St George’s Singers 2019-2020 Season Copland Mozart Vaughan Williams Rutter Tormis McDowall Brahms Britten Gretchaninov St George’s Singers St George’s Singers Welcome to our 2019-20 season President John Smith Marcus Farnsworth MA ARAM Chair, St George’s Singers Vice-Presidents Dear Friends, Sasha Johnson Manning Welcome to our 63rd season of choral concerts. St George’s Composer and Singer Singers has an excellent (and deserved!) reputation for the huge Susan Roper range of musical experiences that our programmes offer for both Deputy Head of Vocal Studies and Opera, RNCM singers and audiences alike, and 2019–2020 is no exception. Stephen Threlfall We will be performing at a wide range of venues this season: Conductor and Teacher Bridgewater Hall, Royal Northern College of Music, St George’s Church Stockport, St George’s Church Poynton, St Michael and All Angels Stephen Williams Church Bramhall, and Gorton Monastery. The music we offer is equally Director of Music, Bryanston School varied, covering the 18th century (Mozart), the 19th (Brahms), the Musical Director 20th (Vaughan Williams, Gretchaninov, Copland, Britten) and the 21st Neil Taylor century (Tormis, McDowall). Assistant Musical Director And the musical forces employed provide experiences to suit Robert Brooks everyone’s particular musical tastes, ranging from a full symphony Accompanist orchestra at the Bridgewater Hall, a chamber orchestra to accompany Peter Durrant Mozart’s Requiem at the RNCM, a brass ensemble for our traditional carol concert, the ravishing sound of the solo violin in a new choral Ticket hotline: 01663 764012 version of The Lark Ascending or a four-handed piano extravaganza for Online ticket bookings: www.st-georges-singers.org.uk Brahms and Copland, and the unadorned sound of St George’s General enquiries: 01625 875437 Singers’ voices singing a capella at Gorton Monastery in Gretchaninov’s spell-binding Vespers. St George’s Singers is a Registered Charity, No 508686, and a member of Making Music, the National Federation of Music Societies All this, plus our ever-popular and sell-out Singing Day, means that you www.st-georges-singers.org.uk can not only listen to beautiful music in excellent venues, but also sing yourself, with 200 others, learning and performing the lovely John Rutter Requiem all in one day. The Choir, together with our Musical Director Neil Taylor, our soloists, accompanists, ensembles and orchestras, look forward to sharing this amazing music with you, our wonderful audience. St George’s Singers St George’s people St George’s Singers A passion for singing Neil Taylor Robert Brooks Peter Durrant Musical Director Assistant Musical Accompanist Director Neil Taylor is a sought after and renowned choral director, organist, St George’s Singers is widely recognised as one of the most piano accompanist, teacher and coach, based in the North West of enterprising, innovative and versatile choirs in the North of England, England. After winning a Scholarship to the Royal College of Music, with a genuine passion for singing. The Choir was formed in Poynton, he held appointments at St Albans and Norwich Cathedrals, and was Cheshire in 1956 with 23 founding members drawn from the local Organist and Director of Music at Sheffield Cathedral until 2016. During community. Today, it has over 100 members who travel from Cheshire, his time in Sheffield, the cathedral choir toured both at home and abroad Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. and broadcast frequently on BBC Radios 2, 3 and 4. His CD Recordings include Music for a Millennium, a Classic FM Magazine CD of the Year Under Musical Director Neil Taylor, the Choir performs an extensive and Award Winner, and numerous releases as organist and conductor, all eclectic repertoire that covers renaissance, baroque, classical, jazz, to high critical acclaim. As solo organist, he has played at major venues modern and newly commissioned choral works. We put on four major in the UK, and has worked with the Hallé, Manchester Camerata, concerts a year, hold an annual open Singing Day, are frequently invited Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, the to take part in collaborative ventures with other choirs and orchestras, orchestras of Opera North and of Welsh National Opera, and particularly Chetham’s School of Music. Concert venues in Huddersfield Choral Society. He is Musical Director of St George’s Manchester include the Bridgewater Hall, The Stoller Hall, Gorton Singers, Manchester, The Sheffield Chorale, and Keele Bach Choir; he Monastery, Manchester Cathedral and the Royal Northern College appears frequently with the BBC as Musical Director and Organist on of Music, but we also perform in our ‘home’ churches of St George’s Songs of Praise, Daily Service and Sunday Worship. Stockport and St George’s Poynton. We sing with world-class soloists and orchestras, and tour regularly in the UK and overseas. Robert Brooks is a baritone, conductor and composer based in