Bar Choral Society 10 June 2015

CONCERT

TEMPLE CHURCH

10 JUNE 2015 THIS CONCERT IS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY

SUPPORTED BY

Ralph Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Greensleeves

Joseph Haydn

Missa in Angustiis (‘Nelson Mass’)

Traditional American Song, arr. Norman Luboff Deep River

George Gershwin arr. Iain Farrington Summertime

Guest Soprano Elin Manahan Thomas Guest Mezzo Soprano Ruth Massey Guest Tenor Matthew Sandy Guest Bass DeAndre Simmons Southbank Sinfonia Musical Director and Conductor Greg Morris

GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY

HARBOUR LITIGATION FUNDING AND SUPPORTED BY

ENTERPRISE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC 3

A SNAPSHOT

Bar Choral Society in rehearsal WE ACKNOWLEDGE AND OFFER OUR WARM THANKS FOR SUPPORT FOR THIS EVENING’S CONCERT Sponsored by Harbour Litigation Funding www.harbourlitigationfunding.com Supported by Enterprise Insurance Company PLC www.eigplc.com Patrons Caroline Hutton and Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP Sappho Dias and Timothy Dutton QC Anthony Boswood QC Richard Coleman QC and Rachel Avery Supporters HH Judge Toby Hooper QC Associate David Wurtzel

President: John Rutter CBE Music Director: Greg Morris Directors: Anthony Boswood QC (Programme) Timothy Dutton QC (Chairman) Robin Griffith-Jones (Master of The Temple) Kate Lumsdon (Choir) Mark Trafford (Membership) Secretary: Kay Matthews (kam@fountaincourt.co.uk) 4

Help and Administration Kay Matthews (Choir Secretary) Lucy Scutt (Administration) Penny Jonas (Concert management and funding) Jacquelyn Bell (media and publicity) Temple Music Foundation (Box Office) Master of the Temple and the Temple Church Committee David Wurtzel (Programme Editor) Robert Cooper (Sound Recording) Ian Garwood (Middle Temple Surveyor) and his team (staging)

Unable to read music myself or to sing on a particular pitch, I attended two of the choir’s rehearsals as an admiring observer.

At the first rehearsal, on March 30, the male members began with a warm-up.

After that they briskly launched into the Missa in angustiis or more familiarly, Haydn’s Nelson Mass. One of the advantages of membership of the choir is that the demands on the singers are tailored to the fact that most are busy practitioners. This includes the limit of 90 minutes to a rehearsal session. In return the singers are expected to have learned their parts before they arrive.

This they had clearly done. Even more so, Greg Morris had thought through exactly how the piece should sound. On March 30 he interrupted the run-through only when there had been a mistake or something needed flagging up. There was the issue of pronunciation, e. g., of ‘Kyrie’. Sometimes the tempo needed correcting: do not linger longer in the Gloria than you need to. ‘We don’t slow down there’, he noted at one point. When helpful he sang, in his own beautiful voice, a short passage to demonstrate how it should sound. Conscious of the needs of singers, he advised at another point, ‘don’t breathe in the obvious places, if you do, you’ll be left behind.’

They also had to take account of the fact that there would be the Southbank Sinfonia on the night. He told them where ‘the orchestra comes crashing in’.

The whole choir attended the April 27 rehearsal. Greg worked them harder on particular passages. Pronunciation of the Latin was again gone over. ‘Keep the vowel sound and your body in the same place’ he advised, ‘keep everything in the same place’. Again he knew exactly what he wanted out of them. At times there was the gentlest of criticism: ‘the sopranos are not all coming in at the same time’ and ‘you don’t sound very excited about the Resurrection’.

When they reached the end, Greg said, ‘fantastic, have a seat, well done’, and then called it a day. The choir had spent the day in chambers or in court. Greg had been at a practice with the Temple Choir. No one showed any signs of flagging. Where stamina is required, stamina there is, along with a love of what they are all doing.

DAVID WURTZEL 5

Creating the Bar Choral Society

T

his concert, our third, completes a busy first year for the choir. Whilst there are slightly fewer of us singing tonight than in the autumn concert (when the choir numbered about 107 voices for the Fauré Requiem) the overall number of those willing to sing is continuing to rise and we now have approximately 140 people signed up as members of the choir. Do encourage friends and colleagues to join as I remain convinced that there is much untapped musical talent within the profession.

With each concert we set ourselves a new challenge: tonight it is to sing a technically more difficult piece in the Nelson Mass than any of those attempted so far, and to do so with a talented professional orchestra – the South Bank Sinfonia, and four gifted soloists. DeAndre Simmons, trained by none other than Kiri te Kanawa, accepted our invitation to fly over from New York purely to sing with us tonight. No sooner had we become used to the “support” that the organ provides to the choir than it is removed, and we have to work in the more complex environment and with the sounds of the orchestra.

Haydn demands a high standard of musicianship from us and great precision: there is nowhere to hide, and particularly not when we will be singing above the altar in full view of the audience! There have been outbreaks of uncontrolled laughter in rehearsals as one section or another runs amok with running quavers and semi quavers.

