INSPIRATION CHOIR SOUTHAMPTON AND BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENT O COME, O COME EMMANUEL SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017

MUSIC DIRECTOR: PETE HARRISON WELCOME

It did, I must confess, feel a bit premature starting work on Christmas songs back in September, but that feeling was soon gone as we started our warm-ups. We’re covering a wide range of styles this afternoon, including a few familiar songs but given a bit of an ‘Inspiration twist.’ ’s ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’ was always a favourite of mine, as is the late medieval sacred carol ‘Gaudete’. I’ve always admired the shows of Jerry Herman so it’s also lovely to bring you ‘We Need a Little Christmas’ from Mame. For more information: Two of our choir members recently joined singers from www.peteharrison.biz our sister choirs in Newcastle and Leeds for a trip to @PeteBHarrison Vienna and Salzburg. They sang in some stunning venues, including singing the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ in St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna, which was a spine tingling moment. It’s been lovely working with new people in the choir and gently helping them to realise that they can perform a whole concert from memory. Not an easy feat, but I’m sure everyone has a favourite album they could sing along to, catching every word or nuance. That’s usually learned by listening a little and often which is exactly how we learn a concert like this. Do come and join us for our next open rehearsal on the 24th January 2018 at the Richard Taunton College here in Southampton starting at 7.15pm and see for yourself. Hope to see you there! Pete Harrison, Music Director, Inspiration Southampton

About Pete… Pete studied at the Royal College of Music before his conducting career started in London’s West End. He is now a regular guest conductor and presenter with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, recently appearing with them at the Royal Albert Hall for a special 25th birthday concert for Classic FM. He also conducts regularly for Raymond Gubbay Ltd in major concert venues including Symphony Hall Birmingham, The Opera House, Dubai, Bridgewater Hall Manchester and the Royal Festival Hall London. Pete will be conducting the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Wales this Easter doing a programme of contemporary wind music in the Great Hall, Swansea University. Studio work includes the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra at the Smecky Music Studios Prague as well as the BBC and regular UK session work. He is the Musical Director for the newly formed Vinyl Orchestra specialising in full live performances of classic albums. Pete also teaches at Wells Cathedral School, Somerset. COMFORT AND BEAUTY

Over the years, we have discovered that every concert has its own personality, and this year’s Christmas concert certainly has a very strong one. There is a wonderful feeling, over the whole thing, of comfort and beauty. There is a consoling mood to some of the new songs for this year that we have found quite moving to rehearse and learn. This is not to say that they aren’t powerful – music does not have to be loud and fast to be thrilling, as I’m sure you are about to hear. Of course we do have some choral fireworks as well; it wouldn’t be us without them, would it?

Thank you for joining us once again for our Christmas concert; I hope you enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed creating it for you.

I hope you have a really happy and healthy Christmas.

Gary Griffiths, Inspiration Music Director and Founder

About Gary… I have been singing for as long as I can remember. Wolverhampton Grammar School was my major musical influence – School Choir, Choral Society, Musical Theatre Group, Jazz Band – alongside the Youth Orchestra and the Concert Band.

When it came to University it had to be music, and so to York. Three wonderful years of music making also included being Chorus Master for York Light Opera and MD for Pickering Musical Society.

I then became a tenor in the Choir of York Minster with all that entails; daily services as well as many world tours, concerts and recordings. After 18 years­, I left and became part of the creative team behind the formation of SingLive.

Now, with Inspiration as my sole focus, I really do have my dream job. Weekly rehearsals and trips around the country and abroad are a joy. INSPIRATION’S SINGERS

