to uphold and continually renew a proud tradition of choral singing
Newsletter Issue 21 SPRING 2015 Welcome to our Spring edition of the Choral newsletter. This comes after our highly lauded subscription concert in March, when our performances of Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Mozart’s Requiem brought great praise from the Huddersfield Examiner critic, Chris Robins, who stated: ‘The Choral Society’s finest hour: they sounded like a string quartet on a grand scale, there can be no higher praise’. There have also been many tweets and Facebook comments, including from the soloists and conductor, expressing similar high praise for the performance.
At the Annual General Meeting last July, Jeremy Garside was elected as our new Vice President. At the same time he also agreed to serve as acting General Secretary, whilst the search went on for a candidate for that role. As time went on during the autumn it became obvious that the administrative role of the General Secretary was too important to be left in an uncertain state, so Jeremy has very kindly agreed to continue in that role for the present time and to step down for the moment from the role of Vice President. It is hoped to have a new Vice President in role very shortly, possibly before you read this newsletter and the appointment will be confirmed at the Annual General Meeting. STEPHEN BROOK, Editor.
By the time you read this we will also have performed Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, in a concert version, with the Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra. This was a new departure for the Society which has never sung music by Gershwin previously. It is however welcome to come together with our local orchestra and show the town the immense amount of musical talent that it has in its midst. You will notice a new look to this newsletter, as it is headed with our new logo and branding. This has been an ongoing project for the past six months between the Society and our new partner, Fantastic Media. Inside the newsletter there is an article by Robert Drummond, our Publicity and Marketing Officer, explaining the processes that led to this exciting new look. John Harman, in his second article in a series on the Society’s strategy has also taken our image and publicity and marketing as his subject. The superb photograph on this opening page was taken by Tony Booth in Gorton Monastery, Manchester last autumn, where the choir recorded nine items with the BBC Philharmonic for the popular Songs of Praise television programme. At the time of writing six of these had been broadcast.
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A whirlwind to heaven
– the genesis of Mendelssohn’s Elijah
Jim Cowell looks forward to our Autumn Subscription Concert.
It was the growth of the great municipal town and concert halls that led to the commissioning, first performance and subsequent popularity of Mendelssohn’s final oratorio, Elijah. Birmingham Town Hall opened in October 1834 – almost two years before our Society was founded – as a venue for the Birmingham Triennial Musical Festival, which had outgrown St. Philip’s Church (now the Cathedral).
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letters between May and August 1846, with revisions being agreed almost up to the date of performance. He knew his Bible well, both in German and English, and preferred to retain familiar Biblical phrases, even when they differed slightly in sense from the German. For this reason it is no more ‘authentic’ to sing the work in German than in English, provided that Mendelssohn’s careful word underlay is used. Unfortunately, the popular Novello edition of 1903 – still widely used – reverts in many cases to the original German notes and rhythms. The New Novello edition of 1991 is more reliable.
Mendelssohn had no sooner completed his first oratorio St. Paul (first performed in May 1836 in Düsseldorf and in Birmingham on 7 October that year) than he began thinking about another biblical subject. He wrote to his librettist Klingemann: “…if you would only give all the care and Spare a thought for the poor chorusmaster James Stimpson. thought you now bestow on St. Paul to an Elijah, or a St. Peter Despite Mendelssohn’s assurances, he received the first or even an Og of Bashan!” This was ten years before he instalment of printed chorus parts only in mid-June. On 3 received an invitation from the Birmingham Festival committee August the first two choruses of Part II arrived, and the last to compose “a new oratorio, chorus was received just nine or other music” for the 1846 days before the performance! Festival. Mendelssohn had These were in manuscript, as received warm receptions were all the solo items. when he conducted St. Paul in 1836, and again in 1840 The chorus, including a with his Hymn of Praise, so contingent of 62 from he was very happy to accept London, totalled 271, with 79 the new commission. In the sopranos, 60 altos (all male meantime, in 1838 he had – Mendelssohn called them unexpectedly received an “bearded altos”), 60 tenors unsolicited parcel by post: and 72 basses. The orchestra “…which cost me nearly 10s numbered 125 players, with 93 for postage, containing an strings and double woodwind. English ‘text’ for an oratorio The London organist Henry of Elijah sent to me by a Mr Gauntlett – composer of the Charles Greville of Bath”. tune to Once in Royal David’s The author