AUTUMN SERIES
2019
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines are delighted to send our best wishes to all the Brandenburg team, performers and audience. Wishing you a happy and enjoyable 2019 Autumn Series.
Winner of 'Best Cruise Line Operator for Groups' 2017 (Group Travel Awards)
www.fredolsencruises.com
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When we began the Brandenburg Choral Festival of London 10 years ago, all six of our concerts took place in the Spring and fitted on one A4 sheet of paper! So you’ll understand why I’m proud to present this year’s Autumn Series, part of a thriving festival with over 100 concerts each year. Take a flick through this brochure and discover why we’re the city’s biggest and best celebration of all things choral. As we continue to grow we’re delighted to welcome new faces such as the Metropolitan and Essex Police Choirs and the Harlequin Chamber Choir, as well as some established Festival favourites like the Iken Scholars who return with their superlative performances of Renaissance music, Camden Voices who will leave everyone with a smile on their face and I Dodici and the Fisher Consort, who are teaming up to give their audience double the wow factor. The details for all these and more are found inside. So why wait? Book your tickets, come to a concert, hear beautiful choral music in a unique central London venue, and then sign up to be a Friend of the Brandenburg Festival so you can keep in touch and enjoy Friends-only special offers. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank this year’s Artistic Patron James MacMillan, our Associate Musical Director Anna Lapwood, sponsors Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines and Audrey’s Chocolates, our fantastic team of staff and Ambassadors, and everyone else who makes the Festival possible. We’ll see you at a performance soon! Bob Porter, Artistic Director, Brandenburg Cover photo credit: Chris Murray
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Box Office
Special Thank you
Tickets are available (with no booking fee) via
The Festival has been privileged to have benefitted from the support, enthusiasm and approbation of a number of major musicians active in the choral world, both here in the UK and internationally. We are most grateful to:
www.brandenburg.org.uk/festival or by phoning TicketSource on 0333 666 3366 (ÂŁ1.75 booking fee applies). Also in person on the day of the concert (availability permitting), one hour prior to the start of the concert, cash or cheque only. Please check the concert pages carefully for alternate booking instructions.
For concerts taking place at St Martin-in-the-Fields Tickets are available in person, online www.smitf.org/music and by phone 020 7766 1100 (booking fees apply).
For all double-concert days a combination ticket is available directly from the Box Office at a reduced price.
Premium package tickets comprise a reserved seat, a programme and a drink. Premium seats at St Martin’s are front, central and include a cushion. Please see the website below for further details and access information.
www.brandenburg.org.uk/box-office
Artistic Patrons John Rutter Howard Goodall Morten Lauridsen Bob Chilcott Eric Whitacre Will Todd James MacMillan
Associate Music Directors Neil Ferris Suzi Digby Ralph Allwood Rupert Gough David Wordsworth Anna Lapwood
The Brandenburg Choral Festival of London is a collective of like-minded promoters dedicated to high quality choral performance including: Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra Ltd, JK Management, Oxford Concert Promotions Ltd.
2019 Festival Concert Guide CC Corpus Christi HSL Holy Sepulchre London HTC Holy Trinity Church SBWB St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate
SJSG St James’s Sussex Gardens SKC St Katharine Cree SMITF St Martin-in-the-Fields SSW St Stephen Walbrook
