|
PRESS RELEASES
|
|
CHRISTMAS CAROL FANTASIA
|
St George's Singers' traditional candlelit carol concert takes place this year on Saturday 8th December at 7.30pm in St George's Church, Stockport. The programme will include a feast of traditional and modern carols, as well as Vaughan Williams' popular Fantasia on Christmas Carols, which will be performed in a special arrangement for choir and brass band. St George's is also delighted to welcome back as soloist the baritone Marcus Farnsworth, who recently moved to the Royal Academy of Music in London.
The Choir will once again be joined by the VBS Poynton Brass Band, and the concert is being conducted by St George's Singers' Musical Director, Neil Taylor.
As ever, mulled wine and mince pies will be served at the interval to ward off the cold, and the stunning St George's Church will look beautiful in the candelight. Do come and join us for a great evening of festive music making!
The concert begins at 7.30 pm. Tickets are £12, £10 concessions and £1 for students and children, available from St George's ticket hotline (01663 764012) or by email from tickets@st-georges-singers.org.uk.
|
|
|
WHAT ELGAR DID FOR US!
|
2007 has seen a year of musical celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Edward Elgar, with performances of his major works all over the country. On Saturday 10 November, at St George's Church, Stockport, St George's Singers are celebrating the birth of this great English composer in a different way - by tracing the glorious revival of English choral music in the 20th century that Elgar himself inspired.
The concert, entitled 'Elgar and After', takes the Choir on a musical journey through the 20th century, beginning with works by Parry, Elgar and Vaughan Williams, through Britten, Walton, Bennett and Howells, and ending with contemporary composers John Tavener, Jonathan Dove and Sasha Johnson Manning, whose 'Psalm 91' was recently commissioned by St George's Singers.
Neil Taylor, St George's Singers' Musical Director, wanted the Choir's own celebration of Elgar to be different. "Purcell was the last truly great English choral composer - Handel of course being German - and in the Victorian era, England was even known as 'the land without song'. Then at the end of the 19th century, there was a great renaissance in English music, with new ideas taking hold in both secular and church music, and a rediscovery of our musical national identity. Stanford, Parry and then most importantly Elgar led this revival, and the result has been a century of innovative and exciting choral music unheard since the days of Purcell."
The concert begins at 7.30 pm. Tickets are £12, £10 concessions and £1 for students and children, available from St George's ticket hotline (01663 764012) or by email from tickets@st-georges-singers.org.uk. |
|
|
NEW ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR FOR ST GEORGE'S SINGERS
|
St George's Singers have announced the appointment of Matthew Hamilton as their new Assistant Musical Director. Matthew grew up in Cambridgeshire, and read music at Worcester College, Oxford, where he held both choral and instrumental scholarships. He graduated in 2005 and moved to Manchester to take a Masters degree in composition. Matthew is now busy as a composer, conductor and singer.
His compositions have been performed by a wide variety of ensembles and choirs, including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra's contemporary music group, Ensemble 10/10, and Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir.
St George's Singers' Chair, Anne Francis, said of Matthew's appointment, "We are looking forward immensely to working with Matthew, who will be supporting our conductor Neil Taylor in rehearsals, and also taking responsibility for a number of exciting new projects the Choir is embarking on over the next couple of years." Matthew takes over as Assistant Musical Director of St George's Singers from Marcus Farnsworth, who has now joined the Royal Academy of Music in London.
In addition to his new position with St George's Singers, Matthew is currently director of Ad Solem, the University of Manchester Chamber Choir, with whom he recently appeared on BBC Television, and has given many performances with the University's New Music Ensemble. He has conducted visiting choirs at Oxford and Wells Cathedrals, and taken part in conducting masterclasses with the National Youth Choir. He also sings as a lay-clerk at Manchester Cathedral. |
|
|
FRIEND OF ST GEORGE'S RETURNS TO POYNTON
|
A former resident of Poynton travelled all the way from Canada earlier this month to visit friends in her home town - and to be officially recognised as a 'Friend' of St George's Singers.