was a clergyman, City – was engaged to play the James Barry, and his ‘text’ was There came a fiery chariot, with fiery, fiery horses and he went by a great Hill organ in the Town eventually published in 1869. whirlwind to heaven. Hall. The first performance was Mendelssohn made no use of it, at 11.30am on Wednesday 26 but it spurred him into action. He turned to his boyhood friend August 1846, and was a complete triumph. Eight numbers the Rev. Julius Schubring, Rector of St. George’s Church, were encored. Nevertheless, Mendelssohn immediately Dessau, for help in turning Klingemann’s draft sketch into started work on revisions, and it is the revised score we know a workable libretto. They collaborated spasmodically over today. He conducted four performances in London in April the next few years, until the Birmingham invitation forced the 1847, one of which was attended by Queen Victoria and pace. Prince Albert. He also conducted further performances in Manchester and Birmingham in that same month. The score In May 1846 Mendelssohn wrote to Joseph Moore, the was published in June 1847, and Mendelssohn received 250 Festival manager, that: “…I intend to send the whole of the guineas for the English copyright. It immediately shot into the first part of my oratorio to Mr Moscheles (Conductor-infront rank of popularity, although the efforts expended on it Chief) in the course of the next fortnight. The choruses for by the composer had completely exhausted him, and he died the second part will be in England towards the beginning on 4 November 1847. of July, and the rest of the whole in the middle of that month”. The performance was scheduled for 26 August. Huddersfield seemed slow to pick up Mendelssohn’s works: Mendelssohn requested that the English version be made by St. Paul was first given in 1854 and Elijah in 1859. But it was William Bartholomew, who had translated his earlier works. repeated 15 times up to 1896, and given again 14 times in Mendelssohn took great pains with the English, ensuring that the 20th century, including two very successful recordings. the word stresses and verbal accents remained faithful to the original German, and rewriting passages to accommodate Jim Cowell this where necessary. He and Bartholomew exchanged many March 2015
An Evening with the Huddersfield Choral Society
DO YOU REMEMBER... – 40?
Mr and Mrs Alan Reeve are Friends of the Society and won a prize draw for tickets to our 2013 Messiah, but were unable to be present. Instead they were our guests at the Christmas concert in December last year. They have written this report on their visit.
Weds. 19 March 1975
Our evening with the Huddersfield Choral Society started over a year ago, when we received a letter from the President of the Society, telling us that we had won two seats to the 2013 performance of Handel’s Messiah, in the Friends’ prize draw. We accepted the seats, but at the last minute had to cancel the visit due to a medical situation that I developed. We wrote to the President and apologised for having to cancel at such a late stage. We received a reply, saying that they would offer seats to us again for the 2014 Christmas Concert. The invitation duly arrived and we joined the audience in the Town Hall on the Friday evening.
John Pritchard – Conductor Linda Esther Gray – Soprano Joyce Blackham – Mezzo Kenneth Collins – Tenor Paul Hudson – Bass
We were met at the entrance to the hall by Cynthia Pratt (Friends’ Secretary), who hosted us for the rest of the evening. After pre-concert drinks, and having been given a book on the history of the Society, and a CD, we were taken to our seats in the Mayor’s Box. The programme included carols and other seasonal works, performed by Black Dyke Band, the Choral Society and the Society’s Junior Choirs. The audience was invited to join in the singing of some of the carols. During the interval we enjoyed drinks or tea and coffee, and at the end of the performance we were served a quite excellent hot meal. It was a truly brilliant evening, and one that my wife and I will remember for a very long time. The organisation from the time we arrived, until the time we said good night to our hostess and her husband, both of whom escorted us back to the car park, was outstanding. We were made to feel so welcome, and we left feeling that the Christmas season had truly begun.
Requiem – Verdi BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra
Malcolm Cruise reporting in the Huddersfield Examiner said… Always there was a true sense of devotion and even in the noisiest passages – as in the recurring Dies Irae theme – there was the greatest sense of dignity. There was colour through variety of sounds and vividly contrasting tone. Sometimes, as at the beginning in the Requiem and Kyrie the chorus singing was hushed, melancholy, yet at the end in the Libera Me the quietness was of a different nature, pleading, more persuasive and urgent. … indeed this was a majestic performance, difficult, I would imagine, to better anywhere in the country. Sydney Crowther reported for the Yorkshire Post…
Photos: David Ward
Don Pritchard (sic!), the Huddersfield Choral Society and the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra collaborated in a superb performance of the Verdi Requiem at the Town Hall last night. The Huddersfield chorus was at its best, brilliant and exciting in the Dies Irae and elsewhere giving us some beautiful, quiet singing.