As the choir’s reputation becomes established so the opportunities for us to work with others and to expand our horizon grows. We are grateful to Simon Over for inviting members of the choir to sing in the Verdi Requiem in Westminster Cathedral last November. This summer members of the choir have been invited by Simon to join the Anghiari Festival Choir accompanied by tonight’s orchestra (but double the size) for a gala

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performance of the Verdi Requiem which brings the week-long festival to a close on July 24th.

At some point in the future we will team up with another choir and attempt a massive piece: ideas are germinating and are under discussion.

I very much hope we will work, for example, with the Parliament Choir.

Our autumn concert will be on November 16th here in Temple Church at 7.00 pm. The programme will comprise Vivaldi: Gloria, Handel: Let the bright Seraphim & Let their celestial concerts all unite, Aria and chorus from Samson, Monteverdi: Ave maria stella (from the Vespers), and as an Encore – a Bach piece which we will surprise you with on the night. The soprano soloist will be Grace Davidson who so delighted the audience at our first concert last June with a memorable performance of Mendelsohn’s Hear My Prayer – O for the Wings of a Dove.

The list of “thank yous” on the inner cover of the programme testifies to the many people who have provided help whether by giving up precious time, or money (which we always need), or by building staging. The directors are grateful to all who have made such an effort to establish the Society and ensure that it will continue to grow.

TIMOTHY DUTTON QC www.barchoralsociety.co.uk

SUPPORTING THE BAR CHORAL SOCIETY On 24th June, the morning after the Inaugural Concert John Rutter, our President wrote to the Choir Dear Bar Choral Society, Last night’s performance was a triumph, and I wanted to let you know how proud

and happy I was to be present at it. I had no doubt that with Greg at the helm and Roger at the organ it would be a success, but when the idea of a BCS was first

floated there was no telling how many of you, with your busy lives, would seize the opportunity to be part of it, and to see row upon row of you clearly having

the time of your lives, I was quite moved. The music came across as admirably

well-focussed, bright, clear and convinced – an amazing start to what I am sure will become an acknowledged and valued part of life at the Temple.

Music and singing have the power to change lives. A choir is not just one of life’s frills, but a profound expression of our humanity, community, and our souls.

When so much of the world is at odds with itself, a choir is a shining symbol of

harmony, in the deepest sense. Thank you for bringing that message to me and to all your audience yesterday. An historic occasion.

The Bar Choral Society is for members of the legal profession, judges, those who work and support the profession such as clerks, staff in Chambers and the courts, as well as their families, to come together in the best traditions of choral music and collective endeavour. There is an uplifting pleasure in being part of a high quality performance with one’s peers and colleagues, of works that are both enjoyable and challenging - an ethos John Rutter encapsulated in his letter.

Membership subscriptions are the bedrock for the continuing administration costs: Law Students and Pupils can join the choir free, other choir members pay a subscription graded according to seniority.

Tonight which is our third concert we take a yet further step up with the choir combining with an orchestra and four soloists. In addition to our valued commercial sponsors, we are encouraging donations to the BCS from individual supporters so that we may continue to grow, and to expand our work and our repertoire.

We have received some spontaneous donations for which we were most grateful; this has encouraged us to seek further individual support for the Bar Choral Society. All donors are recognised and thanked in the Concert Programme. Priority booking for concerts will be offered for this generosity.

Patron £1,000 plus Benefactor £500-1,000 Supporter £250-500 Associate £100-£250

To make a donation or for information, please contact Kay Matthews at kam@fountaincourt.co.uk or Timothy Dutton QC at tjd@fountaincourt.co.uk

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Programme notes MISSA IN ANGUSTIIS Franz Josef Haydn was first engaged by the aristocratic Esterházy family in 1761, when he was in his late twenties. His initial position was that of vice-Kapellmeister, deputy to the elderly Kappellmeister, Gregor Joseph Werner. When Werner died in 1766, Haydn assumed all his responsibilities. He was to work for the Esterházy household for nearly 30 years, composing a seemingly endless succession of masterpieces for stage, church and instrumental ensembles from the string quartet to the symphony orchestra, reshaping many of the musical forms current in his day, and with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of invention and wit. The Esterhazy palace in the little town of Eisenstadt was an isolated home for Haydn, but he was later to say that working in this seclusion was good for his art: “There was no one near to confuse me, and so I was forced to become original.”

Haydn’s life at Eisenstadt ended in 1790, when his patron Prince Nikolaus died. His successor, Prince Anton, did not share his father’s love of music, and dismissed the orchestra. Haydn was retained as nominal Kappellmeister, on full salary, but with no obligations. He moved to Vienna, and the 1790s saw two extended and musically very successful visits to London. Haydn was now feted throughout Europe as one of the leading composers of the day. But in the mid 1790s, Haydn resumed some duties as Kappellmeister to the Esterházy family. Prince Anton died in 1794, and his son, named Nikolaus after his grandfather, requested Haydn to return.

The settlement that was agreed upon allowed Haydn to continue living in Vienna, and his duties were much lighter. The main fruit of his resumption of Kapellmeisterly duties is the sequence of six masses he wrote annually 8

between 1796 and 1802 for the name-day of Maria Josefa, wife of Prince Nikolaus. Along with the London symphonies and the two great oratorios Creation and The Seasons, these works of Haydn’s late years are perhaps the peak of his enormous achievements.

