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| English Chamber ChoirHow to Book | ||||
The English Chamber Choir came into existence, apparently and appropriately, in a pub! This was sometime in 1972, following a rehearsal of the London Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony Chorus. David Measham, then principal violinist with the Orchestra, was just embarking on a second career as a conductor and one of his first appointments was as conductor of the Hertfordshire Chamber Orchestra, in succession to its founder, Andrew (now Sir Andrew) Davis . He was also to conduct some of the LSO's more ‘commercial' engagements. In both cases, he was soon to need a choir, and he found an enthusiastic response from singers of the LSC who were keen to explore both the chamber choir repertoire and the opportunities to perform ‘symphonic rock', then in its heyday.
The Choir's earliest engagements included Haydn's Nelson Mass , Faure's Requiem and Kodaly's Laudes Organi with Hertfordshire Chamber Orchestra, and live performances at the Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park , of the rock-opera Tommy with The Who. These were followed by Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth with the LSO at the Royal Festival Hall.
So the Choir established early on in its existence its reputation for variety and new challenges – and today it is still performing classical masterpieces alongside popular new titles.
Over the years the Choir has performed in all the major concert halls in London (South Bank, Barbican, St John's Smith Square, Cadogan Hall), in St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral and many other Churches known for their musical traditions. It has sung abroad in Brussels , Antwerp , Basle, Zurich , Athens and Plovdiv (Bulgaria), and has visited many cities, towns and villages throughout the UK . In recent years it has appeared at the Chelsea Festival, the Byzantine Festival in London and as part of the Encounters exhibition at the Barber Institute in Birmingham .
It's repertoire spans at least five centuries. Although not a specialist ‘early music' choir, it performs many a cappella works from the 16th and 17th centuries. It has in repertoire all the major choral/orchestral works of the baroque and classical era: Bach's Passions and the B Minor Mass, Handel's Dixit Dominus , Messiah, Solomon and many other oratorios, the Masses of Mozart and Haydn together with Mozart's Requiem and Haydn's The Creation . On occasion it has expanded its forces to perform Brahms' Requiem and Elgar's Dream of Gerontius .
Its a cappella repertoire includes a wide spectrum from Tallis to Tavener. Britten and Poulenc feature prominently, together with Richard Strauss, Schoenberg, Arnold Bax and many other Romantic composers. It has also commissioned many new works, most recently the Troparion of Kassiani from the Greek-Canadian composer Christos Hatzis.
The Choir's long association with commercial music continues unabated. For many years it featured on albums by Vangelis, and is probably best-known for being featured on the soundtrack to the Ridley Scott film 1492: Conquest of Paradise . Other credits include Steven Spielberg's Band of Brothers and the Era albums created by the French composer Eric Levi. And the Choir's relationship with Rick Wakeman, begun in 1974, continues to this day. In 2007 it recorded a DVD of Amazing Grace , co-inciding with the commemoration of the ending of slavery, and appeared in a Christmas concert with Rick at Norwich Cathedral..
The Choir has a special association with contemporary music written for the Orthodox Church and/or inspired by Eastern traditions. It has sung and recorded many works by John Tavener, Ivan Moody and Christos Hatzis, among others. |
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| Guy Protheroe | began his musical education as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral, and continued with music scholarships to St Edward's School and Magdalen College , Oxford . He became conductor and musical director of the English Chamber Choir soon after its formation in 1972, and has brought to it a wealth of experience from his work in other areas of the music industry. On leaving Oxford he also founded the contemporary music ensemble Spectrum, which toured extensively in the UK , Europe and the USA , and collected recording awards for its CDs of music by Jonathan Harvey and Xenakis. Its staged performances of Xenakis' Oresteia , presented by the English Bach Festival Trust, opened the Linbury Studio theatre at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden . He worked for many years as arranger and musical director for Vangelis Papathanassiou (of Chariots of Fire fame) and has collaborated with the French composer Eric Levi on the series of Era albums, which although not available in the UK , have sold many millions of copies worldwide. As well as conducting, he is in demand as a singer, arranger and an expert adviser and witness on issues relating to music copyright and plagiarism.. | |||
| Ian Curror | has, since 1974, been Organist of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, home of the famous Chelsea Pensioners. He is only the fourteenth to hold the post since 1693, and the first man to be appointed since 1823. He also pursues a busy career as an international recitalist, accompanist and teacher. As a professor at three of London 's conservatoires he does much to promote organ playing and the development of keyboard and style-related skills. In October 2004 Ian Curror was named “Maitre de Chapelle Honoraire du Val-de-Grâce, Paris ” for his contribution to musical exchanges with the Royal Hospital Chelsea. | |||
Carol Hall |
is one of London's most versatile singers, having
been a member of the Swingle Singers, the Monteverdi Choir and many
other leading ensembles.The breadth of her experience enables her
to coach choir members on all aspects of vocal technique and interpretation. |
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