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Junior Choirs The Junior Choirs are busy! Christmas with the ‘Choral’ 2014 The Junior Choirs make a bright blue splash down the centre of the stage in this photograph from the Mayor’s box where the winning design for the evening can be seen on the programme. They sang really well to a packed audience. 7th March Concert at New North Road Baptist Church The Junior Choirs’ Team above and MD Susan in ‘full flow’ at the first concert of 2015 which included new younger and older soloists and a wide selection of music for a delighted audience. Members of the Junior Choirs take part in the Mayor’s Concert for Kirkwood Hospice on Mothers’ Day 2015 with Colne Valley Male Voice Choir, Seranata & Hope Bank Youth Band Unfortunately the choice of date reduced the numbers of Junior Choirs’ members available. But those able to be there made a wonderful sound and represented the whole Choir amazingly, leaving a lasting impression on other performers.
New Youth Choir Members from Huddersfield University Emily Stones, who was a longstanding member of the Youth Choir, is now in charge of Publicity for the Juniors. She is thrilled that the time she spent at the Freshers’ Fayre at Huddersfield University in September 2014 has resulted in three new members permanently joining the Youth Choir. They all performed at the Seniors’ Christmas Concert, which ‘blew them away’ and was a baptism of fire. Alex Davis who studies Journalism and plays Programme Sellers for the Seniors rugby league for Huddersfield with ‘Varsity’ against Youth Choir members Mollie Davis and Jordan Bradford University - sang treble in Sheffield Cathedral Choir Thomas both enjoyed this job, persuading the public and then as baritone in his high school choir. He has enjoyed to buy programmes at the Spring Haydn/Mozart singing both a duet and solo since joining the Juniors. concert. For each of them it was the first time they Caleb Emeriewen from Lagos in Nigeria studies Mechanical Engineering and enviably, works on match days at Manchester United! He has never been in a choir before but fancied a ‘singing experience’ and likes singing in a group. It has given him confidence singing in our concerts. Cristina Diaconu who studies Journalism & Film Studies sang in her junior school choir in Romania. She enjoys being in the Youth Choir and is developing her soprano voice, finding ‘more notes’ and following the music better as well as improving her English.
had listened to the Seniors in Concert. Jordan had performed in the Town Hall since he was little in the Young Voices, but had never been in the audience. He was fascinated by the adults singing, enjoyed it and will come again. Mollie joined the Youth Choir only a few months ago. She attends the Junior Department at the Royal Northern each Saturday studying Grade 7 violin and is also a soprano soloist.
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Concert Dates to end the 28th Season th
Sun 10 May 2015 - 3.30pm. St. Hilda’s Parish Church Prestwich,Greater Manchester M25 1HA ‘Songs in Spring’ Tickets on the door with talented soloists from the Choir Sections
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Sun 5th July 2015 - 3pm. - Summer Concert & Awards Venue to be confirmed – please look on the website Junior Choirs Tickets £7 Full £6 Seniors £4 children Contact junior.choirs@huddersfieldchoral.com Phone 01484 301610 about tickets / joining the choir Check out the ‘Choral’ website – choose Junior Choirs
with other professionals as well as being a bit more sociable. Arranging is fun and means you can work at home; I also do a few weeks examining every year for the ABRSM which gives me the novelty of a regular 9-5 routine for a few days. And I really enjoy the teaching at the RNCM – working with students stops you getting too set in your ways and makes you think about what you’re doing. Q Which are your favourite organs in this country or indeed the world? A As Scotland still counts as this country, I’ll choose St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. The one I’d most like to try out is in the new Philharmonie in Paris.