Haydn began composition of the work in July 1798, and it received its premiere in September of that year. The autograph score is simply entitled “Missa”, but when he entered the work in his catalogue, Haydn named it “Missa in Angustijs” – perhaps the best translation for the Britain of the 2nd decade of the 21st century is “Mass in a time of Austerity”. The now familiar nickname of “Nelson Mass” probably came about after a visit in 1800 to Eisenstadt by Lord Nelson, a hero in Austria after his victory over Napolean at Abukir two years earlier. The work was performed in Nelson’s honour during his visit.

The original orchestration, performed tonight, reflects the reduced circumstances of its composition. Prince Nikolaus, short of money, had dismissed his woodwind players shortly before Haydn began the mass, leaving the composer with three trumpets, timpani, organ and a small ensemble of strings. Later comments by Haydn relating to the publication of the work suggest that he perhaps saw the orchestration as a matter of necessity rather than desirability. Nevertheless, the absence of the wind instruments does give the orchestration a particularly lean quality, something which seems to be reflected in the music Haydn composed. There is plenty of uplifting music in the mass, as ever with Haydn – few composers have ever written with as much humour and sheer joie de vivre as the Austrian master – but there are also some notably dark and edgy passages. One example is the opening Kyrie, but this is a movement

where such a mood is not unexpected. Perhaps the most striking example is the Benedictus. In Classical masses, this movement was often very beautiful and lyrical, a moment of repose often entrusted to a soloist or quartet; for example, in Haydn’s Little Organ Mass, the movement is an extended and very beautiful aria for solo soprano in duet with an obligato organ part.

But in the Nelson Mass, the Benedictus is a different beast entirely. In a minor key, the music is dramatic, chromatic and unsettling.

The soloists take a major role, but there are regular interjections from the choir. And the movement builds to a tremendous climax, the trumpets prominent, with music that would not be out of place in the Dies Irae of a requiem.

This is not music to comfort and console, reflecting the coming of a Saviour, but rather to invoke the coming of Christ as judge of the world – and also presumably reflects the mood in a very unsettled Europe of the time. But Haydn being the composer he is, he cannot leave the matter here – and the work as a whole ends with one his most joyous choruses, Dona nobis pacem.

FANTASIA ON GREENSLEEVES The rest of the music in tonight’s programme is an Anglo-American celebration to honour the visit of the American Bar Association to London in this week of the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. Although the music of Vaughan Williams is vastly more varied and ambiguous than his best-known works would suggest, his “pastoral” music is the quintessential English music, with its reliance on folksongs and Tudor music as inspiration, and evoking as it does so powerfully the English landscape. The Fantasia

on Greensleeves, an extract from his opera Sir John in Love, takes as its theme the well-known melody which legend would have us believe was composed by King Henry VIII.

DEEP RIVER Norman Luboff was the founder and conductor of the Norman Luboff Choir, one of the foremost choral ensembles in America from the 1950s to 1970s. Recognition of the choir’s success included a Grammy Award in 1961.

Luboff ’s arrangement of the anonymous spiritual Deep River is typical of the choir’s repertoire. The original spiritual, in common with many examples of its genre, includes reference to the River Jordan. Quite apart from the spiritual significance of this, it has also been suggested that the lyrics of these songs also contained coded reference to physical escape routes from slavery.

SUMMERTIME George Gershwin made his name as a composer for Broadway, but made an indelible mark on the Classical music scene as a virtuoso pianist, and as a composer of works which introduced the sounds of jazz to the concert hall. “Summertime”, composed in 1934 for the opera Porgy and Bess, has become an all-time classic, one of the most covered songs ever. The version performed this evening was written for this concert by Iain Farrington.

GREG MORRIS 9

Programme Missa in Angustiis (‘Nelson Mass’) Music: Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

KYRIE

Kyrie, eleison.

Christe, eleison.

Kyrie, eleison.

GLORIA

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

CREDO Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem cæli et terræ, visibilium omnium et invisibilium; Et in unum Dominum Iesum Christum, Fílium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia sæcula: Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri, per quem omnia facta sunt; qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de cælis; et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine et homo factus est.

I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And of all things visible and invisible: And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, Begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of very God, Begotten, not made, Being of one substance with the Father, By whom all things were made; Who for us men, and for our salvation came down from heaven, And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, And was made man.

Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.

Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te.

Glory be to God on high, and in earth peace, good will towards men.

We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee.

Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam,

We give thanks to thee for thy great glory.

Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est.

And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.

He suffered and was buried.

Domine Deus, Rex cælestis, Deus Pater omnipotens.

Domine Fili Unigenite, Iesu Christe ; Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris.

Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram.

Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.

O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.

O Lord, the only begotten Son Jesus Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.

Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.

Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.

Et resurrexit tertia die secundum Scripturas; et ascendit in cælum, sedet ad dexteram Patris; et iterum venturus est cum gloria iudicare vivos et mortuos; cuius regni non erit finis;

Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Iesu Christe ;

For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord; thou only art Christ;

Cum Sancto Spiritu: in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

With the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, And ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of the Father.

