Saturday, 9th November 2024, 3pm
St.Thomas of Canterbury Church, Goring on Thames, RG8 9DS
You can also buy tickets at:
Inspiration, The Arcade, High Street, Goring RG8 9AY
Garlands Organic, 6 Reading Road, Pangbourne RG8 7LY
or from a choir member
2024 | |
---|---|
9th November | Concert: A thousand years in song St. Thomas' Church |
2025 | |
25th January | Winter concert in St. Thomas' Church |
14th – 17th August | Services at Exeter Cathedral |
To book tickets for our concerts, please send email to tickets@goringchamberchoir.org.uk
In a big change from our last concert, Goring Chamber Choir's next performance focuses on music from three short periods of history. First is the 12th and early 13th centuries, when Hildegard of Bingen was composing her ecstatic visions. Other songs from the period include the well-loved round 'Sumer is icumen in', attributed to a monk of Reading Abbey.
Moving on 400 years, we’ll contrast the late renaissance style of Queen Elizabeth I's reign with the exciting new developments and first operas from Italy — Byrd versus Monteverdi and Francesca Caccini with instruments added to the mix.
Another 400 years along, and we’ll move to the sound of the 21st century, including a focus on women composers. Plus, we will perform pieces by Paul Spicer and Eric Whitacre, whose 'Sainte-Chapelle' is as ecstatic a vision of a stained-glass window as Hildegard of Bingen's songs were 900 years earlier. Canadian composer Sarah Quartel sets a 13th century text, the 'Golden Sequence', bringing our vision full circle.
The choir went to Truro in August to sing services at the cathedral for four days from Thursday 8th. They sang four Choral Evensongs with canticles by Murrell, Humfrey, Harris and Howells, and the Casciolini Mass at Sunday Eucharist. The anthems were The Peacemakers by Manning, O Lord, give thy Holy Spirit by Tallis, Agneau de Dieu by Lang, Surely the Lord is in this place by Burrell and O pray for the peace of Jerusalem by Howells.
The cathedral has a difficult acoustic for those attending the services. In the Nave, the sound from the Quire was distorted while the organ was clearer. I loved it as we were treated to mesmerising organ playing by Steve Bowey on one of the country’s best organs.
By contrast, the acoustic in the quire, where I attended Evensong on the Thursday, was excellent, with a wonderful balance between the organ and the choir. I could hear every nuance of tone, blend and articulation. The overall tone was well controlled and lovely. The anthem The Peacemakers by Manning is a beautiful piece of music. The choir showed their true brilliance in their moving rendition.
As the cathedral does not hold a sung evening service on Saturdays, the choir moved to nearby St. John's Church for Evensong. It was a moving experience. You could tell from the very beginning of the service that everyone was relaxed and enjoying themselves after a few days in this interesting city. There was an undeniable joy in the singing of everything from the first response to the last amen. The highlight was the anthem Agneau de Dieu by Lang. The quartet of soloists sang from the balcony. It made an ethereal experience as the quartet's voices floated over the congregation and the rest of the choir. This was the choir at their best.
Review by Frances Thompson
We have made some constitutional changes in our organisation, partly to clarify the position of the choir's trustees and also to come up to date with best practices recommended by the Charity Commission. As a result, our registered charity number has changed—we are now registered charity No1207153 and our registered name is Goring Chamber Choir CIO. You can always find our charity number at the foot of our web pages.
None of this changes what we do or who we are: we'll continue to be known as Goring Chamber Choir to our audience and friends and we'll carry on bringing you the best in choral works. The ‘CIO’ in our formal title indicates that we are now constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
Based in Goring-on-Thames, our choir draws members from around South Oxfordshire and Berkshire. We sing all year round, giving concerts in Spring, Autumn and at Christmas. Our repertoire ranges from the Classical through traditional to contemporary music. While our concerts always have familiar and popular pieces, we enjoy exploring new or lesser-known works — it keeps our programme fresh.
We are looking for tenor voices to join our choir. If you'd like to become a member, contact us and come to a few of our rehearsals on Thursday evenings — you can join in and see how it feels. If you want to go ahead, you'll audition with our Musical Director. Our singers must be able to read sheet music, as we don't learn by ear, but we're not all polished sight-readers.
A collection of pieces from Goring Chamber Choir's broad repertoire of sacred and secular works, from Haydn and Mozart to Gershwin and Rodgers. On the way, we visit the great Victorian and Edwardian church composers, some traditional folk songs and a barber shop number.Full details
The choir at Christmas. Plainsong and medieval carols rub shoulders with contemporary Christmas music from around the world, and new settings cast fresh light on ancient and mystic texts.Full details
This collection explores the many facets of love: from youthful desire through religious passion, love in adversity, the intertwining of souls, to separation and loss.Full details