Jeanette Albinson Jill Griffiths Douglas Powell Michael Albinson Pauline Hand Barry Price Angela Anderton Sue Harper Kerry Pringle Charlotte Anwyl Winifred Hatch Bobby Pyart John Aynsley Laura Havercan Liz Ralls Sarah Barker Helen Hawkins Caroline Rand Alison Barnes Zoe Heathcote Carol Rawlinson Nola Bayley Ruth Heine Diane Sebon Peter Bayley Rebecca Hewitt Rachel Shipsides Marie-Helene Beauchamp Sue Hibberd Pat Simmonds Hazel Beaumont Helen Hodrien Tammi Sinha Lucy Beaumont Anne Holmes Edwin Smith Mandy Belton Alison Hughes Marie Smith Christine Blackmore Helen Humphrey David Spratt Mary Blake Sally Hunt Gill Spratt Michael Bliss Diana Ibbitson Laura Stephen Emma Bowden Pauline Imrie Katrina Stout Kathy Bradley Nicola Jolliffe Brian Stubbington Margaret Bradley Wendy Jones Dee Sullivan Neil Bramley Helena Kurczynska Katherine Swift Kim Brown William Lamin Anne-Marie Taylor Carolyne Burbridge Melanie Lane Fran Taylor Janet Cairney Robert Le Grice Regina Teo Dawn Carr Stephanie Lees Allison Thomas Alison Clark Sheila Leete Sandra Timms Dan Clark Jackie Long Maya Tipper Penelope Clay Robert Marsh Jenny Titcombe Julie Court Alan Matlock Jane Tudor Jennifer Crittell Mandy Matlock Veronique Veness Katherine Daniels Marisa McClelland David Ware Helen Davis Grainne McNabb Peter Watkins Andrea Dixon Lesley Mercer Donald Weaver Jan Donovan Suzanne Middleton Janet Wedge Hazel Douglas Diana Morrell-Glenister Margaret Welling Melanie Draper Sarah Mould Jackie Weston Jo Dunne Jackie Moxon Alison White Jane Durston Lisa Nichols Nicky White Lydia Dutter Clare Norman Ian Williams Madeline Footitt Michela O’Brien Sandra Williams Joanne Ford Virginia Osmond Claire Wilson Mary Fort Carol Paddison Sarah Wilson Janet French Sam Paine Julia Winkworth Claire Green Rachel Paul Diana Woodfin Sarah Greenham Gillian Pearson Glenda Young Jan Griffin Anna Phillips-Moat

Keep up to date with all the latest news from Inspiration by visiting www.inspirationuk.com or join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/inspirationandecho Would you like to sing with Inspiration Southampton?

We believe that singing in a large group is life-affirming and fulfilling in a way that few other activities can be. Our ethos is simple – anyone can sing. We have no auditions to join, No auditions you don’t even have to read music, you just ••• simply have to enjoy it. Rehearsals are great Open to singers fun, with a very friendly atmosphere, but we of all abilities do work hard. ••• All styles Weekly rehearsals take place at 7.15pm on of music Wednesday evenings at Richard Taunton Sixth Form College, starting with an open rehearsal on 24 January 2018. Come along and give it a go! “One of the most For more information or to download amazing experiences a registration form, please visit I have had for a while. I enjoyed every moment of the www.inspirationuk.com/southampton performance. My only wish was that we could have done it all over again!”

“When we rehearsed for the first time with our BSO partners, the Inspiration experience moved up another level; not just in volume but in jaw- dropping, nerve-tingling amazement.” O COME, O COME EMMANUEL ACT ONE

O Come, O Come Emmanuel Silver Bells Traditional Livingston and Evans Listen out for… an unusual opening – a solo Soloist: Ian Williams cello appearing as if from nothing and an awe struck choir. This builds to something quite special at the unusual harmonies of The Nutcracker Suite the final ‘rejoices’ before dying away again. Miniature Overture Chinese Dance The First Noel Dance of the Reed Flutes Russian Dance Traditional Tchaikovsky Listen out for… a well known carol given a typical Inspiration twist, with syncopated rhythms and a surprise interpolation of another carol in the middle. He Started The Whole World Singing Gaithers and Waters Frosty The Snowman Listen out for… the way the choir blossoms Mancini into smooth harmonies at the word ‘singing’. Soloists: Kim Brown and It’s another beautiful new tune. Michael Albinson Gaudete Forever God Is With Us Medieval Parks Listen out for… a folk favourite, and a very old tune. Bold and strong, sung in latin, and Listen out for… a haunting tune and consoling words, with luscious harmonies choir only. and an uplifting key change. We Need A Little Christmas On Christmas Night Herman All Christians Sing Listen out for… a hint of Broadway, with lots of interesting show chords in the choir. You Wadding will have to imagine the tap dancing in the Listen out for… another well known carol; middle section. a rollicking wassail of a tune, again given a little twist in the accompaniment. Listen out for the bell like sounds in the orchestra, and also for the rise in key for the verse ‘All out of darkness we have light’. O COME, O COME EMMANUEL ACT TWO