And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead: Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord and giver of life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spake by the Prophets.

And I believe one Catholick and Apostolick Church.

I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins.

And I look for the Resurrection of the dead, And the life of the world to come.

Amen.

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Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem: qui ex Patre Filioque procedit; qui cum Patre et Fílio simul adoratur et conglorificatur; qui locutus est per Prophetas; Et unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam.

Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum; et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum et vitam venturi sæculi.

Amen.

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BIOGRAPHIES

PROGRAMME

SANCTUS

BENEDICTUS

Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.

Hosanna in excelsis.

AGNUS DEI I

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

AGNUS DEI II O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, grant us thy peace.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

Deep river Music: Traditional arr. Norman Luboff. Words: Traditional Spiritual Deep river, my home is over Jordan, Oh, don’t you want to go to that gospel feast, Deep river, Lord, I want to cross over into campground. That promised land where all is peace?

Summertime Music: George Gershwin arr. Iain Farrington. Words: DuBose Heyward Summertime an’ the livin’ is easy Fish are jumpin’ an’ the cotton is high Oh yo’ daddy’s rich, an yo’ ma is good lookin’ So hush, little baby, don’ yo’ cry 12

for Radio Two; and at Songs of Praise’s ‘The Big Sing’. She was invited to perform in the Vatican on Easter Sunday, as well as appearing at the Edinburgh International Festival with the Royal Flanders Ballet; Elin made her BBC Proms debut in 2013 in the Dr Who Prom, alongside Daleks! Elin is an Honorary Fellow at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Swansea University.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts, Heaven and earth are full of thy glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.

Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.

Hosanna in excelsis.

One of these mornin’s you goin’ to rise up singin’ Then you’ll spread yo’ wings an’ you’ll take the sky But till that mornin’ there’s a nothin’ can harm you With Daddy an’ Mammy standin’ by

RUTH MASSEY (Mezzo-soprano)

ELIN MANAHAN THOMAS (Soprano) lin Manahan Thomas was born and bred in Swansea, and first studied AngloSaxon, Norse and Celtic at Clare College, Cambridge, before turning to the world of music, and to performing and presenting. She is known for her interpretation of baroque music and made the world premiere recording of a newlydiscovered Bach cantata in 2006 for Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

Elin’s concert repertoire ranges from the Renaissance to the contemporary. She received great acclaim for her Pie Jesus on Naxos’ awardwinning recording of the Rutter Requiem, and gave world premiere performances of Sir John Tavener’s Requiem (with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra) and Love Duet from ‘Krishna’ (Manchester International Festival).

Recent performances include Dowland in the Antwerp Festival with Fretwork, Finzi Dies Natalis in Hoddinott Hall with BBC NOW on Radio Three, and a tour of China performing baroque favourites with the Academy of Ancient Music.

She has performed in Classic FM’s fifteenth birthday concert; on ‘Friday Night is Music Night’

E

B

orn and educated in Nottinghamshire, Ruth Massey read Law at Clare College, Cambridge, where she held a Choral Scholarship. She has appeared as a soloist at many of the UK’s leading venues, including The Barbican (Mozart Solemn Vespers), Cadogan Hall (Rachmaninov Vespers), the Wigmore Hall (Arvo Pärt Stabat Mater), and Birmingham Symphony Hall (Bach B Minor Mass). A performance of Bach cantatas at the Edinburgh Festival was highly acclaimed by The Scotsman: “Ruth Massey’s alto aria … was illuminated from within by warm persuasiveness and a desire to reach heaven that no God could refuse.” Much

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BIOGRAPHIES

of Ruth’s work takes her to the continent. Recent performances include Haydn Harmoniemesse at the Festival de Musique de La Chaise Dieu, France, and Handel Dixit Dominus at Santa Maria di Montesanto in Rome (the church where this majestic piece was first performed in 1707).

Alongside her busy solo schedule, she performs with several of the country’s foremost consorts, from medieval and Renaissance specialist Alamire to the highly acclaimed contemporary music ensemble EXAUDI. Ruth has appeared on several Gramophone Award winning CDs, and is a soloist on Handel’s Dixit Dominus with Harry Christophers and The Sixteen, Mozart’s Solemn Vespers with The Sixteen, and a world premiere recording of Handel’s Parnasso in Festa with The King’s Consort. Ruth is a Director of the Southwell Music Festival, a new festival of classical music held in the delightful Minster town.

MATTHEW SANDY (Tenor)

M

atthew Sandy is from Coventry and studied music at King’s College, Cambridge, where he held a Choral Scholarship, and toured extensively with the choir. He was a soloist for concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw; for BBC television and radio broadcasts, and for commercial recordings for the King’s label.

In 2010, Matthew represented Cambridge University in the Sir Anthony Lewis Memorial Prize Singing Competition (administered by the Musica Brittanica Trust), winning first prize. In September of that year, Matthew was invited to sing for the Beatification of John Henry Newman during the Papal visit of Benedict XVI. Matthew went on to study singing at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, studying with Susan Waters.

