Hertfordshire Chorus

Last updated

Hertfordshire Chorus, formed in 1970, is one of the leading large choirs in England with over 130 members from across the county of Hertfordshire, London and the surrounding areas, performing across the country and regularly touring.

Initially, Hertfordshire Chorus was known as the Hatfield Philharmonic Chorus which, with the Hatfield Philharmonic Orchestra, was conducted by Frank Shipway who was instrumental in founding the Hatfield Philharmonic Society, of which it was a part.

Michael Kibblewhite was appointed chorus master in 1973 and, in 1977, Shipway, musical director of the orchestra, moved on. The Society appointed Howard Burrell to conduct the orchestra alongside Kibblewhite's choir. The two groups later split, with the orchestra remaining as the Hatfield Philharmonic Society and the chorus becoming independent.

Michael Kibblewhite became the Musical Director and conductor of the new chorus, bringing in professional orchestras for concerts, a trend continued today. David Temple replaced Michael Kibblewhite as Musical Director in September 2000 and Rufus Frowde is their accompanist.

The choir has performed in venues across the United Kingdom and Europe, including the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and The Sage Gateshead. Hertfordshire Chorus is renowned for its innovative programming, frequently involving commissions such as "Mass in Blue" and "Ode to a Nightingale" by Will Todd, "Ice" by Orlando Gough, "Solaris" by Steve Block and "Codebreaker" by James McCarthy. The choir recorded "Ode to a Nightingale" and Codebreaker", [1] with the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2017, released on Signum Records in October 2017.

Hertfordshire Chorus regularly supply choirs to sing at weddings and funerals in the Hertfordshire area.

Recently, with an influx of new, younger members, the choir has branched out, with singers providing vocal support for Ray Davies in live gigs and his The Kinks Choral Collection album, Andrea Bocelli, Goldfrapp, Bombay Bicycle Club, Noel Gallagher, Faryl Smith and singing the lead track "Zadok the Priest" on the album Pride of the Nation [2] by the Band of the Coldstream Guards. Hertfordshire Chorus have also provided singers for TV shows including BBC's The Choir and The One Show . It performed Fauré's Requiem mass and several other pieces on BBC Radio 2's Good Friday show: "At the foot of the cross", recorded live in St Albans Cathedral, and has been broadcast many times on BBC Radio and Classic FM.

Related Research Articles

The BBC Symphony Chorus is a British amateur chorus based in London. It is the dedicated chorus for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, though it performs with other national and international orchestras.

<i>Glagolitic Mass</i> Choral composition by Leoš Janáček

The Glagolitic Mass is a composition for soloists, double chorus, organ and orchestra by Leoš Janáček. The work was completed on 15 October 1926 and premiered by the Brno Arts Society, conducted by Jaroslav Kvapil, in Brno on 5 December 1927. Janáček revised the mass the next year.

<i>Mass</i> (Bernstein) Musical theater work by Leonard Bernstein

Mass is a musical theatre work composed by Leonard Bernstein with text by Bernstein and additional text and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy, it premiered on September 8, 1971, conducted by Maurice Peress and choreographed by Alvin Ailey. The production used costume designs by Frank Thompson. The performance was part of the opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Mass premiered in Europe in 1973, with John Mauceri conducting the Yale Symphony Orchestra in Vienna.

The CBSO Chorus is a chorus based in Birmingham, England.

The City of Glasgow Chorus was founded in 1983 by Graham Taylor MBE, who served as Musical Director for 38 years. In 2021 Paul Kehone was appointed Musical Director.

Morning Heroes is a choral symphony by the English composer Arthur Bliss. The work received its first performance at the Norwich Festival on 22 October 1930, with Basil Maine as the speaker/orator. Written in the aftermath of World War I, in which Bliss had performed military service, Bliss inscribed the dedication as follows:

"To the Memory of my brother Francis Kennard Bliss and all other Comrades killed in battle"

Kent Tritle is a choral conductor and organist in New York City, United States. He is the current director of the professional chorus Musica Sacra and of the Oratorio Society of New York, and director of cathedral music and organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. He is a concert organist, including organist of the New York Philharmonic and the American Symphony Orchestra. He has been Director of Choral Activities at the Manhattan School of Music, and on the graduate faculty of the Juilliard School.

