Burford’s beautiful, historic Grade I listed Church of St John the Baptist provides the perfect venue for the Burford Singer’s autumn concert ‘Contemplation and Celebration’ on Sunday 24 November which starts at 7.30pm.
The evening presents two choral masterpieces, comprising some of the most commonly heard liturgical texts. Vivaldi's evergreen setting from the Ordinary of the Mass, and John Rutter's sparkling setting of the Song of Mary, as commonly heard in evensong come together for an evening of celebration and song as the nights are drawing in. Connecting these two works is 'Albinioni's' Adagio for Strings and Organ. Whilst it might appear to be a work from the 18th Century, it's an arrangement of a bass line by Albinoni by his 20th Century biographer, Giazotto.
The programme for evening will be performed by the Burford Singers with Lucy Cox: Soprano and Charlotte Sleet: Mezzo soprano, accompanied by the Cotswold Chamber Orchestra, Leader Kate Bailey, all conducted by Will Dawes.
Since the Burford Singers initially came together in the early 1960’s as a group of three female voices singing folk songs at a garden party, the group grew in size to around a dozen members, with rehearsals held in members’ living rooms, with John Tayler as conductor. As numbers grew, Warren Green took over as conductor in 1973, followed by Megan Smith from 1975 to 1978. Stephen Banfield (who was later appointed Stanley Hugh Badock Chair in Music at Bristol University) followed Megan, and a lively series of concerts and other events ensued. In 1980 Joyce Lang became conductor and introduced the choir (now with around twenty members) to Duruflé, Poulenc and Saint-Saens. When Brian Etheridge took over as conductor in 1986, he recruited more members so that the choir could tackle major choral works, and the current pattern was established of three concerts each year. On his retirement in 2002, Brian Etheridge invited Brian Kay to become his successor and since then the choir continued to grow in numbers and popularity. After 21 years in the role, Brian Kay announced that he would be stepping down as Conductor and Director of Music after the concert at the end of November 2023. After a detailed recruitment process the choir confirmed the appointment of Will Dawes as Brian Kay’s successor. Will took up the post at the beginning of January 2024 and he has started to develop a new programme of music for 2024 and beyond.
Over the decades this friendly local choir has 100 amateur singers as members who live in Burford and surrounding areas and collectively, they have established a reputation for staging high quality concerts accompanied by professional orchestras, usually in the beautiful surroundings of the Church of St John the Baptist, Burford.
The Burford Singers’ repertoire encompasses the standard choral classics by Bach, Handel, Mozart, Brahms and Mendelssohn, but often veers off at a tangent to include more playful things such as Gilbert and Sullivan, or modern works such as George Martin’s Mission Chorales, Richard Blackford’s Mirror of Perfection, and Bob Chilcott’s Dances of Time.
Rehearsals are held in the New Warwick Hall in Burford and the choir enjoys the skilful support of the Cotswold Chamber Orchestra and professional vocal soloists as well as the inspirational leadership of their new conductor, Will Dawes. New members, particularly tenors and basses, who have the enthusiasm to tackle the often challenging repertoire they perform, are welcome. To find out more visit their website burfordsingers.org.uk.
Tickets for the concert on the 24 November cost: reserved at £29, £23, £17, unreserved £15 and £12. Online booking from 20 October (Booking fee applies) at burfordsingers.org.uk/buy-tickets. Phone: 0333 6663366 (free of charge) Monday to Friday, 9am to 7pm (not bank holidays). Booking in person (unreserved tickets only) from 20 October at The Madhatter Bookshop, 122 High Street, Burford OX18 4QJ and on the door.
