FAQ
Can children take part in the event?
Yes, but only if they are accompanied by an adult at all times who remains responsible for them.
That can be an adult performing somewhere in the band or choir, or an adult in the audience for the whole event (i.e. in sight of their child at all times).
We are a very family-friendly event and we welcome all musicians to perform, of any age!
But we cannot take responsibility for unaccompanied children.
Can I leave my bag/instrument case/belongings somewhere while we perform?
No. You must look after your belongings at all times.
Attach them to your chair perhaps while performing, and stay vigilant and look after them, we are in a public space.
There are left luggage facilities at both Kings Cross and St Pancras International stations (mainline rail, not the underground), for a fee.
Do I need to practice before the event?
Not at all!
You are welcome to look over the music sent out digitally in advance. But we don't expect anyone to practice.
We deliberately select or commission arrangements of well-known songs such that everyone should roughly know how the melody goes, to help fit everything together.
We perform for the joy of making music together, and we don't expect perfection. We are a supportive environment for everyone to come and have fun.
Can I only attend for part of the event?
Yes, this is fine.
If you are leaving part-way through, try to sit on the end of a row to make this easier.
If you are joining part-way through, drop us an email in advance and we can try to reserve a seat.
Can I bring my unusual instrument?
Yes, absolutely!
We love special instruments - contrabass flute, sousaphone, you name it!
But we are a small operation without time to make special sheet music for everyone individually.
So contact us well in advance and we can look over our sheet music collection together, to see what will work best.
Where can I send my feedback about the event?
Just drop us an email! We love hearing from participants, and we act on any good ideas wherever we can (or explain why it's not possible)
info@bigchristmaswindorchestra.org
What have we improved from past years, based on your comments:
Send the music in advance so we can read it - done!
Conductor needs a podium - done!
Sit the choir in voice sections - we will try our best from the start, though we can't guarantee that late arrivals will all find the right spot
Tenor recorder music - we're working on it, fingers crossed
Can we have a roof? Sadly this is not so easy - we are grateful for all of the support we get from Kings Cross as our hosts, and they do not have any roofed spaces available around their markets and other events. The bigger we get, the more and more difficult it becomes to find a venue at all...
Charity collections while we perform - this is managed by the individual charities themselves. We send advice on numbers of collectors, and needing to be actively moving around the audience with buckets etc. But this is beyond the remit of the BCWO&C organisers, any charity invited to collect during our performance runs this themselves.
I have another question!
Send it over to info@bigchristmaswindorchestra.org - we monitor messages all year round.