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PRESS RELEASES
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SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT
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Conductor Neil Taylor, Musical Director of Poynton's St George's Singers, has lots to sing about at the moment. His 16 year old daughter, Ella, has just been named BBC Radio 2 Young Chorister of The Year in the Grand Final of the competition which took place on Friday 29 October at St Paul's Cathedral in London. The show was hosted by Aled Jones, presenter of Radio 2's Good Morning Sunday, and was broadcast on Sunday 7 November at 8.30-10pm on Radio 2. It is still available for listening on the BBC iPlayer.
Neil, who is currently busy rehearsing St George's Singers for their next concert, took time off from rehearsals so that he could be in the audience at St Paul's to hear Ella and seven other young choristers in the special Silver Jubilee anniversary year of the competition.
In addition to directing St George's Singers, Neil is Director of Music at Sheffield Cathedral, where Ella began singing with the Cathedral Choir at the age of ten. She has enjoyed tours with the Cathedral Choir to Germany, France and Hungary and has also broadcast regularly with them on BBC Radio 3. She has previously won the Intermediate Recital prize and the Sacred Song Prize from the David Clover Competition for young singers.
Ella left the Cathedral choir in July 2010 to take up a music scholarship at Lancing College in Sussex, where she is currently studying for her A levels whilst pursuing her choral studies. Following a recent Eton Choral Course she has been invited to join the prestigious Rodolfus Choir. Ella's interests extend beyond classical music and she has sung in the backing group for a Sheffield band Screaming Maldini during the last year. She enjoys badminton, swimming and watching films to relax.
Ella's father Neil Taylor, who coached Ella himself in the Cathedral Choir, said, "We are delighted about this fantastic news. All of us at the Cathedral and at St George's are over the moon about the result."
Ella admitted to Aled Jones in her interview with him on the radio that she might pursue a career as an opera singer. In this she may well follow in the steps of another of Neil's pupils, Elizabeth Watts, who won the Song Prize at the Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 2007, and who trained with Neil at Norwich Cathedral as a youngster.
St George's Singers next concert with Neil in charge is this Saturday 13th November in St George’s Church, Poynton, when they will be giving a special concert entitled Visions of Albion with music appropriate for Remembrance Day. This will be followed by their traditional Carols and Brass by Candlelight concert with VBS Poynton Brass Band on 4th December in St George’s Church, Stockport |
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A VERY LIKELY PRESIDENT FOR ST GEORGE’S SINGERS
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St George's Singers of Poynton are delighted to announce that actress Brigit Forsyth will be taking over as the Choir's President from next season, following the decision by Dame Joan Bakewell to stand down after eight years in the role.
Brigit Forsyth, who lives in Broadbottom in the High Peak, was born in Edinburgh, and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. She played with a number of repertory companies, before breaking into the West End in Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests. Since then Brigit has appeared in numerous TV, radio and stage productions, though is still remembered fondly for her role as Thelma in the TV series Whatever happened to the Likely Lads?, as well as the BBC drama about the women’s soccer team, Playing the Field. Currently Brigit is appearing in the revival of Michael Frayn's Noises Off in Birmingham, and has just finished a run in the West End production of Calendar Girls.
Whilst Brigit's career has turned her into one the country's best-loved actresses, her musical talents are less well known. Coming from a musical family, all of whom sang or played instruments, Brigit took up the cello when she was young, but stopped playing for many years until she was left a cello by her aunt and her interest in music was rekindled. She now plays with a local amateur orchestra, the Fir Cones, whenever her very busy acting schedule allows.
Brigit's link with St George's Singers goes back to 2004, when she gave the readings at the Choir's annual Christmas carol concert in Stockport. Anne Francis, the Choir's Chair, said, "I am thrilled that Brigit has agreed to become our President, and everyone at St George's looks forward to welcoming her to our future concerts."
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ST GEORGE'S SINGERS' SEASON ENDS ON A TRIUMPHAL NOTE
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St George's Singers' final concert of the current season takes place on Saturday 26th June, when they perform some of the great classics of the choral world, including works by Bach, Brahms and Mendelssohn. Amongst the works that will certainly be familiar to the audience are Mendelssohn's Hear my Prayer (Oh for the wings of a dove), and some of Bach's glorious motets including Jesu meine Freude. Other items include Brahms' Three Festival Anthems, and settings of psalms and other sacred works.
This concert of German music brings to an end one of the Choir's most successful and critically acclaimed seasons, and follows a sell-out concert at Gorton Monastery in March when they performed Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, with Chetham's Baroque Orchestra. Described by one critic as 'a triumph' and 'inspiring', the concert showed the 'gloriously full and beautifully tuned choral sound' made by St George's Singers.
At the end of May, St George's Singers fly out to the Czech Republic for a tour of Prague, including an appearance at one of the country's music festivals, concerts in some of Prague's leading musical venues, and participation in the Mass at St Vitus' Cathedral.
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