Thu 5 Sep 19:00 SMITF Vivaldi Gloria The Civil Service Choir Stephen Hall & Four Seasons Thu 5 Sep 21:30 SMITF Mozart Requiem Brandenburg Festival Chorus Robert Porter Sat 14 Sep 19:30 HSL Top of the Cops Metropolitan & Essex Police Choirs Richard Fox Fri 20 Sep 19:30 SBWB Rutter Requiem / Woolwich Chamber Choir / Emma Bond / Nine to Five The Bridge Choir Roos Kruijswijk Fri 27 Sep 19:30 SSW Music for the Iken Scholars Matthew Dunn Sistine Chapel Sat 28 Sep 18:00 SMITF Song for Athene vOx Chamber Choir David Crown Sat 28 Sep 20:00 SMITF Mozart Requiem Twickenham Choral Christopher Herrick Wed 2 Oct 20:00 SMITF Jazz in the Crypt Camden Voices Ed Blunt Sat 5 Oct 19:30 SJSG There is Sweet Music I Dodici / Fisher Consort Gabriel Chernick / Jonathan Schranz Sat 12 Oct 19:30 SJSG A Night with… The London Welsh Male Voice Choir Edward-Rhys Harry Sun 13 Oct 19:00 SSW Brandenburg Sunday Series Brotherhood Choir / Opuene Igbikialabo / Invicta Upper Voices Joseph Prescott Thu 17 Oct 19:00 SMITF Mozart Requiem Choir of Royal Holloway Rupert Gough Thu 17 Oct 21:30 SMITF Allegri Miserere Inner Voices Ralph Allwood
p13 p13 p14 p14 p15 p16 p16 p17 p17 p18 p18 p19 p19
Sat 19 Oct 14:00 HSL Come & Sing with Bob Porter p20 Fauré Requiem Sat 19 Oct 19:00 HSL Fauré Requiem Brandenburg Festival Chorus Robert Porter p20 & Brandenburg Singers Fri 25 Oct 19:30 CC Intimate Voices Omnia Voices / Voce Nova p21 Sat 2 Nov 19:30 SSW Flowers in the Night Harlequin Chamber Choir Amy Bebbington p22 Sat 9 Nov 19:30 SKC 20th Century British Allegri Singers Stephen Anthony p23 Choral Masterpieces Brown Sun 10 Nov 16:00 HTC Brandenburg Sunday Series Offbeat Choir / Marta Mathea Radwan / p24 The Cherry Pie Choir Lindsay McFarlane Wed 13 Nov 20:00 Brandenburg Fringe Club Hardcore Harmony / Cantabrigians Sofia Little & p24 Dani Collins / Paula Downes Fri 15 Nov 19:00 SMITF Fauré Requiem Charter Choir of Daniel Trocmé-Latter p25 Homerton College, Cambridge Fri 15 Nov 21:30 SMITF Mozart Requiem Addison Singers David Wordsworth p25 Sat 16 Nov 18:30 HSL Happy Birthday Brandenburg & friends p26 to Brandenburg Fri 22 Nov 19:30 SKC Martin Mass for Pegasus Quintin Beer p26 Double Choir Sat 23 Nov 18:00 SMITF Allegri Miserere Choir of Pembroke College, Anna Lapwood p27 Cambridge Sat 23 Nov 20:00 SMITF Purcell My Heart is Inditing Old Royal Naval College Ralph Allwood p27 Vivaldi Four Seasons Trinity Laban Chapel Choir
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VENUES
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Corpus Christi
1-5 Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7NB www.corpuschristimaidenlane.org.uk Charing Cross (6 mins ) Woven into the social and socialite history of Covent Garden is the story of a continuous Catholic presence in and around the area. Open and closet Catholics abounded; side by side with the great and the good were vast numbers of poor Catholics, many of them working in Covent Garden and living mainly in Drury Lane or the slums of St Giles’, Holborn and Saffron Hill. The foundation stone of Corpus Christi was laid on 5th August 1873. It would be the first church in England since the Reformation to be given the dedication of Corpus Christi, and Frederick Hyde Pownall created the church in the same style as the Sacred Heart, Early English. Pownall had to struggle with a cramped and awkward-shaped site, and to mollify local concerns about the proposed height of the church, he sank it three feet below the level of the pavement.
Holy Sepulchre London
Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2DQ www.hsl.church St Paul’s (3 mins ) City Thameslink (1 min ) Holy Sepulchre London is the largest parish church in the City of London, with a history dating back to 1137. It was rebuilt in 1450, only to suffer in the Great Fire of 1666. Its shell was rebuilt by Wren’s masons in 1670-71. Situated near to the Old Bailey and Newgate Prison, Holy Sepulchre London shares some pretty gruesome history. The Execution Bell – a hand bell on display in the church – was rung by the bellman at midnight of an execution day. More happily, in the 20th century Holy Sepulchre London became known as the National Musicians’ Church. A young Henry Wood learned to play the organ there, and was appointed Assistant Organist aged 14. In 1944 his ashes were laid to rest in what is now called The Musicians’ Chapel. You may have previously visited this church under its old name St Sepulchre-without-Newgate.