In concert Matthew has performed Stravinsky Mass with the LSO conducted by Valery Gergiev 14

and MacMillan Lament of Mary Queen of Scots at the Barbican Concert Hall; Stravinsky Pulcinella with the CBSO’s Youth Academy Orchestra conducted by Michael Seal; Biber Missa Christi Resurgentis and Bach Christ Lag In Todesbanden with the English Concert conducted by Lawrence Cummings; Bach Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland conducted by Roger Sayer with the choir of the Temple Church, Puccini Messa di Glori, Handel Judas Maccabeus, Haydn The Creation and Leighton Crucifixus Pro Nobis in King’s College Chapel conducted by Stephen Cleobury. Other concert performances have included Bach St Matthewe Passion and St John Passion, Mass in G major, Britten St Nicolas, Canticles II, IV & V, Rejoice in the Lamb, Handel Messiah, Theodora, Samson, Monteverdi Vespers (1610), Mozart Requiem, Rachmaninoff All-Night Vigil, Stainer Crucifixion, Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music and On Wenlock Edge.

On the opera stage, Matthew has worked for Glyndebourne and the Festival d’Aix en Provence.

Matthew’s operatic roles include Sorceress (Purcell Dido and Aeneas), Sellem (Stravinsky The Rake’s Progress), Flute (Britten A Midsummer Night’s

Dream), General Sir Philip Wingrave (Britten Owen Wingrave) and Peter Quint (Britten The Turn of the Screw).

Matthew is also a keen exponent of the song repertoire and chamber music. He has worked with leading experts on song repertoire, participating in projects coordinated by Iain Burnside, and Lieder recital series for Eugene Asti and Graham Johnson, performing at Wigmore Hall, LSO St Luke’s and King’s Place. Matthew has a particular passion for English song, and has given lecture recitals at the Queen Elizabeth Concert Hall and the Wymondham Festival.

DE ANDRE SIMMONS (bass)

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merican bass DeAndre Simmons is quickly gaining recognition for his velvety voice, incisive musicianship, and captivating stage presence. He has already performed successfully with several companies and symphony orchestras including The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Columbia Pro Cantare, Curtis Opera Theatre, Collegiate Chorale of New York, Opera Panama, Bohème Opera of New Jersey, The Kansas City Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, Castleton Festival under Maestro Lorin Maazel and others. DeAndre has toured Europe as a recitalist and performed with several orchestras including the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Philharmonique de Liege, Orchestra National de France, Berliner Symphoniker and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI. DeAndre has sung in the premieres of several pieces including A Wedding by William Bolcom, Regina by Marc Blitzstein and the East Coast premier of Margaret Garner by Richard Danielpour with a libretto

by Toni Morrison. A lover of song, DeAndre often presents recitals of composers ranging from

Vivaldi to Stephen Sondheim. Having been a member of Actor’s Equity since he was six years old, he often performs the music of musical theatre. His recent cabaret of songs by Stephen Sondheim titled ‘Just me and Stephen – Songs

by Sondheim’ is in popular demand across the country. Recently he performed in recital at the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris as part of a collaboration between Carnegie Hall and the Rothschild Foundation. In New York he was featured again at Carnegie Hall as part of the gala recital for the culmination of a week long celebration for The Marilyn Horne Legacy for her 81st birthday. The New York Times said that “Mr. Simmons used his elegant voice to fine effect in dramatically charged interpretations of Brahms,’Vier Ernste Gesänge’.”

Upcoming events include recitals in NYC, Paris and California. DeAndre is a three-time fellow of the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, CA. and an alumnus of The Curtis Institute of Music. He is pupil of Fred Carama in NYC.

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BIOGRAPHIES

GREG MORRIS (Musical Director)

G

reg Morris is Associate Organist of the Temple Church in London, and performs widely as a solo recitalist throughout the UK and Europe. He gave the world premiere of David Briggs’ Organ Concerto, and subsequently recorded the work with the Northern Chamber Orchestra. His first two solo CDs received widespread critical acclaim, his performance of organ music by Kenneth Leighton being described as “authoritative” (American Record Guide) and “intensely atmospheric” (Gramophone). A third CD, recorded on the newly restored organ of the Temple Church was released by Signum in May 2014 and has been described by Gramophone as ‘a singularly impressive release’.

Since 2006, Greg has accompanied the Temple Church Choir. He has performed with them on BBC Radio 3, in CD recordings, and in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen.

He has appeared at the BBC Proms with the BBC Singers, and is in demand as a freelance accompanist and ensemble player.

Greg also works extensively as a conductor, particularly as Musical Director of Collegium Musicum of London and the Bar Choral Society.

He takes a major role in training the choristers at the Temple Church, and regularly conducts both the Choirmen and the Temple Singers. In October 2014 he directed them in performances of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen in Middle Temple Hall, in a new production designed by Thomas Guthrie.

Later this year he will direct a performance of Purcell’s masterpiece in praise of music, Hail!

Bright Cecilia recreating the original 17th century 16

context of a feast, again in Middle Temple Hall.

Greg held scholarships at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, Jesus College, Cambridge and St Martin-in-the-Fields. He was awarded the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians for his prize-winning performance in the FRCO diploma, and was subsequently Assistant Director of Music at Blackburn Cathedral.

