It was at this time last year that the St. C’s Christmas Tree Festival was in full swing, and for me the highlight was the appearance of Yan Tan Tether, singing Christmas songs and carols. Yan Tan Tether are a close harmony trio consisting of Rosie Knighton, Tess Leslie and Lynne O’Malley. They have been making their a capella music together since 2013.
It was a truly beautiful evening with which to celebrate our last Christmas in Wrose. Here we are a year on from that and so much has changed. The world that we wake up in now is so different from that of 2019, and yet the great truths of Christmas have not changed even if our celebration of it has. This is why when I discovered that Yan Tan Tether were performing at the Otley Music Festival at the beginning of December, I thought that the sound of the age old songs of the season would remind us that there was still truth and beauty in the world. So I am sharing the whole concert which they recorded without the benefit of an audience in Otley Parish Church for your enjoyment.
I can also highly recommend their Christmas album – ‘Down In Yon Forest’ from which this selection of songs is taken. You can purchase their music to download or on CD from bandcamp: https://yantantether.bandcamp.com/ and who knows when another year has passed that we might be able to join them in person for another evening of their delightful music.