Rejoice With Jingle Bell Rock Exceeding Great Joy Beal and Boothe Rouse and Kirkland Soloist: Sam Paine Listen out for… the overlapping melodies just after the ‘star of wonder’ section, when the tenors and basses launch into ‘The First All Is Well Noel’ while the ladies are very high singing Kirkpatrick and Smith ‘Star of Wonder’. It’s a magical moment. Listen out for… a most comforting sentiment expressed in beautiful music. Listen towards the end for a glorious O Holy Night orchestral sweep before the song Adam dies away. Soloist: Julie Court Angels We Have A Spaceman Heard On High Came Travelling Traditional De Burgh Soloists: Jan Griffin, Sam Paine, Listen out for… quite a simple pop song, Helen Hodrien, Dee Sullivan, with a catchy ‘la, la, la’ chorus which I’m sure Jill Griffiths, Edwin Smith, you will recognise. Listen when the choir Robert Le Grice, Doug Powell repeats it, and then sings it a cappella. Five part polyphony with every part singing its own tune. Jesus You Are Him Foseky The Nutcracker Suite Listen out for… a smooth and quite quiet start, slowly building through different Waltz of the Flowers sections, gaining a stronger pulse and a Tchaikovsky stronger feeling each time. This has become a firm favourite of ours, with its mixture of soul and gospel. No Brilliant Fanfare Murray and Parks Listen out for… this beautiful mashup – a Finale brand new tune written to fit with ‘Away In Parks A Manger’. You will hear one after the other Listen out for… our grand finale, bringing and then both together. everything back together, ‘Then let us all with one accord sing praises to our heavenly Lord’. Serving the South and South West of England, but with a BOURNEMOUTH national and international reputation, the BSO has been a SYMPHONY cultural beacon since its foundation in 1893. The Orchestra ORCHESTRA has worked with such illustrious figures as Bartók, Sibelius, Holst, Stravinsky and Vaughan Williams and more recently with Michael Tippett, John Tavener, Peter Maxwell Davies, Rodion Shchedrin and James MacMillan. Kirill Karabits is the BSO’s Chief Conductor – a role which will see him lead the Orchestra to its 125th Anniversary in 2018 and beyond. He succeeds founder Sir Dan Godfrey and a host of conducting greats including Charles Groves, Constantin Silvestri, Rudolf Schwarz, Paavo Berglund, Andrew Litton, Yakov Kreizberg and Marin Alsop.

The BSO tours worldwide and has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center, New York; Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Vienna; Rudolfinum, Prague; and Philharmonie, Berlin. It makes For more information regular appearances at venues in London and across the about Bournemouth UK as well as promoting over 130 concerts in its home Symphony Orchestra visit region of over 10,000 square miles - from full symphonic www.bsolive.com concerts in Poole, Bournemouth, Exeter, Bristol, Portsmouth, Truro, Torquay, Winchester, Cheltenham, Guildford, Brighton and Basingstoke to a variety of ensembles, including Kokoro, the BSO’s new music group, which perform at smaller and more unusual venues across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Hampshire. BSO musicians also take part in an extensive portfolio of education and community projects, from national curriculum based workshops in schools, through to tea dances for the elderly, performing alongside enthusiastic amateur players, working with community groups and 18 Music Education Hubs.