For further information, please visit www.gregmorris.org.uk

KATE MERZ (Soprano)

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am not a legal practitioner but I am married to a member of the Criminal Bar, Richard Merz. I was delighted to hear from Tim Dutton last year that the Bar Choral Society was to be formed and was encouraged to join, even though I am not a lawyer, but as a family member associated with the Bar. I could not have been made more welcome. What a joy it is to be part of this choir and to sing in the beautiful Temple Church under the excellent and encouraging guidance of Greg Morris.

Music has always been a large part of my life.

It must be the Welsh in me! From the early days of ‘Singing Together’ in Primary School, Junior and Senior Choir under the redoubtable Miss Wallace at King’s High School for Girls, Warwick to Bristol University I sang in all musical genres from choral to cabaret. I also took up and put down various musical instruments ‘cello, piano, guitar to name a few and none of which I play now, oh dear.

Family life intervened and for many years I was

not part of any choir but ten years ago I became part of the Chelsea Arts Club Singers and then Sloane Square Choral Society. Singing was back in my life and brought that particular happiness that being part of a choir brings. It is a community of spirit along with the inspiration of harmony. I always leave the Bar Choral Society choir practice uplifted by the musical experience, camaraderie and full of the oxygen of life.

Of particular happiness is that my son Roland, who is studying for an MA, has joined the Bar Choral Society. It is great to have him alongside and to share the choral experience. Truly a family affair for us. Over to you Roland.

ROLAND MERZ (Bass)

I

’m a 23 year old student, currently studying at the School of African and Oriental Studies for an MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies. My involvement in the Bar Choral Society has also not been through any direct involvement in the legal profession. Instead I was offered the chance to take part by my mother last September.

Music of all forms has always been a major part of my life. Whether it has been playing guitar for a band, reviewing the latest albums on my music blog, or performing in a choir, I have always enjoyed surrounding myself in all kinds of music. I first took part in a choir at City of London School as a bass, where I had the chance to perform a carol concert in the Temple Church. This meant that when the opportunity to perform Faure’s Requiem and Vaughan William’s Five Mystical Songs in the Temple Church with the Bar Choral Society arose,

I had to take it. This Church has always had a special place in my heart during my time at school, and being able to sing here again brings back many memories. I am looking forward to having the chance to perform here once again.

ANTHONY BOSWOOD (Tenor)

I

feel greatly privileged to able to sing great music with the BCS under Greg Morris’s inspiring leadership, and also lucky, because I am not very well qualified for the task. I do not come from a musical background:. In terms of music, the highlights were my father’s periodical renditions of such gems as Abdul The Bulbul Amir (the Frank Crumit number), and The Lavender Cowboy (sung by Burl Ives), ‘with only three hairs on his chest’ (the cowboy that is, not Ives). At school I found that I enjoyed singing the hymns at daily assembly, and began to realise how much I loved proper music. I saved up for the Klemperer set of the Beethoven symphonies on LP and began going to the occasional concert. At Oxford I had many musical friends, and we would sit round discussing the merits of the then young conductors Bernard Haitink, Andrew Davis and Claudio Abbado. But I never actually did any music as a performer, although I taught myself to read a score.

I started to do some occasional singing in scratch church choirs, being press-ganged into it once people realised I could just about warble the tenor line. After coming to the Bar (I am in Fountain Court Chambers) it soon became obvious that the demands of work plus a young family made commitment to weekly practice impossible. Just 17

BIOGRAPHIES

at the time I was winding down my practice (I am now an international arbitrator), along came Tim Dutton with his brilliant idea of the BCS. Without his tremendous drive and commitment the thing could never have happened. Long may it last.

LUCY SCUTT (Alto)

M

y family are a fairly musical bunch and I have definitely inherited my taste in classic rock and choral music from my Dad. I’m glad I took advantage of the musical opportunities I was offered as a child and I was lucky enough to go to Dublin and Paris with the Cambridgeshire County Youth Choir, the highlight of which was a performance in Notre Dame and Chartres cathedrals. At college I joined a girls’ barbershop which was fun but mainly involved busking on the streets of Cambridge at Christmas time.

Whilst at university I joined the Brighton Festival Chorus and got to sing at some fantastic venues such as the Brighton Dome and the Royal Albert Hall. Unfortunately after leaving university I didn’t stay in one place long enough to join another choir so it has been a few years since I last sang anything, until now.

I started working at Fountain Court a year ago as PA to the Senior Clerk/Pupillage Co-ordinator.

In Chambers I happened to see a pile of sheet music over Timothy Dutton QC’s shoulder and, being the nosy parker I am, had to stop and enquire. I was henceforth recruited to join the Bar Choral Society. I was also more than happy to lend a hand where I could with the set up of the choir, 18

such as the logo, posters and ticket sales (which I am relieved we are no longer doing ourselves). I had to rope in a few friends and relatives to help out on the day of the first concert. This resulted in my Dad joining the choir as a tenor, which I have allowed as he is pretty good and sometimes buys me dinner after rehearsals.

The Bar Choral Society is now fully fledged and on its third concert under Musical Director Greg Morris who has done a fantastic job of bringing us up to the high standard you would only expect of a group like this one.

