Past Performances

A CELEBRATION OF ENGLISH MUSIC

Audience reaction
This comment from an audience member says it all - Congratulations! That was an ambitious concert: programmatically, musically, logistically, collaboratively. And you really pulled it off. Very impressed. Enjoyed it hugely. And delighted to encounter significant new works. Well done!

Crit by R. Eaglen
On Saturday 16 November Wokingham Choral Society and St George’s School Windsor Castle combined to perform a sellout concert of music by English masters in All Saints Church, Wokingham. An imaginative use of the space turned the church into an admirable concert venue.

The massed  resources included George de Voil (conducting WCS) and James Wilkinson (conducting the St George’s choir), two accomplished soloists, Nicholas Madden (Tenor) and Thomas Lowes (Bass),  three accompanists on the piano and organ, Robert Mingay-Smith, Ben Giddens and James Speakman, and the polished Chameleon Arts Orchestra.

The first half of the programme featured two works by Henry Purcell, David Bednall’s  Make we Merry, Sir John Rutter’s What Sweeter Music, Errollyn Wallen’s  Peace on Earth, as a beautifully sung treble solo, and Michael Head’s The Little Road to Bethlehem.

The second half of the concert was devoted to Benjamin Britten’s vibrant and dramatic cantata,  St Nicolas,  with Nicholas Madden as St Nicolas. The scoring of the work was strikingly original, combining strings and percussion. Although the work was not familiar to many it was clearly very much enjoyed by all the singers and warmly received by the audience.

Conductor - George de Voil
Tenor - Nicholas Madden
Bass - Thomas Lowen
Orchestra - Chameleon Arts Orchestra
In collaboration with the Choir of St George’s School, Windsor
Director of The Choir of St George’s School, Windsor - James Wilkinson

WCS and soloists from The Choir of St George's School, sang Purcell:  O Sing unto the Lord, and Jehova quam multi sunt hostes mei - Generally considered England's most important early music composer, Henry Purcell is renowned for his chamber opera Dido and Aeneas and dramatic pieces King Arthur and The Fairie Queen. The two anthems are beautiful choral works based on Psalms 96 and 3.

A beautiful suite of short pieces by 20th/21st century British composers was performed by the St George's choir:
Michael Head - The little road to Bethlehem
John Rutter - What sweeter music
Errollyn Wallen - Peace on earth
David Bednall - Make we merry

Both choirs came together for the strikingly dramatic Britten: St Nicolas which was Britten's first work for amateur musicians. It tells the story of the legendary life of Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, Lycia, in a dramatic sequence of events. His habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the folklore of Santa Claus ('Saint Nick').

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George de Voil Conductor
Ben Giddens Organ & Piano
Henry Chandler Violin
Daniel Stroud Violin

Concert Programme

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.
 

Conductor George de Voil
Organist Rupert Gough

Programme

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.

To see details of our previous performances, click here