, who will perform at Motherwells GLO Auditorium next week.

The group is preparing a brand new programme of music including Broadway musicals, classical and popular music, with something to suit all tastes.

Formed by renowned local musical director David Fisher in 2011, the group has performed at various charity and fund-raising events over the last eight years.

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In 2013, Octave was named ‘Best in Class’ in the Mixed Voice Choir section of the Glasgow Music Festival.

These concerts will be all-new material and the usual mixture of ensembles, solos and duets. The programme will be varied and feature some well-known numbers from shows such as West Side story, Mary Poppins and Hello, Dolly! as well as some lesser-known musicals such as Love never Dies and Blood Brothers.

There will also be some popular numbers by George Harrison, Elton John and from the hit film The Greatest Showman.

The group members- Janis Cunningham, John McKenzie, Esther O’Hara, Jonathan Procter, Kirsty Ross, Julie Thomson, Raymond Tulips and Carol Whitelaw - have built up a good reputation and following since the ensemble was founded both for their performances and their fund-raising efforts.

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David had worked with all the members previously through various theatre and singing groups and some of the group had known each other and had worked together previous to forming Octave.

David lived in the same street in Bellshill as Kirsty growing up and they went to the same school (a few years apart). Julie and Esther also went to school together in Motherwell.

Following the previous annual concerts, the group has donated more than £11,000 to charities including The British Heart Foundation, Chest, Heart Stroke Scotland, Maggie’s Cancer Centre, The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice and Bobath Scotland.

In December 2017, the group also performed its first Christmas concert raising £1,700 for the Motherwell salvation Army’s Christmas Toy Appeal.

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This year the ensemble is aiming to present a sizeable cheque to Alzheimer Scotland,specifically supporting the newly refurbished Lanarkshire Dementia Resource Centre in Motherwell.

The members selected this cause as it is a respected local charity and a number of them have had close family or friends who have been affected by dementia.

The concerts, entitled Octave GLO Celebr8!, will be staged between Wednesday, September 12 and Saturday, September 15 in Motherwell’s GLO Auditorium, with curtain up at 7.30pm.

Tickets, priced £12/£13, are available from Shona Fisher by telephoning 01698721607 or by e-mailing [email protected].

The group is entirely voluntary, and after the deduction of running costs, surplus funds are given to charity.

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