Spotlight on... Darius Battiwalla has been holding the fort during recent times as our Deputy Chorus Master and we are hugely grateful for his contribution to the Society. We caught up with him to get the answers to a few of our questions. Here are his responses: Q Can you tell us a little bit about your family? A I live with Hannah, an editor and translator, and our children Natalya (11), Cyrus (8) and Laila (4). I was brought up in North London, where my parents had met; my father is a Parsi from Bombay and my mother had come down from Oldham to train as a nurse. But my mother’s family is originally from West Yorkshire – most of my ancestors seem to have lived in the Dewsbury, Batley and Almondbury areas. And my other family connection is that my younger sister Roshan sings in the altos. Q Were you always destined for a career in music, or did you have other things in mind in your youth? A Destined sounds a bit grand; it’s more that I slipped into it because I could do it. I did quite fancy the idea of being a lawyer, but I’m not sure I could have sustained that level of hard work. Q You are well known as an Organist, how did you get into Choir Training? A The school I went to had a parents’ choir, and I played the piano for rehearsals. My first ever experience conducting a rehearsal was when they needed a sectional for the sopranos and altos – it was Mozart Requiem. At University in Leeds, I played for the Philharmonic Chorus, and took occasional rehearsals, and I did a year conducting Ilkley and Otley Choral societies. Q As you are now well established as a musician in a number of genres, which activity is your favourite? A They’re all rewarding in different ways – there’s a particular buzz to solo recitals, as you’re the only person on stage, but playing in an orchestra or ensemble gives you the satisfaction of making music
Q How much time do you spend rehearsing for an organ recital? A It depends! I try to resist the temptation to play the same pieces, and always try to include at least one piece that’s new to me in every concert. I also like to play from memory if I can – obviously that increases the preparation time. Q What would a typical week look like in your diary? A Predictable answer – I don’t have one. My only regular weekly commitments are the choirs in Sheffield and Huddersfield, and a day at the RNCM, where I teach organ, continuo and improvisation. Other things might be orchestra rehearsals and concerts with the BBC Phil, Opera North or the Halle, occasional solo concerts or silent film shows – not forgetting the inevitable admin. and accounts which get rather neglected at times. Q What is your favourite piece of Choral Music and why? A If I had to choose one ‘Desert Island’ piece it would probably be Bach’s B Minor Mass, but I don’t really think of that as a choral piece – more a great piece of music that happens to have a choir in it. Of the choral ‘classics’ then it’s a difficult choice; perhaps it depends what mood I’m in, but Gerontius would definitely be on the list, along with Elijah. And you can’t beat Belshazzar’s Feast for energy and excitement. Q On the dreaded desert island (of DI Discs fame), what would be your Book and your Luxury? A Like many musicians I’d have to choose a piano. The book choice is more difficult – I read a lot and it’s tempting to choose the last really good book I read (which was about Kim Philby and the Cambridge spies). But if I were choosing a book for repeated reading over a long time it would have to be poetry – as big an anthology as possible.
Thank you Darius for letting us know a little bit about yourself and your work. 5
Strategy Matters This is the second in a series of articles on the Society’s strategy in which John Harman gives his personal take on what it is all about. “To uphold and continually
renew a proud tradition of choral singing”
In the first of these articles I described the research that we did in 2013 into how the Society is seen, both locally and nationally – and that the results of that research gave us pause for thought. To begin with, we rather liked it that people said we were “inspiring” or “world-class”; but we were less pleased about “old-fashioned” and “elitist”. I mean, obviously such comments were misinformed. We liked it when the music world said that we represented a great tradition; but when it said that today perhaps other choirs were producing better work, well clearly they hadn’t heard us recently, had they? But, we had asked, like Rabbie Burns, that
“....some Pow’r the giftie gie us,
To see oursels as others see us....” and so we took a deep breath and looked back in the mirror for a closer look at these perceptions of the Society. They are obviously real. To what extent are they justified? To what extent are they due to poor communication? And what can we do about it? This is why, in its report, the strategy group gave a whole section to the profile of the Society, headed by the recommendation that The Society must do more to present itself and communicate its work, especially to the wider national audience and classical music world.
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The fact is that we have allowed ourselves to be left behind by rapid changes in how music, as well as general information, is accessed. Our presence in the electronic media is weak by comparison with most of the choirs that we would compare ourselves with – for example, the Halle, or the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus. Of course, both of these are attached to professional orchestras with vastly more resource than we, as an independent society, can devote to communications. But if you have a moment, google the website of the London Bach Choir, also an independent society; or the Brighton Festival Chorus; and ask yourself whether we are really putting ourselves across as well as they do, or as well as we might. Now, one reason for writing about our profile in this edition of the newsletter is that, by the time you read this, you will be also able to google our website and see the new design which went live on April 6th. This is the first significant sign of a major change in the way we present ourselves to the world. We don’t ourselves have all the in-house skills, but we are fortunate to be able to work closely with professionals in our new partner and sponsor, Fantastic Media, and they will be helping the Society with an overhaul of all aspects of our marketing and communications. As a general rule I’m allergic to marketing speak, but in this case it is the best way to express the matter. Huddersfield Choral Society has a very high quality product, and an arresting story to tell which is capable of engaging a wide audience. We have strong brand values - “To uphold and continually renew a proud tradition of choral singing” and we need our brand, and our image, to carry those values. That’s what is behind the new designs. A stronger presence in the electronic media is just one part of the communications picture, and that will mean more than a new website. We need better internet sales; a much more effective e-mail marketing campaign aimed at generating new subscribers and sponsors; better communication with existing friends, patrons and subscribers; more of our music available digitally; an effective YouTube channel which allows us to be heard as we are today, not as we were thirty years ago; more recording and more presence in the broadcast media; and a distinctive musical offer.