MARTIN SCUTT (Tenor)

I

am the imposter in the Bar Choral Society since I have no links with the legal profession. My only association is as “Lucy’s Dad” – Lucy helps with the choir’s music distribution and is a member of

staff in Fountain Court.

Cornwall was a wonderful place to be brought up, but after I broke out to go to university, a degree in computing (rare in 1972) allowed me to choose to work in Cambridge with its range of high-tech companies. Now retired, I still live in Cambridge.

I suspect that I had a reasonable treble voice as a child, as I was encouraged to sing at school and enjoyed it. I morphed into a dubious baritone who copes with singing as a tenor. The traditional set of childhood piano lessons were abandoned when no identifiable playing skills were forthcoming, though they did result in a solid grasp of music theory which has been extremely helpful.

After school, rock music was the bigger

influence, until I joined a choir as a non-confident bass, discovered that I could cope, and got through the audition for the Cambridge Philharmonic chorus as a tenor, due in no small part to the shortage of real tenors (still true in most choirs). I have sung with various choirs both large and small over the years, and now approach forty years with the Cambridge Phil.

Along came our two daughters, both with good musical ears – a primary requirement in order to exploit a good voice. One followed my ongoing enjoyment of rock music, while Lucy also discovered choirs. After attending the Bar Choral Society’s inaugural concert, I was so impressed with the standard that I sought permission to join.

This is an exhilarating group to be a part of, and rehearsals are a sheer pleasure due in no small part to Greg who is one of the most motivating, organised, clear, precise and thus effective musical directors I have ever worked with. I enjoy the repertoire and the mixed range of levels of experience and ability in the choir. I am happy to join in leading from the rear, so that my actual diminishing vocal quality is less apparent. It also gives me an excuse to take Lucy out for supper much more often than would otherwise be the case.

GAY MOON (Soprano)

I

am a solicitor and Special Legal Advisor to the Equality and Diversity Forum.

Last summer my husband Robin Allen QC forwarded to me the email from Tim Dutton QC proposing a Bar Choir that would be open to barristers and family and friends as well. I had

been looking for a choir that I could join for some time, so it seemed like serendipity - an opportunity for both of us to sing together in a location conveniently close to Cloisters, my husband’s chambers. We could not quite get organised to join for the first concert, but since last Autumn we have had a wonderful time under Greg’s able and encouraging leadership.

I learnt to love singing at school - rather a long time ago - working my way through the usual classics such as the Messiah, the Christmas Oratorio, and some unusual carols. Yet apart from my Sunday contribution to our church and one other unusual experience I have done little since.

This one other experience was very special for me. One of my closest friends worshipped at St John’s Presbyterian Church, Kensington, at a time when (the not yet Sir) John Tavener was organist and choirmaster. They were then, and remained for the rest of his life very good friends. The choir was small and occasionally needed more voices; so it was that I came to be encouraged to sing with them - as I recall - the St Matthew Passion.

Her friendship enabled us to persuade John Tavener to play the organ for our wedding in 1977, though as it was in my parents’ church he had no opportunity to coach the choir. However he did bring his personal trumpeter so a sweet noise was made.

I am in truth a little rusty but I am enjoying enormously, once again, contributing to a greater whole, and getting to know and experience new music from the inside.

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CHOIR MEMBERS SOUTHBANK SINFONIA

S

outhbank Sinfonia is an orchestra of young professionals described by The Times as ‘a dashing ensemble who play with exhilarating fizz, exactness and stamina’. It is internationally recognised as a leading orchestral academy, providing graduate musicians from all over the world with a much-needed springboard into the profession.

Every year its players, each supported by a bursary, undertake an intensive and wideranging nine-month programme of performance and professional development. The orchestra is given unparalleled opportunities to perform and gain crucial experience in orchestral repertoire, chamber music, opera, dance and theatre.

Alongside this, specialist development sessions that embrace leadership and teamwork provide each musician with the professional toolkit required to pioneer their own future musical ventures.

Integral to the programme are the orchestra’s creative partnerships with leading performing arts organisations including the Royal Opera, National Theatre, BBC Concert Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and acclaimed artists such as Patrons Vladimir Ashkenazy and Edward Gardner. Performing side-by-side with

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world-class artists gives Southbank Sinfonia’s musicians first-hand experience of what it takes to be a professional today.

The orchestra is proud to be based at St John’s Waterloo, in the heart of London, where its regular free Rush Hour concerts give many people their first experience of live orchestral music. By virtue of their youth, energy and excellence, Southbank Sinfonia players not only bring fresh resonance to the stage but are also ideally placed to act as role-models who inspire many younger musicians on London’s Southbank and beyond.

Today, former members occupy prominent seats in leading orchestras throughout the world.

From the Philharmonia to the Melbourne Symphony, each proudly acknowledges the positive impact that Southbank Sinfonia has made upon their progress.

Southbank Sinfonia receives no public funding and is indebted to its many individual donors, trusts and foundations, and corporate supporters who believe in the potential of its young musicians. If you are inspired by what you hear tonight, you too can make a difference to the journey these young artists will take this year.

To find out how you can support the orchestra and discover more about its next exciting performances, visit southbanksinfonia.co.uk.

