“ Bishopwearmouth Choral Society is to be congratulated on the imaginative and innovative programme which was performed at the Minster on Saturday night. The combination of Choir and Brass always promises much and this was to be a thrilling evening enjoyed by all.

 A Fanfare for Brass Quintet from the Ballet “La Peri “(Dukas) and “Die Bankelsangerlieder” (anon.) gave the programme an exhilarating start.  Anton Bruckner, the Austrian composer best known for his symphonies did nevertheless compose some of the most beautiful choral works for his beloved Church. The choir performed four of his ten motets.  They present many challenges, not least that of singing “a capella” and high passages for the sopranos, challenges which were successfully realised.  Two of the motets were accompanied by three trombones that being the only support throughout the works.    The Minster resonated to some glorious and thrilling choral sounds.  The full brass section of 9 players and two percussionists ended the first half with sparkling and tasteful performances of “The Prince of Denmark’s March” and the equally well known Suite of Six Dances by Susato.

 The second half could not have begun with a more original and delightful opening. Two percussionists, Andy Booth and Mark Bolderson  performed  “Marche de Timbales” by Philidor. Pleasure was written over the faces of audience and choir alike as they experienced the aural and visual delights of Baroque military drumming.  Equally pleasurable was Andy’s performance of his own arrangement of “Little Polly’s Polka” by Keith Bartlett for Timpani to which Andy brought in the Brass to contribute a delicious “oom pah pah accompaniment at the end.

 It was fitting that all forces came together for the final piece, “Te Deum” one of John Rutter’s most popular works.  In three movements the two outer sections fully exploit the technical virtuosity of players and singers alike and it was a credit to all that the balance was so well judged and that every syllable was clearly audible above the rich textures of the accompaniment.  The more contemplative and reflective central movement featured five soloists drawn from the choir and a highly decorative organ part performed with sensitivity by Eileen Bown.  The Minster was filled with glorious sounds and final tribute must go to the inspiring leadership and conducting of the Music Director, David Murray.  A receptive audience left the performers in no doubt that it had been an evening to remember.”

 Vincent Smith

The Society is pleased to announce that there is now an additional way for our audience to obtain tickets for performances. Future concerts will be advertised on this site with a unique link to the WeGoTickets site holding tickets.

This organisation does not actually issue tickets but gives the purchasor a reference number, which will be used at the door in lieu of an actual ticket, but it does provide an immediate on-line option with credit card facilities, for a small booking charge. Their site will also provide additional publicity which internet users can consult by date, area, specific venue, or performers.

“Apparently it is the 20th time this society has sung Messiah and the first time they have sung all of it. Conductor David Murray caught the spirit from the onset, the large choir responding well to contrasting moods…. James Geer (tenor) excelled in the opening recitative Comfort Ye My people and the aria Every Valley Shall Be Exalted. Wyn Pencarry (bass – and a last minute substitute) made deep impact with For He Is Like A Refiner’s Fire, while Katherine Moore’s (Sunderland born soprano) articulation of the florid Rejoice greatly was superb. By contrast Sara Parry (mezzo-soprano) sang He Was Despised And Rejected with intense feeling. Trumpets enhanced the jubilant Hallelujah Chorus …. and the finale culminated in a vast fugal Amen Chorus which Handel designed to be the crowning glory of the oratorio. This thrilling climax was evocative of an uplifting and spiritual experience.”

If you can catch an edition of Songs of Praise to be broadcast on BBC 2 on Sunday 19th July at around 5.00 p.m. you will be see (and hear) a chamber choir from the Society contribute to ‘Songs of Praise from Sunderland and the North East’. Their recordings of ‘Awake, Awake to Love and Work’ and ‘Lord of All Hopefulness’ will start and end the programme.

After the interval came ‘Carmina Burana’ produced by Carl Orff sung in Latin. “From the opening bars there was no lack of exuberance, while lyrical passages were sung with obvious affection”. “A well rehearsed contribution from the Bishopwearmouth Young Singers was much appreciated”.

