Summer 2024 Concert - A SONG FOR SUMMER
"The choir sang throughout with obvious relish and confidence."
“The balance of the sound was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Top marks to the choir.”
George de Voil Conductor
Ben Giddens Organ & Piano
Henry Chandler Violin
Daniel Stroud Violin
Concert Programme
| Sumer is icumen in | Medieval English |
| Now is the month of maying | Thomas Morley |
| Chanson de matin, Op. 15, no. 2 – Violin solo | Edward Elgar |
| Who shall win my lady fair? | Robert Pearsall |
| Echoes | Arthur Sullivan |
| Country Gardens - Piano duet | Percy Grainger |
| Two partsongs (arr. for SATB): The Snow + Fly, singing bird – With two violins | Edward Elgar |
| Chanson de nuit, Op. 15, no. 1 – Violin solo | Edward Elgar |
| Two songs of courage: The Seekers + Reveille | George Dyson |
| INTERVAL | |
| The Sprig of Thyme The bold grenadier (SATB) The keel row (SATB) The willow tree (SATB) The sprig of thyme (SA) Down by the sally gardens (TB) The cuckoo (SATB) I know where I’m going (SA) Willow song (SATB) O can ye sew cushions? (SA) The miller of Dee (TB) Afton water (SATB) |
John Rutter |
| Blackbird | Beatles - SATB arrangement |
Spring 2024 Concert - Duruflé, Finzi, Mendelssohn & Elgar
CONCERT PROGRAMME
- Finzi: Lo, the full, final sacrifice
- Elgar: Serenade for Strings
- Mendelssohn: Hear my prayer
- Duruflé: Requiem
Charlotte Bowden Soprano
Jack Harberd Tenor
Freddie Crowley Bass
Iestyn Evans Organist
George de Voil Conductor
Orchestra Chameleon Arts Orchestra
CRIT
At the Spring Concert of Wokingham Choral Society in the Great Hall, Reading University, on Saturday 23 March, the audience was treated to a musical feast. The programme of four works was a blend of the much loved and the lesser known.
The first was Gerald Finzi’s Lo the full final sacrifice, rich in invention and striking harmonies, introducing the evening’s talented young soloists, Charlotte Bowden (soprano), Jack Harberd (tenor ) and Freddie Crowley (bass).
This was followed by Elgar’s Serenade for Strings played with sensitive elegance by the Chameleon Arts Orchestra. The first half of the concert ended with a fine performance of Mendelssohn’s Hear my prayer, with its exquisite ‘O for the wings of a dove’.
The second half of the concert was devoted to a chamber orchestral version of the Requiem by the distinguished French organist Maurice Duruflé, in which the hall organ was played with consummate skill by Iestyn Evans. The setting of the Latin mass cries out for comparison with Gabriel Faure’s frequently performed version, but both works deserve to be appreciated as much for their differences as their similarities.
Family Christmas Carol Concert 2023
Conductor George de Voil
Organist Rupert Gough
Programme
| ALL Joy to the World (Lowell Mason) CHOIR Angelus ad Virginem (Arr Willcocks) CHOIR Nativity Carol (Rutter) ALL Away in a Manger (Arr Willcocks) Christmas reading CHOIR Sussex Carol (Arr Willcocks) ALL See, Amid the Winter Snow (Arr Speakman) CHOIR Coventry Carol (Arr Shaw) |
CHOIR A Babe Is Born (Mathias) ALL O Come, All Ye Faithful (Arr Willcocks) Christmas reading ALL O Little Town of Bethlehem (Trad) CHOIR Shepherd’s Pipe Carol (Rutter) CHOIR I Wonder as I Wander (Arr Rutter) ALL Hark the Herald Angels Sing (Mendelssohn) CHOIR Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Martin and Blane) |
Come & Sing the Greatest Choral Hits
Conductor: Cathal Garvey
Accompanist: George de Voil
The event attracted 156 singers (82 sops, 47 altos, 12 tenors, 15 basses) over 65% of which were visitors. We also had an audience of 36 at the informal concert at the end of the day. Feedback was excellent, including:
What a great day!
An excellent conductor and accompanist.
The organisation was marvellous.
Perfect choice of music.
Your music booklet was impressive.
The cakes were delicious.
A wonderful day – we sang all the way home!
The day was great fun and very successful, enhancing the choir’s profile and reputation, and netting a profit to boost choir funds and charity donations.
Inspirational music for our Come & Sing !Handel - Zadok the priest
Bruckner - Locus iste
Mozart Requiem - Dies irae
Mozart Requiem – Lacrymosa
Rachmaninov - Bogorodĩtse Dẽvo, raduisya
Vivaldi Gloria in D-major – Gloria
Fauré - Cantique de Jean Racine
Mozart - Ave verum corpus
Fauré Requiem - Libera me
Mendelssohn Elijah – He, watching over Israel
Haydn Creation - The Heavens are telling the Glory of God
Brahms Deutsches Requiem - Wie lieblich sind
Parry Jerusalem - And did those feet in ancient time
Verdi Nabucco – Va, pensiero
Handel Messiah - Hallelujah