SOPRANOS

ALTOS

TENORS

Helen Barlow Isabel Barter Amanda Bostock Georgina Bryan Diana Cotton QC Jennifer Darby Felicity Davies Josephine Davies Rebecca de Hoest Lyndsey de Mestre Laura Deuxberry Victoria Domenge Pia Dutton Victoria FitzGerald Harriet Holmes Hannah Jones Ruth Jones Paola Kovacz von Csaky Kate Lumsdon Jennifer MacLeod Late Merz Gay Moon Lesley Neenan Lucinda Orr Mary Page Erica Power Jane Reeves Faye Rolfe Georgina Rushworth Amanda Savage Charlotte Scott Nicola Shannon Anne Smallwood Julie Pritchard Wall Christina White Jenny White Rhiannia Wood

Katherine Apps Victoria Clarke Vanessa Cotric Martha Cover Camilla Darling Naomi Ellenbogen QC Hannah Gomershall Diana Good Penny Hamilton Caroline Hutton Maggie Jones Julia Krish Lucinda Mackworth-Young Yasmin Omotosho Claire Packman Daphne Perry Emily Quinn Lucy Scutt Rosie Sells Catriona Stirling Stephanie Talbot Felicity Toube QC Sophie Train Victoria von Wachter Elaine Wintle

Robin Allen QC Robert Amey Anthony Boswood QC, F.C. Timothy Brennan QC Michael Chapman David Clasen Graham Eklund QC Jonathan Evans QC Matthew Hardwick QC Al Hogarth Matthew Knowles James Medd Rupert Pardoe Martin Scutt Paolo Sidoli Patrick Talbot QC BASS/BARITONES Francis Barlow QC Tom Cockroft Nicholas Craig Timothy Dutton QC Francis Hoar Michel Kallipetis QC Marc Maitland Duncan Macpherson Roland Merz Alex Milner Ashitey Ollennu Howard Page QC Stuart Ritchie QC Chris Russell Oliver Sells QC Gavin Smith Robin Tam QC Mark Trafford Sam Wallace

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REHEARSAL PROGRAMME AUTUMN 2015 Rehearsals take place at 6.00pm – 7.30pm (with one exception – please see below) in Temple Church.

We are planning to sing Vivaldi: Gloria (30’) Handel: Let the bright Seraphim & Let their celestial concerts all unite (8’), Aria and chorus from Samson, Monteverdi: Ave maris stella (from the Vespers) (7’), and as an Encore – Bach: Jesu, joy of man’s desiring

REHEARSAL AND CONCERT PROGRAMME AUTUMN 2015

The concert will be on Monday 16th November at 7.00pm in Temple Church. The music will be provided ahead of rehearsals starting. Please make sure you bring the music with you!

Rehearsals take place at 6.00pm – 7.30pm (with one exception – please see below) in Temple Church. We are planning to sing Vivaldi: Gloria (30’) Handel: Let the bright Seraphim & Let their celestial concerts all unite (8’), Aria and chorus from Samson, Monteverdi: Ave maris stella (from the Vespers) (7’), and as an Encore – Bach: Jesu, joy of man’s desiring.

SEPTEMBER 14th (Monday) 21st (Monday) 28th (Monday)

Sopranos and Altos Tenors and Basses Sopranos and Altos

OCTOBER 5th (Monday) 12th (Monday) 19th (Monday) 26th (Monday)

Tenors and Basses Full Choir Full Choir Full Choir

NOVEMBER 5th (Thursday) Full Choir at 6.45pm-8.15pm (please note the change in time for this date only) 11th (Wednesday) Full Choir 16th (Monday) 5.00pm Rehearsal

7.00pm Concert

5th (Thurs) Full Choir At 6.45pm – 8.15pm Please note the change in time for this date only.

11th (Wed) Full Choir 16th (Mon) 5.00pm Rehearsal

7.00pm Concert

The concert will be on Monday 16th November at 7.00pm in Temple Church. The music will be provided ahead of rehearsals starting. Please make sure you bring the music with you!

SEPTEMBER 14th (Mon) Sopranos and Altos 21st (Mon) Tenors and Basses 28th (Mon) Sopranos and Enterprise Insurance is an enthusiastic supporter of the arts Altos and was delighted to learn that its lead counsel, Timothy OCTOBER 5th (Mon) Basses 12th (Mon) 19th (Mon) 26th (Mon)

Tenors and Full Choir Full Choir Full Choir

Dutton QC, has a hidden talent among his many remarkable attributes. I have enjoyed a long standing relationship with Mr Dutton QC and wish to express my gratitude to him for his support and professionalism. I and Enterprise are proud to be associated with this event and wish everyone an enjoyable concert.

Andrew Flowers, CEO.

NOVEMBER 22

w: eigplc.com | e: info@eigplc.com | t: +350 200 50150

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PROUD TO SPONSOR THE BAR CHORAL SOCIETY JUNE CONCERT

Call Susan Dunn direct on 020 7220 2371 or email susan.dunn@harbourlf.com

Harbour Litigation Funding Limited www.harbourlitigationfunding.com 24

Harbour is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority www.fca.org.uk