Holy Trinity Church
Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BA www.htsk.co.uk Gloucester Road or South Kensington (12-13 mins ) Holy Trinity Church began its history as a chapel in the Knightsbridge area, attached to a leper hospital founded by Westminster Abbey. The chapel was rebuilt in 1629 and 1699, renovated in 1789 and rebuilt again in 1861. In 1901, it was demolished and a new church was erected in Prince Consort Road, to the designs of G F Bodley. When the current site for Holy Trinity Church was found it was in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the new church was planned as Holy Trinity South Kensington. It still carries this title even though by 1901 the land had been ceded to Westminster in exchange for Kensington Palace, which at Queen Victoria’s behest had been moved from Westminster to Kensington.
St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3TL www.botolph.org.uk Liverpool Street (3 mins ) Bank or Moorgate (10 mins ) The current church is the fourth on this site. Although the Saxon church (from 1212 or earlier) survived the Great Fire in 1666, it fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1725. Its replacement was built in 1729 to designs by James Gould, under the supervision of George Dance. Having survived the Great Fire and World War II with only the loss of one window, in 1992 it was damaged by the Baltic Exchange bomb in Bishopsgate. Restoration work following the bombing included a fine new stained glass window commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Bowyers. More recently the interior has been completely refurbished and can now be seen again in its full Georgian splendour.
VENUES St James’s Church
Sussex Gardens, Paddington, London W2 3UD www.stjamespaddington.org.uk Paddington (6 mins ) Lancaster Gate (4 mins ) St James’s Sussex Gardens is the Parish Church of Paddington. The site dates back to before 1222 as a chapel, followed by the church of St Katherine and later St James’s. The 1843 church was deemed too small by the early 1880s and G E Street – architect of the Law Courts in the Strand – was engaged to redesign the church, which was reconsecrated in December 1882. In May 1884, Constance Mary Lloyd married Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde in St James’s.
St Katharine Cree
86 Leadenhall St, London EC3A 3BP www.sanctuaryinthecity.net Fenchurch Street (4 mins ) Aldgate (4 mins ) or Bank (10 mins ) Now known as the Guild Church to Finance, Commerce and Industry, the present building dates from 1630, although the tower dates from 1504 and was part of the previous church on the site, which itself originally formed part of the mediaeval Priory of the Holy Trinity (1108). Its imposing Jacobean architecture is unique in London. The church is Grade I listed, having survived the Great Fire of 1666, World War II (with some damage to the roof) and the Baltic Exchange bomb of 1992, which blew out the central part of the seventeenth-century east window. Handel and Purcell are part of the church’s history as both played on the organ, which still retains some of its outstanding seventeenth century pipework.
St Martin-in-the-Fields
Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JH www.smitf.org Charing Cross (3 mins ) St Martin-in-the-Fields is a landmark; its fine architecture and prominent location place it at the heart of the nation. Its work has valued historic tradition, but St Martin’s has always been innovative in response to changing needs. From London’s first free lending library to the first religious broadcast, St Martin’s has broken new ground in defining what it means to be a church. Overlooking Trafalgar Square, St Martinin-the-Fields lies at the geographical, artistic and spiritual centre of the Brandenburg Choral Festival. The Brandenburg orchestras have enjoyed performing many concerts in its superb acoustic over the years. St Martin’s is also home to Café in the Crypt, host to our Jazz in the Crypt nights.
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St Stephen Walbrook
39 Walbrook, London EC4N 8BN www.ststephenwalbrook.net Cannon Street (2 mins ) Bank (2 mins ) Walbrook is named after the source of water which brought life to the area, The Walbrook, a stream on which Roman soldiers built a series of baths and a temple to Mithras. It was on this site that the first Christians built a church in 700AD, and it has been a place of Christian worship ever since. In 1666 St Stephen Walbrook was burnt to the ground in the Great Fire. Rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, it is considered to be the most complex and accomplished of his churches, and where the architect experimented with designs for St Paul’s Cathedral. The church contains a stunning plaster dome carried on twelve columns, a wonderful 17th Century triple decker pulpit, and a Henry Moore travertine altar.
HISTORY
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Now we are 10! The Brandenburg Choral Festival began in Spring 2009 with 6 concerts at St Martin-in-theFields. Although the Brandenburg Sinfonia had been playing at St Martin’s regularly, the concerts were usually spread throughout the year, but these were close enough together to go on one leaflet. Looking at the layout, Artistic Director Bob Porter muttered the immortal words: “that needs a title - let’s call it a Festival” and the rest is history!
We then started looking for other venues and by the following year the pattern for the Festival as we know it was in place. Some of the first choirs who performed that year are still regulars including Twickenham Choral Society, the Addison Singers and Medici Choir. By 2012 the Festival had over 40 concerts and the venues included St Clement Danes and The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy.
