Decoding Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia

John William Waterhouse: St Cecilia Why have we programmed Britten’s Hymn to St Cecilia in a concert of Irish and American music? The superficial answer is that Britten wrote it…

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Samuel Barber – Reincarnations

Like Pachelbel with his Canon, or Allegri with his Miserere, Samuel Barber has become one of those composers who is mostly remembered for just one piece, the grief-stricken arrangement for…

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Why we sing new music

In the last few years, our summer concert has become a time for us to explore new music – sometimes that means pieces that are just new to us, such…

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Our of the shadows: Allegri’s Miserere

The candles illuminating the chapel are being snuffed out one by one; the serenely beautiful faces painted on the walls and ceiling fade slowly into the gloom; and somewhere above…

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Messiah photos

We had a wonderful time on 19 November singing Messiah to a full cathedral nave, and getting a standing ovation too! It was an honour to welcome our five young…

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Singing Messiah for the first time

Messiah is deeply embedded into the musical DNA of English-speaking singers, and for our performance next week we're working hard at overcoming some of our own preconceptions about how particular…

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Messiah: some words about the words

Ever since its first performance at Easter time 1742, in Dublin, Messiah has been loved, and it is undoubtedly the best-known and most-performed choral work in the English language repertoire.…

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