12 November Update
Week 3 of 8 (Autumn Term H2)
In this week's bulletin, we have:
Coffee Notices
A rehearsal recap
Song facts: One More Sleep
☕ Coffee Notices
Westow House - Christmas Lamppost Light Switch-on
Thursday 19 November
Our first Christmas performance is almost here! We'll be singing at Westow House as part of the Crystal Palace Christmas Lamppost Light Switch-On celebrations.
The festivities begin at 6.30pm, with live music and an outdoor bar. The lamppost lights will be switched on at 7.30pm, accompanied by a brass band, before we take over at 7.45pm!
A few important timings for performers:
6.45pm: Management team arrives to set up. You're very welcome to join us early.
7.15pm: All performers to arrive by this time, please.
7.25–7.40pm: Choir warm-up.
7.45pm: Performance begins!
This year we'll be singing upstairs at The Westow. There'll be signs directing visitors to the entertainment, the upstairs bar will be open, and the pub is taking table bookings, so we're hoping for a good audience to sing to!
The Event Pack and Lyric Pack are now available to download from the Performing page. Please take a few minutes to read through the Event Pack before Thursday so you know where to be and when.
One last practice!
Don't forget our extra rehearsal at Vicky's house on Tuesday 17 November at 7.30pm.
This is a chance to run through the setlist, iron out any niggly bits and give ourselves a final confidence boost in a relaxed, friendly setting. The address will be shared on WhatsApp.
Have you registered?
If you haven't yet signed up for either of our Christmas performances, please do so as soon as possible.
And if you're feeling a little nervous about performing, particularly if it's your first time, please don't let that put you off! Our Christmas performances are usually wonderfully relaxed, with plenty of encouragement from the audience and your fellow choir members. It's all part of the fun.
Registration only takes a couple of minutes:
You'll also find full details of both performances on the Performing page.
Looking ahead to Stanley Arts
Once Westow House is behind us, we'll be introducing a few different songs as we prepare for our Christmas concert at Stanley Arts.
If you'd like to get a head start, have a listen to Carol of the Bells and The Power of Love in the Christmas Music Library.
A little advance listening always helps, particularly when we have new arrangements to get our heads (and voices) around.
COTH Christmas Party – Saturday 5 December 🎉
It's not long now until our Christmas get-together at Ivna's house.
There'll be drinks, singing and all the usual COTH fun, including our traditional Secret Santa. Taking part is entirely optional, but it's always a good laugh. Lizzy will be in touch shortly to organise it.
More details, including the address, will follow soon.
Dates for your diary
Thursday 19 November – The Westow, Crystal Palace
Our first Christmas performance, as part of the Crystal Palace Christmas Light Switch On event.
Saturday 5 December – COTH Christmas Party
Drinks, singing, Secret Santa and all the usual COTH Christmas fun, this year at Ivna's house. More details nearer the time!
Friday 18 December – Stanley Arts Christmas Concert
We'll be returning to this hugely enjoyable annual event. See the Performing page for further details.
🎤 Rehearsal Recap
This week we continued our work on One More Sleep by Leona Lewis, revisited Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas and ran through the remaining songs on our Westow House setlist.
Song Notes - One More Sleep
In the latter part of the song (page 2 - the penultimate box on the lyric sheet), when we sing the final round of 'Five more nights on my own', the first section of that box is sung slightly differently to the rest of the song for both altos and sopranos. It's worth listening carefully to that section of the song - recordings, are available in the Christmas Music Library.
Song facts: One More Sleep - Leona Lewis
Released in 2013, One More Sleep was co-written and recorded by Leona Lewis for her album Christmas, with Love. With its Motown-inspired production and incredibly catchy chorus, it has become one of the few modern Christmas songs to earn a regular place alongside the old favourites.
The song reached No. 3 in the UK charts when it was first released, and its popularity has continued to grow. In fact, in 2025 it was named the UK's most-played Christmas song released in the 21st century. Not bad for a song competing with decades of festive classics!
An extraordinary voice
We had a bit of a discussion at rehearsal about Leona's remarkable vocal abilities and whether she's perhaps a rather underrated artist.
Leona won The X Factor in 2006, but her career achievements go well beyond winning a television talent show. Her 2007 single Bleeding Love reached No. 1 in 35 countries, and she has received three Grammy nominations and seven BRIT Award nominations.
She's known for her impressive vocal range, powerful high notes and ability to move between delicate, almost whispered phrases and enormous, soaring vocals. But it's not just about hitting the high notes. Her control, phrasing and ability to convey emotion are equally impressive.
Perhaps her X Factor beginnings have sometimes overshadowed just how accomplished a singer she is. That's certainly something we were wondering about on Thursday!
Whatever happened to Leona?
Despite being less visible in the charts, Leona hasn't disappeared from the music world.
Her last full album of entirely new material was released in 2015, although she released an expanded version of her Christmas album in 2021, featuring new recordings including a duet with Ne-Yo.
More recently, she performed a Christmas-themed residency in Las Vegas, running from November 2025 into January 2026. She's also spoken about spending time in the recording studio and working towards releasing new music in 2026, although a new album hasn't yet been confirmed.
