I gave out these little packets of home-made biscuits last night just before my vocal ensemble gave its final concert for the year. They include one each of a brandy, orange and cardamom biscuit, a cranberry, choc-chip and walnut biscuit and a rich pecan shortbread (a Mexican wedding cookie, actually). I've already posted about the cranberry cookies, and the pecan shortbread are to come. I made the brandy & orange biscuits a few months ago for my friends hen's party and decided they'd be perfect for Christmas.
I must say I felt quite proud of myself handing being organised enough to not only make three (yes 3!!!) types of Christmas biscuits, but packaging them all up in time for the concert. Despite being a student for how many decades of my life and never being terribly busy during the day around this time of year before, it was only this year, now as a full-time wage-slave that I got myself together before Christmas eve.
Incidentally, the concert last night was broadcast live across Australia and included music for the many liturgical feasts from Christmas to Candlemas written by the Italian Renaissance composer, Palestrina, whose music has been hailed as the polyphonic ideal. We performed beautiful music (very well, I must say!), including one fabbo piece in 12 parts.
Obviously it's too late for Australians (and those who wanted to listen online) to tune in, but as soon as we had finished, the concert was sent straight to the European Broadcasting Union for airplay there! There are 50+ stations in the EBU - from Sweden to Cyprus to the the Vatican City; what great publicity for us, especially as we're touring Europe again next year!
So, for those of you in Europe who would like to have a listen in, I do know for certain that it is being broadcast through Germany and Spain at 11pm on Sunday December 18. Those are the only countries we could confirm through their websites (ever tried deciphering sites in Danish or Hungarian?!?), but here's a list of the stations in the EBU, so you can check if they're putting us to air in your country. Enjoy! :-)
Hi Niki - I heard some of the concert on Estonian airwaves, but not all. Had I known that yuo're singing, I would have kept my ears open for the Australian bit for sure!
ReplyDeleteYour cranberry Christmas cookies sound delicious - maybe I should make these in addition to the 3 cranberry cakes I have already planned for our Christmas feast!?
so sorry i just read this! Had it been yesterday, I would definetely have listened to your concert. What a pity! I will have a look, if there will be a re-run.
ReplyDeleteWhen are you going to be in europe and where?