Gill Smethurst, who used to live in Buckingham Road, left Poynton in 1978 to emigrate to Canada with her husband. She now lives in Squamish, British Columbia, about 30 miles north of Vancouver.
Although Gill never sang with St George's Singers when she lived in Poynton, she is an avid follower of the Choir's activities through their website, and joined the St George's Singers' Friends last year. "I just love Poynton and get very homesick sometimes," says Gill. "Being a Friend of St George's Singers helps me maintain a connection with the town, and makes me feel that I'm doing something valuable to support its musical life."
Gill herself has always been very musical, and played the classical guitar for many years until she damaged her hand. She now sings with the Capilano College Festival Choir and the Cecilia Ensemble Women's Choir in North Vancouver, which means a 60-mile round trip every week for rehearsals!
During her visit to Poynton, Gill came along to a Tuesday night rehearsal with the Singers, where she was presented with her official Friends certificate. She was also invited to join in rehearsals for their next concert - the first time she'd heard the Singers in nearly 30 years!
St George's Singers' group of 'Friends' was formed by families and friends of Choir members and former Singers, and plays an important part in the Choir's social and musical life. For an annual subscription, supporters can become either Red or Gold Rose Friends, in return for special events, priority booking and other benefits.
St George's Singers' next concert is Radiant Light!, a programme of 20th century American choral music, on Saturday 23 June in St George's Church, Stockport. For more information about the Friends or future concerts, email friends@st-georges-singers.org.uk, or ring 01663 764012. |
|
|
ST GEORGE’S LIGHTS UP STOCKPORT
|
St George's Singers' last concert of the season on Saturday 23 June in St George's Church, Stockport presents a programme of exhilarating choral works by giants of 20th century American music. Entitled Radiant Light!, the concert features established favourites by Bernstein, Copland and Barber, as well as works by two young composers who have taken the American choral world by storm, Morten Lauridsen and Eric Whitacre. Just a month after the official celebrations of the foundation of the first American colony in Jamestown, Virginia, Radiant Light will provide a musical 'firework display' that shows off the diversity and multi-ethnic origins of American music, and the versatility of the Choir!
The programme features Bernstein’s well-known Chichester Psalms, a setting in Hebrew of six psalms originally composed for the Chichester Festival in 1965, as well as motets by Aaron Copland, and Barber’s famous Adagio for Strings performed in its choral version, Agnus Dei. Perhaps less well known to British audiences will be Eric Whitacre’s Cloudburst. One of his most famous compositions, and written when he was only 22, Cloudburst is a striking and adventurous work, in which the Choir have to sing, clap, finger-click and thigh-slap through a thunderstorm, accompanied by handbells, percussion and piano. By contrast, Lux Aeterna is an intimate work of quiet serenity by Morten Lauridsen, one of America’s most performed contemporary choral composers who has achieved a cult status in his homeland. St George's Singers will be joined by counter-tenor Daniel Keating-Roberts, and baritone Marcus Farnsworth in his last performance with the Choir before he leaves Manchester in September for the Royal Academy of Music in London. Tickets for the concert are £12, £10 concessions and £1 for students and children, available from St George's ticket hotline (01663 764012) or by email from tickets@st-georges-singers.org.uk.
|
|
|
THE "SINGING NATION" VISITS POYNTON
|
St George's Singers are playing host to one of Europe's leading chamber choirs this May, when they welcome the Flora Chamber Choir of Estonia to Manchester.
The visitors will be giving two concerts in Manchester. On Friday 18 May at 8.00 pm in Emmanuel Church, Didsbury, Flora will be performing a programme of traditional Estonian folk songs, modern and classical choral works. The following day, Saturday 19 May, they join forces with St George's Singers in a joint concert at St George's Church, Poynton at 7.30 pm.
Flora Chamber Choir was founded in 1989 by a small group of young enthusiasts, and now numbers around 40 members. In this short time they have established a reputation as one of the leading choirs in a country which can justifiably be called "the singing nation".
Choral singing has always been a mass cultural activity in Estonia. The first national Song Festival was held in 1869, and still takes place every five years in the capital Tallinn at the Song Festival Grounds - an amazing purpose-built open-air arena that holds 24,000 singers on stage, and 100,000 in the audience.