Of course, the most important communication for the choir itself has to be the communication of the work in performance; and the profile section of the strategy comes after the sections on performance, musical direction and recruitment. However good our marketing can be made, it will only be effective if our music making is of a high standard, if the performance has power, excitement and emotional connection. But the converse also holds: however good we are in performance, it has to be heard. Communication of what we do to a wider audience is vital for the future health of the Society. You may well have spotted some other signs of change. The series of airings of the Society in Songs of Praise is getting us back into people’s living rooms for the first time for a long while (and re-establishes our relationship with the BBC Philharmonic). The Spring Concert showed how our musical and communication work can support each other, with a critically acclaimed performance recorded for broadcast on Classic FM. You will see further changes coming along, to project a more lively, more accurate, more engaging image, both for our loyal local audience and for the huge national audience that is so far largely untapped. It’s a lot of work, and this is just one element of what is involved in the Strategy, but it is essential and exciting. It’s work that engages the whole Committee, but a lot of it devolves upon the Publicity Officer, Robert Drummond, who has already done much to improve the Society’s press coverage and social media presence. In today’s world, with so many competing voices, and so many ways in which people can access music, good communication is essential. What the Society does and what it stands for in the tradition and the development of choral music in this country is of immense value, and we want to enhance that quality, attract good singers, work with good orchestras and conductors, and maintain our national status and financial independence into the future. Investment in our ability to communicate is investment in the Society’s future, in our music making, and in the musical life of our country.
DO YOU REMEMBER ...-25 ? Sunday 8 April 1990
St. Matthew Passion – Bach London Mozart Players Jane Glover – Conductor Elizabeth Gale – Soprano Sarah Walker – Mezzo Anthony Rolfe Johnson – Tenor Adrian Thompson – Tenor Alastair Miles – Bass John Shirley-Quirke – Bass Charles Medlam – Gamba Celia Harper – Harpsichord Margaret Phillips – Organ Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ Choir Malcolm Cruise again reported for the Huddersfield Examiner…. The chorus, presenting the St. Matthew Passion for the first time ever, sang with a commitment borne out of understanding and technical achievement. The singers grasped the rhythmic nettle in all the choral interjections; they attacked with crisp articulation and vivid tonal colour in Have Lightnings and Thunder Their Fury Forgotten and Let Him be Crucified and their explosive force in the stark ejaculation Barabbas was awe-inspiring. Dr. Glover drew a majestic, broad tone, too, for the many chorales; balanced, controlled, but with immense power available and the outer choruses Come ye Daughters and In Tears of Grief epitomised the whole performance, so full of passion and drama they were. The treble voices of the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ Choir, too, added a further dimension of extreme pleasure. Malcolm Cruise also reported for the Yorkshire Post in a similarly enthusiastic tone.
Photos: Selwyn Green
John Harman
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MEMBERSHIP NEWS New Members
We welcome the following new members into the Society: Lorna Aitken (1st Sop.), Pippa Lodge (2nd Sop.), Clare Wright (2nd Alto), John Craven (2nd Ten.), Frances Durning (1st Ten.), Philip Carlin (1st Bass) and Charles Murray (1st Bass). We wish them all great success and enjoyment with the Society and we hope that their stay with us will be a long and happy one.
Sad Farewells
We were deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of 2nd Tenor Martin Jenkins on the 26 February. Martin had been suffering from a brain tumour and died peacefully at home in the presence of his family.
Martin joined the choir in April 1994 and had served for most of that time as the Society’s semi-official photographer. Many members will have in their possession samples of his very professional work. The Society has expressed its sincere condolences to Martin’s wife and family. Also whilst this newsletter was in preparation we heard of the sudden and tragic death of Associate Member, William Kirby. William had sung in the choir for over 20 years between 1990 and 2011. He was a remarkably talented linguist and frequently helped out the Chorus Masters with pronunciation, particularly of German in which he was fluent. His gentle humour brought a smile to many faces. Many members have expressed their feelings to his wife Susan, who still sings in the choir and who very bravely took part in our performance of Porgy and Bess within a week of the tragedy.