2013 was a significant year for the Festival: we introduced the Fringe Club, John Rutter became our first Artistic Patron and the Autumn Series was born.
year we also started partnering with charities and so far we have helped and supported over 250 groups to raise funds and awareness for some excellent causes.
The 11th November 2014 saw a major highlight as the Brandenburg Festival Chorus and Brandenburg Sinfonia performed Mozart’s Requiem in the Royal Courts of Justice. This Armistice Day concert was a mesmerising event which none of us will ever forget. That was the
In 2015 a rebrand saw us become the Brandenburg Choral Festival of London, and the Spring and Autumn Series combined brought the total number of concerts to over 100 a year. Along the way we have had the help and advice of the great and the good of the contemporary choral
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2019 ARTISTIC PATRON
JAMES MACMILLAN “Congratulations to all at the Brandenburg Choral Festival on reaching the 10th Birthday. The emergence and development of the project has been immensely exciting this past decade, and reflects the inspiring blossoming of interest and affection in choral music throughout the land. The sheer diversity of the festival is impressive and I would like to wish all my best to the choirs taking part, and to their lucky audiences. Choral music, and especially its growth at amateur and volunteer level, is the great success story in British music, reflecting a healthy musical ecology in our society. The Brandenburg Festival is imaginative proof of that.” Sir James MacMillan
picture credit Andy Holdsworth
world, as John Rutter, Howard Goodall, Morten Lauridsen, Bob Chilcott, Eric Whitacre, Will Todd and James MacMillan have carried the baton of Artistic Patron. We have also had the support of our Associate Music Directors and volunteer Ambassadors, who all give their time and experience and without whom concerts and the Choral Cruises, and remain the premier showcase for we simply couldn’t exist. choral singing in London. The Festival has grown and flourished in an economic climate where even Happy 10th Birthday to us! survival is a success. We continue to expand with bespoke Christmas
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ORCHESTRAS The BRANDENBURG SINFONIA and the BRANDENBURG BAROQUE SOLOISTS are two of the most dynamic, versatile and active musical organisations in the country. Spanning both modern instruments (Sinfonia) and original period instruments (Baroque Soloists), the two ensembles present a varied repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to Lloyd Webber in over fifty performances a year. Highlights of their schedules include the biannual BRANDENBURG CHORAL FESTIVAL OF LONDON which brings a varied and eclectic programme of music to iconic venues in the city, and regular visits within growing relationships to THAXTED FESTIVAL, ETON COLLEGE and ST MARTIN-IN-THE-FIELDS A large number of artists of international standing have worked with the orchestras including Richard Bonynge, James Bowman, Sir James Galway, Lesley Garrett, John Georgiadis, Gordon Hunt, Emma Johnson, Emma Kirkby, Yvonne Kenny and John Wallace. “Played with a verve and sparkle.” - The Times. “… the chamber orchestra was consistently well shaded and nuanced” - Daily Telegraph.
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BRANDENBURG CHORAL FESTIVAL LOYALTY CARD Pick up your special Brandenburg Festival loyalty card at any of our concerts. Collect a stamp for every Festival event you attend and, when you have enough, trade them in for FREE TICKETS AND UPGRADES! Ask one of our And remember there’s no time limit on ambassadors for a the card, so if you have one in your card or further details. pocket from a previous season you can still use it to claim your Brandenburg reward.