The BSO has over 300 recordings to its name since pioneering beginnings in 1914. Recent releases of Bernstein, Vaughan Williams, Finzi, Howells, Dvořák, Bartók, Weill, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Khachaturian have all been highly acclaimed. After the critically acclaimed success of the Prokofiev symphonies with Onyx, the next project has seen the recording of Walton’s symphonies, whilst a new CD with Nicola Benedetti has followed her CD The Silver Violin which was the top-selling classical recording of 2012. In 2013 the BSO became Classic FM’s Orchestra in the South of England and continues to give regular live broadcasts on BBC Radio 3. First Violin Clarinet INSPIRATION Amyn Merchant (Leader) Elizabeth Drew Mark Derudder Helen Paskins TEAM Kate Turnbull Music Director Karen Leach Bassoon and Founder Tammy Thorn Magdalena Gary Griffiths Gruca-Broadbent Jennifer Curiel Horn Deputy Music Director Julie Gillett-Smith Edward Lockwood Mark Deeks Kate Hawes Ruth Spicer Southampton Laura Kernohan Robert Harris Music Director Joan Martinez Kevin Pritchard Pete Harrison Southampton Trumpet Second Violin Rehearsal Accompanist Jens Lynen Chris Avison Teresa Barlow Molly Cockburn Peter Turnbull Director of Rebecca Crawshaw Penny Tweed Community Involvement Lara Carter Sue Mitchell Trombone Rebecca Clark Concert materials, Agnieszka Gesler Kevin Morgan Robb Tooley programmes and website Ines Montero Fuentes Penny Wilson Harry Kerr Bass Trombone www.penny-wilson.co.uk Viola Kevin Smith Tom Beer Tuba Ellen Blythe Andy Cresci BSO TEAM Eva Malmbom Liam Buckley Timpani Chief Executive Dougie Scarfe John Murphy Geoff Prentice Judith Preston Head of Marketing Percussion Anthony Brown Cello Alistair Marshallsay Jesper Svedberg BSO Participate Coordinator Ben Lewis Ben Jennings Philippa Stevens Garry Stevens Harp Marketing Manager Johanna Büker Hannah Innes Eluned Pierce Marketing Intern Double Bass Keyboard Sophie Hart Nicole Boyesen Teresa Barlow Orchestra Manager Jane Ferns Liz Williams Bass Guitar Flute Andy Baker Librarians Owain Bailey Kim Matthews Alastair Simpson Sarah de Batts Kit Greg Walker Senior Stage Manager Oboe Scott Caines Holly Randall Stage Manager Esther Robinson CHRISTMAS IS COMING, ARE YOUR GOOSE BUMPS GETTING FAT? The leaves were still on the trees and winter woollies still in the bottom drawer, September was still showing on the kitchen wall calendar and we were rehearsing ‘We need a little Christmas’! Such are the joys of the winter term in Inspiration Southampton. Pete tried to avoid ‘the C word’ at the same time as trying to teach us how to pronounce it – without hissing like a pitful of Indiana Jones’ least favourite reptiles – and we adjusted to having seasonal ear worms in our heads long before the department stores.

Ah, Christmas music! The warm tunes that remind so many of us of huddling around a fire surrounded by family; the sounds that trigger memories of pine scents, mistletoe, and mulled wine and which, for at least half of us, can actually give us goose bumps.

A recent study of brain scans by scientists at the University of Southern California, seems to show that, while listening to music, some people (those with a higher volume of fibres linking their auditory cortex to the part of the brain that processes emotions) ‘reacted to songs in a heightened manner’ with resulting goose bumps. I suspect I may be one of those with this wiring between my ears. When the choir is warming up at the start of our weekly rehearsals we often hum our first few rising scales until Pete signals to change from humming to singing ‘Ah…’. Hearing this never fails to make the hairs on my arms stand on end.

Similar effects can be prompted by memories linked to a certain song. However, it does not need to be a well-known song as, similar to my reaction to the whole choir singing ‘Ah…’ the sensation can simply be caused by a new voice or key change being introduced. A repeated melody that builds up slowly can have the same effect as well and there are certainly some of all of these to listen out for in our programme today.

So, if in the course of the afternoon you find some of our songs giving you the shivers (or not) you will at least know that you are not alone! And, if after hearing the concert today you feel the Inspiration to join us, you would be most welcome to come along to our first ‘open’ rehearsal of the spring term at 7.15pm on Wednesday, 24 January 2018 at Richard Taunton Sixth Form College. For full details of how you can get involved, visit www.inspirationuk.com/southampton.

Alan Matlock, Inspiration Bass INSPIRATION CHOIR SOUTHAMPTON AND BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENT IT’S NOT WHERE YOU START, IT’S WHERE YOU FINISH A concert exploring the final songs and scenes from musical theatre across the years, from classics through to the new modern masterpieces SUNDAY 15 APRIL 2018, 3PM

TICKETS ON SALE FROM MUSIC DIRECTOR: PETE HARRISON JANUARY BOX OFFICE: 023 8063 2601 BOOK ONLINE: WWW.BSOLIVE.COM