Long Service
Again, whilst the Newsletter was in the final stages of preparation a 40 year badge was presented to Contralto member Lettice Thomson. She has our thanks for her long service and we hope that she will go on for many years to come. Well done Lettice.
Musical Success
Taneli Clark has been studying at Huddersfield University for almost three years and has been a valued member of our Bass section during that time. Taneli is a hugely talented musician and has starred on the trombone in the University Big Band on many occasions. He has recently had great success when he won the coveted J.W.Pearce, Kirklees Musician of the Year title. He performed a fabulous programme on his favourite instrument, percussion, which included a variety of drums and marimba. We hope that Taneli may be able to stay with us for another year and wish him well for his future career in music.
The winner of our Christmas Programme cover design competition for children was Eve Antoniades from Lindley.
Photos: David Ward
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She is pictured here on stage at the Christmas Concert receiving the prizes for herself and her school from the Society President, Jane Sargent and the Conductor and Presenter of the concert, Brian Kay.
Our Music Director, Martyn Brabbins Martyn has been busy jetting around the world, as usual. He will be visiting Huddersfield for a meeting with the Music Planning Sub-Committee during May, but we managed to catch up with him to see what he has been up to recently.
Reflections from Essen
a world premiere by Mark Bowden, who studied in Huddersfield! To say the choral writing in the I find myself very, very happy that the repertoire new piece presented challenges is to mightily I have been conducting this year has involved understate the reality! Totally atonal, huge textures so many great singers! My first trip of 2015 to Nagoya included performances of the exhilarating from a large orchestra, double chorus, often eight note chords to be plucked out of nowhere, and Act 1 of Die Walkure – singing Wagner is a huge very little in the way of melodic vocal lines. The physical challenge, and I relish the task of giving chorus nevertheless faced their task with great singers freedom and space, so that they feel no good humour, and pulled off what was described tension in their relationship with the enormously in one review as ‘a remarkable’ first performance. powerful orchestral forces behind them! February brought the beginning of rehearsals in Essen for a new staging of Die Schweigsame Frau (The Silent Woman – Ben Johnson) by Richard Strauss. This is mature Strauss from the mid 1930s, at his most virtuosic and demanding, both for orchestra and singers. Perhaps this is why the piece is a rarity on the world’s operatic stages. Two roles in particular demand the conductor’s infinite care and attention – the bass, Amorous and the soprano, Aminta. We are blessed here in Essen with two of the finest exponents of these roles anywhere! Last week I was in Wales conducting Finzi, Holst – memorable performances of The Planets, and
DIARY
Please get these dates into your diaries! Wednesday 24 June 2015 – Huddersfield Town Hall 7pm. HCS Subscribers’ Ballot for 2015/16 Season Friday 26 to Sunday 28 June 2015 – Crown Hotel, Harrogate. HCS – Rehearsal weekend, including Open Rehearsal on Saturday afternoon.
Working with singers is a great joy for me and demands a great deal of empathy and humanity. I am looking forward to performances of The Kingdom this week in Antwerp, with the extraordinary radio choirs of Holland and Belgium. Then my attention will turn to preparations for the finals of the Cardiff Singer of the World. A Spring of so many wonderful vocal collaborations! I am also, of course, looking forward to coming back to Huddersfield as soon as possible to explore the choral repertoire with you. Martyn. Sunday 19 July 2015 – St. John’s Church, Buxton 7.30pm. HCS – Buxton Festival Concert Saturday 17 October 2015 – North Light Gallery, Armitage Bridge. Picnic and Proms (see separate article) Friday 23 October 2015 – Huddersfield Town Hall 7pm. HCS Subscription Concert – Elijah Friday 11 December 2015 Huddersfield Town Hall 7.30pm. HCS Christmas Concert
Friday 3 July 2015 Huddersfield Town Hall 7.30pm. HCS Annual General Meeting
Tuesday 15 December 2015 Huddersfield Town Hall 7.15pm. HCS Public Concert – Messiah
Sunday 5 July 2015 – Venue tba 3pm. Junior Choirs – Summer Concert and Awards
Wednesday 16 December 2015 Huddersfield Town Hall 7.15pm. HCS Subscription Concert - Messiah
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Join Us, Enjoy Us, Support Us marketing campaign Since our last newsletter, and with the help of awardwinning marketing agency, Fantastic Media, the Society has undertaken a major review of its brand and marketing activity to better position the Choir in reaching new audiences, sponsors and subscribers while reinforcing the Society’s continued relevance to its current groups of valued supporters. The new logo on the front of this newsletter is the culmination of a lot of hard work following the Strategy work undertaken by the Society in 2013 which identified that, to maintain its position as one of the UK’s leading Choral Societies, HCS needed to ‘shake off the traditional, stuffy and elitist image that many people had of the Society’ and make better use of emerging on-line media channels to promote the Society’s activities to both new and existing audiences, including a fresh look at our website and how we make use of the plethora of social media channels to promote our activities. The first step was to appoint Birstall-based Fantastic Media to undertake a review of the Society’s marketing activity and to develop a fresh new brand and multiplatform website that went live earlier this year.