Manchester. As well as solo recital and concert appearances across the Although a large choir, St George’s Singers is also an extremely friendly UK, he directs the Preston Cecilian Choral Society, the Manchester and welcoming group. Entry to the Choir is by audition, and new Singers and the Abney Orchestra. Robert attended Junior Guildhall, members can join at any time. We rehearse on Tuesday evenings in St studying piano, guitar and cello and sang as a treble in New College George’s Church Hall, Poynton, SK12 1NH and we recommend you Choir under Edward Higginbottom. He completed a music degree at come along to a few rehearsals before auditioning. Manchester University, where he directed the chamber choir Ad Solem, receiving an award for services to choral conducting, and also sang in the Genesis Sixteen choral programme. After graduating, Robert directed the Leeds College of Music Choral Society and the Edinburgh University Chamber Choir, and in 2018 was a member of the National Youth Choir St George’s Singers at The Stoller Hall, Rachmaninov Vespers, October 2017 Fellowship. He is assistant conductor and vocal coach of St George’s Singers and conducting scholar with Leeds Festival Chorus. Pete Durrant is a pianist, accompanist and teacher in demand across the North of England. He is the accompanist of Stafford Choral Society and St George’s Singers, and has accompanied the BBCSO Chorus, the Hallé Choir, Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, Sheffield Chorale, Manchester Chamber Choir, Keele Bach Choir and Marple Choral Society. He regularly plays with the Hallé Orchestra. Pete was a chorister at Westminster Abbey. He studied music at The University of Manchester, and in 2010 he completed a Masters in Piano Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music. Pete has also conducted Manchester University’s chamber choir, Ad Solem, and Leek Choral Society, for whom he composed his Requiem in May 2018. pbauerphotography.co.uk Saturday 23 November 2019, 7.30 pm Saturday 18 January 2020 Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester 9.30–10.15 am (registration for singers), 6.00 pm (concert) St George’s Church, London Road, Poynton Mozart Requiem McDowall Magnificat Singing Day Rutter Requiem Stockport Symphony Orchestra Conductor Neil Taylor Conductor Neil Taylor Piano Pete Durrant Soprano Ella Taylor For our ever-popular Singing Day in 2020, maestro Neil Taylor has Contralto Amy Shaw-Holyland chosen a choir and audience favourite: John Rutter’s Requiem. Tenor Alex Grainger Following in the distinguished footsteps of Fauré, Brahms and Duruflé, Baritone Terence Ayebare Rutter ignores the conventional Catholic Liturgy for the Dead, and Cecilia McDowall has a rare communicative gift, combining rhythmic creates his Requiem from texts drawn from the Requiem Mass and the vitality with expressive lyricism, and has won numerous awards, includ- Book of Common Prayer. First performed in its entirety on 13 ing the 2014 British Composer Award for choral music. Magnificat was October 1985 in Dallas, Texas, and conducted by Rutter himself, the commissioned in 2003 by Finchley Choral Society, and is a graceful, work is optimistic in its message of hope and comfort, and after the reflective work that grows in intensity to a genuine sense of exultation. It tragic events of 9/11 was chosen for performance at the many makes an ideal companion to Mozart’s Requiem, one of the greatest of memorial services which followed across the USA. all choral works. £22 to sing (including music), £5 students, £5 audience £16, £14 concessions, £7 students/children, group discounts To register to sing, please download our Singing Day application form from www. st-georges-singers.org.uk, or contact Gillian Banks, tel 01925 213949, email Coach transport is available from /Macclesfield/Poynton/Hazel Grove to RNCM. [email protected]. Tickets from Dave Francis on 01663 764012. £6 or free to Friends of St George’s Singers. Saturday 28 March 2020, 7.30 pm Saturday 7 December 2019, 7.00 pm St Michael and All Angels Church, St Michael’s Avenue, Bramhall St George’s Church, Buxton Road, Stockport Simple Gifts Carols and Brass by Candlelight Brahms Liebeslieder Walzer Conductor Neil Taylor Britten Choral Dances from Gloriana Organ Pete Durrant Copland Old American Songs with Tormis Estonian Lullabies Chetham’s Brass Ensemble and Conductor Neil Taylor Bradshaw Hall Primary School Choir Accompanist Pete Durrant Director Vicky Sunderland A concert of charming choral works with their origins in the traditional It’s Christmas time again, so come and join us for our traditional concert song and dance music of peoples from around the world. Brahms’ of carols and festive music from St George’s Singers, the outrageously Liebeslieder Walzer (Love Song Waltzes) with piano accompaniment for talented young brass players from Chetham’s School of Music, and four hands explore the subject of love. Copland’s Old American the fun-loving children from Bradshaw Hall.