Leeds Philharmonic Chorus is a leading choir in Europe, regularly performing to professional standards with internationally renowned soloists, orchestras and conductors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New London Children's Choir</span>

The New London Children's Choir was a children's choir which rehearsed at Highgate Primary School in North London and, latterly, All Hallows, Gospel Oak, giving singing opportunities to members aged seven to eighteen. Members were from London and surrounding areas. It was founded in 1991 by Artistic Director Ronald Corp and held its last rehearsal in July 2022. As well as performing its own concerts, the choir sang with orchestras and ensembles in many concert halls and opera houses worldwide and features on several film and TV soundtracks and CDs.

Michael Kibblewhite is an English Choral conductor. He was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford where he was a boy chorister and soon after a Music and Choir scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiener Singverein</span> Concert choir of the Vienna Musikverein

The Vienna Singverein is the concert choir of the Vienna Musikverein with around 230 members. It is regularly requested by top orchestras and conductors for large and varied projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Temple</span> British conductor and musical director

David Anthony Temple is a British conductor and musical director of Crouch End Festival Chorus and Hertfordshire Chorus. He has conducted at the Barbican Centre, Royal Festival Hall and Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Royal Albert Hall, Sage Gateshead, The Roundhouse, Snape Maltings and St Albans Cathedral.

Will Todd is an English musician and composer. He is a pianist, who performs regularly with others in his own works.

Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus is a large choir based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The chorus consists of about 190 members from Sheffield and the surrounding area and performs between five and ten concerts each season. A regular venue is Sheffield City Hall, although the choir also performs concerts in the Bridgewater Hall and Leeds Town Hall as well as other national and international venues. The musical director is Darius Battiwalla, who has held the post since 1997.

The Bach Choir is a large independent musical organisation founded in London, England in 1876 to give the first performance of J. S. Bach's Mass in B minor in Britain.

Royal Melbourne Philharmonic (RMP) is a 120-voice choir and orchestra in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1853, and is reportedly Australia's oldest surviving cultural organisation. The Royal Melbourne Philharmonic is Australia's oldest musical organisation that has been continuously existing for over 150 years. Among its programmes, there have been large-scale concerts celebrating classical composers including Bach, Mendelssohn and Beethoven. The Royal Melbourne Philharmonic is managed under the direction of Andrew Wailes, the artistic director of the orchestra.

The London Philharmonic Choir (LPC) is one of the leading independent British choirs in the United Kingdom based in London. The patron is Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy and Sir Mark Elder is president. The choir, comprising more than 200 members, holds charitable status and is governed by a committee of 6 elected directors. As a charity, its aims are to promote, improve, develop and maintain education in the appreciation of the art and science of music by the presentation of public concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Choral Society</span> Musical artist

Bristol Choral Society is a large mixed-voiced choir based in Bristol, England, founded in 1889. Currently conducted by Hilary Campbell, it has around 140 auditioned members. The choir stages at least three concerts annually at the Bristol Beacon in Bristol with professional orchestras and soloists, and another annually at Bristol Cathedral in addition to other performances and broadcasts in Bristol and further afield.

Guy Protheroe is a British conductor, musical director, composer and musicologist/forensic musicologist. He has been conductor and musical director of the contemporary music ensemble Spectrum and the English Chamber Choir throughout his career. He has known for his collaboration with artists, in particular Rick Wakeman, Vangelis and Eric Lévi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brighton Festival Chorus</span> Musical artist

Brighton Festival Chorus is a large choir of over 150 amateur singers based in Brighton, UK. One of the country's leading symphony choruses.., and considered "one of the jewels in the city's musical crown", BFC performs in major concert halls throughout Britain and Europe, particularly in Brighton and London.

References

  1. "McCarthy: Codebreaker; Todd: Ode to a Nightingale". Hyperion-records.co.uk. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  2. [ dead link ]