Reflecting our heritage
Wave of sound and euphoria
As part of their work, Fantastic Media really got to know the Society, its history, its different audiences and other customers and how it communicates with them. They identified what we do well and what we could do better. Using this insight, Fantastic Media formulated a marketing campaign using three calls to action, Join Us, Enjoy Us and Support Us to target new and existing singers, concert-goers, album buyers, concertpromoters, sponsors, benefactors and the media. To accompany this, a new logo was designed to reflect the choir’s heritage, in the form of the flamboyant swirls and dramatic bold curves of Huddersfield Town Hall, the Society’s main concert venue, while visually capturing the wave of euphoria and energy that members of the choir and audience experience during our performances along with the Choir’s aspiration to reach and excite new audiences. Claret and Gold were adopted as the logo colours for their association with quality and the Choir’s home town of Huddersfield.
Reaching out & exciting new audiences
Claret and Gold - Synonymous with Huddersfield and quality
Once the new brand and marketing campaign were approved by the Committee, work started on the new website. This provides a wealth of information about the Choir’s activities and the different ways in which people can become involved with us and it projects the Society’s core values and capabilities, while providing an integral commerce section that gives supporters the opportunity to buy HCS merchandise, concert tickets and to access the most comprehensive collection of HCS recordings available to the public, whether it be through our on-line shop or the iTunes store. The website went live on April 6 and can be accessed at www.huddersfieldchoral.com Sweatshirts and Hoodies (to reflect a more youthful image) have been produced to help communicate the new brand and are available to order through the website. Further merchandise will be added in due course.
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Over the coming months, we will be working with Fantastic Media to develop email, social media and PR campaigns as part of our strategy to promote the different aspects of the Choral’s activities, including singing membership, subscriptions, ticket sales, sponsorship and concert promotion, to the most appropriate local, regional, national and international audiences that ultimately will help the Society maintain its position at the top of choral singing in the UK. Robert Drummond
Poetry Corner We are delighted to print this poem by choir member, Debbie Hemingway. It was entered into the Mrs. Sunderland Poetry Writing Competition and spotted by our eagle eyed former president, Jenny Lockwood, who recommended it for inclusion in this newsletter.
MAKING MUSIC Between my ears, Inside my head, A drum will beat Until I’m dead. A rhythm, a pulse That flows within, But never makes an Awful din. A melody might Join the beat And then it flows Down to my feet. A dance begins To move inside; My body rocks From side to side. A harmony can Join along Until we have a Splendid song.
Some people’s rhythm Is asleep; To hear it, they must Listen, deep. We can help them Make it grow, Feel the dance, Let it show. If only all could See the need (It’s like a plant That we must feed). Music isn’t Just a skill; Not just a talent; Not just “Brill!” Music’s at our Very core, It makes our spirits Start to soar. Music is our Sanity, Our link to all Humanity.