2019 ASSOCIATE MUSICAL DIRECTOR
ANNA LAPWOOD “Since first being involved with the Brandenburg Choral Festival last year, I have become increasingly aware of the incredible opportunity it provides for choral musicians from across the UK to perform in top London venues. It rewards and challenges performers and audiences alike, allowing them to hear new interpretations of familiar repertoire, as well as coming face-toface with music they may not have encountered before. I am delighted to have been asked to become the 2019 Associate Musical Director following on from a host of distinguished friends and colleagues, and I look forward to developing a long and lasting relationship with the Festival. ” Anna Lapwood
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THE BRANDENBURG TEAM admin@brandenburg.org.uk Artistic Director Robert Porter Associate Musical Director Anna Lapwood General Manager Jan Mirck Concert Managers Jane Kersley Carol Prigent Anna Thomas Rachel Coe Editor Tom Taylor Adminstrators Alison Judah Mervion Kirwood
Artistic Patron James MacMillan Associate Conductor Max Barley Commercial Director Garry Lace Marketing Manager Marc Gascoigne Development Officer Rachel Coe Choir Manager Sarah Evander Head Steward David Sapsford Design & Print Face Media Group
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Visit your local music shop Barbican Chimes Music
Also at:
Cromwell Tower • Silk Street • London EC2Y 8DD Tel: 020 7588 9242 Email: barbican@chimesmusic.com facebook.com/barbicanchimesmusic Academy Chimes Music: 020 7873 7400 Kensington Chimes Music: 020 789 9054
www.chimesmusic.com
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S unday 9 September at 5.30pm
U3A is a unique and exciting self-help educational movement for people no longer in full-time work. U3A oers: • The opportunity to pursue learning for sheer enjoyment and for its own sake • Shared learning experiences in a wide range of interest groups • Colour magazine, Third Age Matters, published 5 times a year • Residential summer schools • Unique U3A events covering the arts, humanities and sciences with plenty of social activities To find your nearest U3A please contact The Third Age Trust on: 020 8466 6139 national.oďŹƒce@u3a.org.uk
www.u3a.org.uk
Grange Wellington Hotel
Brandenburg Sunday Series The perfect Sunday treat - a relaxing, early-evening concert in beautiful surroundings. And for full indulgence, book in early for the Grange Afternoon Tea - or even an overnight stay!
Tickets ÂŁ18 children ÂŁ5
Box office: 07528 776625 www.brandenburg.org.uk/september
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Join the Friends of Cathedral Music and receive our magazine CATHEDRAL MUSIC twice a year - free!
Membership Secretary 27 Old Gloucester Street LONDON WC1N 3XX www.fcm.org.uk
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THE FUTURE
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Our Vision To bring a little bit more harmony to the world What do we do? We bring choral music of all shapes and sizes to as many people as possible Why do we do that? We think the world needs more harmony and music brings us together How do we do that? By finding as many ways as possible to allow people to experience, hear, get involved in and enjoy beautiful choral music
What do we focus on? • Organising the UK’s largest choral festival • Finding ways for people to enjoy what we do whilst they travel • Partnering schools to give more young people more opportunity to get involved in what we do How do we do it? • Working with corporate organisations to amplify their own choral experiences • Using choirs and choral music to help teams hit the right note through immersive executive training • Raising money for charity by offering unique charity auction packages • Using music to bring communities together
Fri 14 Sept 8pm – S at 15 Sept 8pm
St Paul’s Covent Garden
How do we behave? • We love creating connections between people and music, choirs and venues, our product and anyone that will listen! • We are always curious to discover new ways of enjoying choral The musicmusic marathon in 2018 to people raise money and newreturns ways of finding more to enjoy for it too Cancer • We want music to Research be fun and UK. uplifting and we behave like always smiling favourites and alwaysJeremy wanting to see the Join our verythat ownourselves; Bob Porter and Festival Jackman opportunity everything and Neil Ferris as theyintake you on an epic 24-hour Come & Sing journey through requiems by Grayston Ives, John Rutter, Verdi and Fauré, as well as a brand new anthem, written especially for Requiem to Cancer, from this year’s Artistic Patron, Will Todd
Requiem to Cancer
Participants £45
www.requiemtocancer.org
www.requiemtocancer.org
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Friends of the Brandenburg Choral Festival
Become a Brandenburg Ambassador
Sign up to our free e-mail newsletter and be the first to find out about all our concerts and activities. We’ll even send you the odd special offer as well.
Our volunteer Ambassadors help out in various ways - meeting and greeting people as they arrive for events, ushering, selling programmes, serving at the bar and much more besides. The Festival couldn’t run without them! Ambassadors normally turn up 45 minutes before the performance and then, after helping, get to see the concert for free. They are a very friendly bunch who also benefit from special Ambassadors’ social events - we are always keen to add to the list so get in touch!
You can sign up at www.brandenburg.org.uk/sign-up You can unsubscribe at any time and we do not pass on your e-mail address to anyone else. Our full privacy policy is on our website.
b r a n d e n b u r g The 2020 Spring Series runs from 30 December2019 through to 4 May 2020. With more than 100 events across the year, the Brandenburg Choral CHORAL FESTIVAL Festival of London is the largest choral celebration in the UK. OF LONDON
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