“The choir maintained the highest of standards, faithfully observing dynamics and maintaining a good vocal balance throughout” “There was rarely a blemish”.

Over 100 diners, including many Patrons and previous members of the Society, were able to examine a range of memorabilia including photographs and old programmes. After their meal they were entertained by a talk by Dr. Alan Speeding of Beverley Minster who is very well known in choral circles.

Christine Alder, Chairman of the Society, mentioned some landmarks in the history of the Society and noted the many thanks which are due to those who have enabled the Society to develop over its 60 years and to continue to provide local concerts of such a scale and high calibre.

Extracted from a review by Roy Horobin in The Sunderland Echo – 2nd April 2009.

The review echoed comments from the audience that the concert had been ‘inspirational’.

The question is do you have anything similar from the earlier days of the Society – perhaps a notable programme or a critic’s review or even just a memory of a notable event which you took part in. If so, the Society would be very pleased to hear from you!

Dorothy Hardy, currently finishing her Glass and Ceramics BA Degree at Sunderland University, has taken inspiration from Bishopwearmouth Choral Society and created a stunning piece in glass, entitled ‘Interactive Choir’. Her approach is outlined below in her artist’s statement and it is hoped the members and friends of the Society will have the opportunity of viewing the piece itself at a performance.

Artist’s statement

I create portraits of anything that moves (physically or emotionally).

Investigation for each project starts with drawing, which I’m passionate about. In Autumn 2007, the challenge was to make work that would express what it feels like to sing in a choir: the sense of belonging that happens when singing as part of a group and the way in which very different individuals can sing together, forming a powerful, cohesive sound. It was exciting to have the chance to draw Bishopwearmouth Choral Society in rehearsal. After many scribbled drawings of singers standing in rows, there was the realisation that the visual interest and movement was in the mouths.

Then the challenge was to develop the studies in glass. Glass blowing gave a softness of line that made sense when making mouth shapes, so mouth-shaped vessels were blown in strong pink; each one a cartoon version of a mouth singing ‘Ah’.

Deciding on the best way to display the pieces was hard. A tactile piece was required: one in which the viewer is invited to take part.

This had been agreed in discussion with members of Bishopwearmouth Choral Society. There was a feeling that artworks that cannot be touched are often somewhat alienating and frustrating to view. The sense of touch can supply more information than may be received by vision alone, and adds to the experience of exploring a piece of art.

The drawings of the singing lips of a choir showed that a variation in height, rather than placing all mouths at the same level, makes for a more interesting composition than when the mouths are shown in one, fairly-level row. The idea of placing vessels at differing heights on the wall, also tallied well with the need to allow everyone to reach parts of the artwork easily, in order to interact with it. It is envisaged that viewers may wish to listen to the vessels, which amplify sound like large seashells. There is also the possibility of singing or shouting into the glass mouths, and playing with the resonant properties of each vessel. So the vessels have been placed at different heights: some accessible from as low as wheelchair height; up to pieces that tall adults would not have to bend down to examine. Only young children are prevented from accessing the piece directly: they will have to be lifted up in order to touch the glass vessels. This creates an inherent safety aspect to the work.

This piece may be read in differing ways. It can be an object to look at, so that the idea of a choir projecting their voices towards the viewer is experienced. It can also invite the audience in, as part of the choir, by being interactive.

Next work

Inspiration from choirs has continued, so that there are now two new artworks that have followed on from the studies of Bishopwearmouth Choral Society.

The plan is to draw together the artistic and engineering sides of my career. (My original training was as a Professional Mechanical Engineer.) I’m applying to Heriot-Watt University and Edinburgh College of Art to investigate the incorporation of solar cells into architectural glass. This is really exciting, as it involves renewable energy in art. Working with glass normally involves the use of large amounts of energy. This study will find ways of compensating for this to some extent by creating art that generates electricity from sunlight.

We have now added 50 new copies of the Bärenreiter vocal score to our Hire Library, together with the orchestral parts and a conductor’s score. For hire arrangements please see our Hire Library web page, where the scores will be properly listed at the next revision of the site.