PICNIC and PROMS Jenny Lockwood is organising another Picnic and Proms in the Autumn to raise funds for the Society. This will the third such event in recent times and the others have been very successful, with the 2012 event being a sell out. The format for the evening is that you bring your own food to eat at our indoor venue, there is a bar, musical entertainment by members of the Society and possibly other people also. There will be a raffle and lots of time to chat to friends old and new. The details that we have at present are as follows: DATE
Saturday 17 October 2015
TIME
7 for 7.30pm
VENUE North Light Gallery, Armitage Bridge FOOD
Bring your own
DRINK Pay Bar ENTERTAINMENT Members of the Society SEATED AT Tables for 10 (Book a full table or just the seats for yourselves) COST
£12.50 per person
ENQUIRIES/ Jenny Lockwood on BOOKING 01484 666827 or e-mail jenny@lock1941.eclipse.co.uk
FINANCIAL SUPPORT The Society is deeply grateful to all our Partners, Sponsors and Patrons for the help that they give us to support our work in bringing high quality music making to our town, our country and occasionally the world. CORPORATE PARTNERS Fantastic Media SPONSORS – CORPORATE Syngenta The Greenbank Group Country Classics (J. Gledhill & Sons) SS Components SPONSORS – PERSONAL W Currie & Friends Helen Marshall David Moore Jean Parker
PATRONS – CORPORATE Chadwick Lawrence Baxter Caulfield PATRONS – PERSONAL Elizabeth Crowther – OBE Mrs. Diana Franklin J. Donald Haywood – DL Gerald and Christina Sutton
Jane and Alan Pridmore
Mrs. Betty Webb PATRONS – HONORARY Joanne Harris – MBE Dr. Ingrid Roscoe – FSA Alan Titchmarsh - MBE
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IN THE LOOP In this section we will aim to keep everyone up to date with the many facets of the Society’s work. SUBSCRIBERS’ BALLOT The annual ballot for season tickets for the 2015/2016 concert season will be held in the Town Hall on Wednesday 24 June at 7.00pm. New or nearly new Subscribers should be aware that, provided you attend the ballot in person, or by proxy, you will be able to choose the best available seats. When seats have been chosen by all the Subscribers present, then the Society officials allocate remaining seats to those not in attendance. Your chosen seats are then yours for the season of three concerts and you ballot again next year for the forthcoming season. REHEARSAL WEEKEND The weekend of 26/28 June is in the choir’s diary, as we have a visit to the Crown Hotel in Harrogate for a rehearsal weekend. We shall rehearse music for our concert at the Buxton Festival in July. Rehearsal sessions will be held on Friday evening, Saturday morning and afternoon and Sunday morning. The session on Saturday afternoon has been designated as an Open Rehearsal, where we would hope to attract some new members to the Society. On Saturday evening we shall dance, or perhaps just listen, to a Big Band sound. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Society’s Annual General Meeting will be held in the Town Hall on Friday 3 July at 7.30pm. An invitation goes out to all Members, Associates, Life Members, Subscribers, Friends, Sponsors, Patrons and Corporate Partners. The accounts for the year to 30 April will be presented by our Treasurer, Adrian Lee, and after the meeting there is entertainment from some choir members and a buffet supper. It should be noted that whilst all the people mentioned above are welcome to join us, only Singing Members are allowed to vote on any resolutions.
BUXTON FESTIVAL We are visiting the Buxton Festival, for the second consecutive year, on Sunday 19 July. The concert begins at 7.30pm and the main work will be Rachmaninov’s unaccompanied Vespers. Many Subscribers will remember our first performance of the work in 2002, during our Subscription season. We then performed the work in Ampleforth, Mirfield, Reims and Tewkesbury in 2004 and 2005. If performed liturgically the piece lasts from dusk to dawn, with the individual sections all having their time slot during the night, from whence comes its other title, All Night Vigil. In concert the piece lasts for an hour. In the first half of the concert we shall perform, Elgar’s Ave Verum Corpus, three movements from Parry’s Songs of Farewell, and the same composer’s Coronation Anthem, I Was Glad. There will also be an organ solo from our Deputy Chorus Master, Darius Battiwalla. Anyone wishing to purchase tickets for this concert can do so using the Buxton Festival website. NEXT SEASON We are sure that you will all be delighted to know that our autumn concert will be conducted once again by Vasily Patrenko, conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. The work will be the ever popular Elijah (Mendelssohn), and there will be a Sunday afternoon repeat in Liverpool. The Spring concert next season will feature Elgar’s lovely cantata The Music Makers, paired with the piece that was postponed from this season, James MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross. The season is completed, of course, by the December performance of Messiah.
CUTTING DOWN ON POSTAGE... The Society is trying to reduce its costs, both monetarily and environmentally, by posting out fewer paper copies of the newsletter. If you would be willing to receive the newsletter by e-mail from now on, please send your name, address and category (ie Associate Member, Subscriber, Sponsor or Friend) to our editor, Stephen Brook @ stephen.brook1@ntlworld.com NB. If you have already informed us due to reading this in a previous edition, there is no need to get in touch again.
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