THE festive season felt like it was truly under way at Southampton’s Central Hall with this fantastic seasonal concert.

Southampton Choral Society first performed alongside the Royal Marines Association Concert Band at a Titanic tribute event last year and it was such a success that they were determined to collaborate again.

And it was a huge treat for the near sell-out crowd at the beautiful Central Hall that they did.

The concert was faultless – overlooking my singing during the audience participation sections!

It opened with a fantastic medley of Christmas songs performed by the band. Some sections of the evening were performed by the band alone, others by just the choir, some by both and for some songs the audience was invited to join in, too.

It made for a lively evening with varied pace that kept everyone engaged throughout.

It was a joy to watch both conductors – Captain David Cole MVO leading the orchestra with boundless energy and David Woodman effortlessly guiding the choir – particularly seeing how they worked together.

The entire evening was noteperfect.

I’m sure everyone had their favourite section. For me it was the lively performance of On Christmas Night by the band and choir, while trumpet soloist Jon Yates received rapturous applause for Through The Eyes of Love. The evening ended on a fantastic high with everyone joining in an exuberant rendition of O Come, All Ye Faithful.

The choir and band received a much-deserved standing ovation and when David Woodman said that it wouldn’t be the last time they performed a Christmas concert with this band he received another huge round of applause.

We all went home with smiles on our faces and Jingle Bells in our ears.