“ 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

This concert by the Bishopwearmouth Young Singers, with the Bishopwearmouth Chamber Choir, will take place in Ewesley Road Methodist Church. Tickets are £5.00 and there will be refreshments, a raffle, and some very good singing to enliven a summer’s evening. We look forward to seeing you there.

Rutter Bruckner Poster 0610

If this link works it will provide a .pdf file which can be printed out in the normal way on your own computer. This first attempt has been made using a scanned version of the poster and hence the quality is not as high as it might be. For future concerts we will provide a PDF version of the original. As these are only intended as a back-up to the printed versions made available at rehearsals, they will be posted under the members section rather than under general publicity.

Any comments on this approach will be welcome.

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.

A Saturday evening concert in Sunderland Minster.

A Saturday evening concert in Sunderland Minster.

A Saturday morning event in the Restaurant of Sunderland Minster.

Why not join the Society in a social event which comes with a raffle and stalls while enjoying the tea/coffee and a chat.

A Saturday evening concert in Sunderland Minster, conducted by David Murray.

Tickets £12.00 (£10 concessions) or £6.00 in Gallery with limited view.

Soloist – James Geer – tenor

 Britten’s cantata, St.Nicolas,was commissioned to celebrate the centenary of Lancing College, Sussex, where its first official performance took place in July 1948. However it had already received an unofficial premiere six weeks earlier at the first Aldenburgh Festival with Britten himself conducting both performances. It tells the story, some of it real but mostly legendary, of Nicolas the 4^th century bishop of Myra.

Nicholas is immortalised in legends that tell of his care of  the poor and oppressed. The miracle which confirmed his position was his restoration to life of three small boys who at the time of a famine had been pickled in brine by a wicked butcher. From this macabre tale emerged the practice of giving presents to deserving children. This and the fact that the Feast of St.Nicolas falls on the 6^th of December, meant that his popular image evolved into the figure of Santa Claus.

Monteverdi was perhaps one of the greatest Italian Renaissance composers and he revolutionised the music of the theatre and the church with his dramatic use of instruments and voices. Beatus Vir, which was probably composed in 1630, was published as part of a collection Selva Morale e Spirituali in 1641. A setting of Psalm 112 it is a fine example of his dramatic style, contrasting pairs or small groups of voices with the weight of the full chorus.

James Geer

Hailing from Sussex, James studied at Magdalen College, Oxford University, where he sang as an Academical Clerk in the College Choir, Trinity College of Music and on the Opera Course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating in 2008. While at College James won numerous scholarships and competitions including the Morag Noble Award, the Catto Scholarship and the Principal’s Award for the outstanding student performance of the year.

After graduating James was invited to become a Britten/Pears Scholar and has appeared in numerous performances at the Snape Maltings, notably as Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia, conducted by David Parry and Mathan in Athalia, conducted by Richard Egarr. He has also appeared at the Snape Easter Festival in Mozart’s Requiem conducted by Bernard Labadie and at the Aldeburgh Festival where he performed Britten’s Sech Holderlin Fragmente with Malcolm Martineau. This concert was recently broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

James’ operatic roles performed while at college include Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Monsieur Triquet (Eugene Onegin), Gonzalves (L’Heure Espagnol), L’Aumonier (Les Dialogues des Carmelites), Duncan (The Albatross), The Singer (Beatrice Cenci) and Le Berger (Oedipus Rex). Roles elsewhere include Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia) at the Snape Maltings, Acis (Acis and Galatea) with Edinburgh Studio Opera and Frederic (The Pirates of Penzance) for Haddo House Opera.

Concert appearances have included L’Aumonier in Les Dialogues des Carmelites with Stephane Deneve and the RSNO, The Sailor in Dido and Aeneas with Nicholas McGeegan and the ECO, both at the Edinburgh International Festival as well as a wide range of performances with choral societies throughout the UK.

James is currently a member of the Glyndebourne Chorus, the Dunedin Consort, the Academy of Ancient Music, London Voices and the Geoffrey Mitchell Choir, and will be a Samling Scholar in 2010.

A Saturday evening event in Whitburn Parish Church Hall.

Following the success of the Ceilidh held as part of the 60th Anniversary season, this is another opportunity for everyone to get up and dance the night away to a live band.

Tickets are £8.00 – including a pie & pea supper, with roast potatoes and gravy (vegetarian option is available if booked when buying ticket). They are available through Society members or the website.

Bring your own choice of drinks (glasses provided) and enjoy the music, dancing, raffle and good company.

Everyone can ceilidh!