But singing is more than just a cultural pursuit for Estonians. Throughout the last century and a half, choral singing has been inextricably linked with Estonia's struggle for independence and national identity. This culminated in 1988 with the "Singing Revolution", when 300,000 people (out of a population of 1.4 million) gathered in the Festival Grounds to make political demands and sing patriotic songs, many of which had been forbidden under Soviet rule. Estonia is now one of the newest members of the European Community.
Flora Chamber Choir is well known in Europe for their many medal-winning performances at international music festivals, including France, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Croatia and Finland. The repertoire of the Choir ranges from old choral classics to modern works, including new compositions by their conductor Erki Meister. However, folk songs from Estonia's rich cultural and choral heritage are always the favourites in the choir's programmes.
Flora's tour to Manchester follows a visit by St George's Singers to Estonia in 2004, when the two choirs gave a concert of English and Estonian music, attended by one of Estonia's most famous composers, Veljo Tormis.
St George's Singers' Chair, Anne Francis, is delighted that Flora have chosen to come to Manchester for their first UK tour. "The warmth and generosity of the Estonian people is matched only by their passion for choral singing. We're all looking forward to reciprocating their hospitality, welcoming them into our homes - and presenting two very exciting concerts for our audiences".
St George's Singers have hosted visits by overseas choirs in the past. The most recent was in 2004 when El Café Chorale of Costa Rica received a rousing reception from audiences in Poynton and Manchester for the vivacity and technical brilliance of their singing. No less is expected from their Estonian counterparts!
Tickets for Flora concerts are available from 01663 764012, or by email from tickets@st-georges-singers.org.uk. |
|
|
CHAOS AND CREATION AT THE COLLEGE
|
St George's Singers will be performing Haydn's The Creation at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) on Saturday 24 March 2007 at 7.30 pm. They will be joined by the Manchester Camerata orchestra, and a stunning line-up of soloists in this magnificent work, which is rivalled only by Handel's Messiah in popularity.
The work begins with a dramatic 'Representation of Chaos' which so overwhelmed the audience at its premiere that a music reviewer of the time said, 'the enchantment of the electrified Viennese was so general that the orchestra could not proceed for some minutes'. It then tells the story of the six days of the Creation through musical word-painting of storms, sunrise, animals and birds, with narrative supplied by the three soloists firstly in the roles of the Archangels Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael, than as Adam and Eve. The chorus fulfils the role of angels glorifying their Maker.
This is the first concert by St George's Singers at RNCM under the baton of new Musical Director, Neil Taylor. "When Haydn composed The Creation in 1792, the work was greeted with amazement at its inventiveness", says Neil. "It sparkles with vitality and inspiration - even after 200 years. Haydn's bold use of orchestral colour, his adventurous harmony, exceptional rhythmic and melodic inventiveness bring the creation of the world to life with operatic vividness and power. The Creation is one of the greatest stories ever told, and we want to 're-create' this vitality and drama in music."
Anne Francis, Chair of St George's Singers, says that the Choir is looking forward immensely to the concert. "St George's Singers last performed The Creation nearly 30 years ago, so a reprise is long overdue! We're delighted that Neil has chosen to do this in his first season with us."
Soloists for this performance include Rachel Nicholls, regarded as one of the most outstanding young sopranos to have emerged in recent years; Richard Edgar-Wilson, well known on the concert platform both as a Bach Evangelist and an interpreter of the music of Benjamin Britten, and a regular performer on BBC Radios 2 and 3; and Matthew Brook, renowned as a recitalist and concert artist throughout Europe, Australia, South Africa and the Far East, and who has taken part in many acclaimed recordings and broadcasts throughout the world and for the BBC.
Coach transport to and from the Royal Northern College of Music for the concert is available for members of the audience travelling from Poynton and Hazel Grove. More information is available from the Ticket Secretary, 01663 764012.
Tickets for the concert are £15, £12 concessions and £1 for students and children, available from the RNCM Box Office (0161 907 5555), from St George's Ticket Hotline (01663 764012) or by email from tickets@st-georges-singers.org.uk. |
|
|
|