COLT Bursary Scheme: Wigmore Hall recital, 15th August

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:20:11 +0100

The Choir of London’s most important long-term educational project comes to fruition this summer with the arrival of the four winners of the our Bursary Scheme for Palestinian student musicians. Designed to provide talented young performers between the ages of 12 and 18 with the kinds of inspiring educational opportunities that are difficult to come by in the Occupied Territories, the scheme aims to complement the groundbreaking work of the various music education organisations with which the Choir of London has worked in Palestine since 2004. The programme is supported by the British Council and the Qattan Foundation, and is operated in conjunction with a number of British partner organisations, including the Gloucester Academy of Music, the National Chamber Music Course, and the Royal Academy of Music. After two and a half years of planning and fundraising, the scheme comes to fruition this summer as the first batch of four successful candidates from the West Bank arrive in the UK for a fortnight of intensive music-making. During their stay they will follow a tailor-made musical programme featuring a residential instrumental course, individual teaching at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and opportunities to experience top-quality professional music in London (including a visit to the Royal Albert Hall to watch Daniel Barenboim rehearsing the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra). With the help of a specialist education team, they will also have a chance to explore musical composition, working over several days to create their own brand new work. The students will perform this piece at the end of their stay as part of an informal recital at the Wigmore Hall on Friday, August 15th, from 3-4pm. Do join us for this free recital, which will also feature performances by members of the Choir of London, and an introduction by celebrated actor and director Samuel West. It promises to be a very special afternoon.

COLT Bursary Scheme opens

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 21:53:42 +0000

The Choir of London Trust announced the creation of a new Bursary Scheme for young Palestinian musicians in March 2006, under the inaugural patronage of the composer Sir John Tavener and the founder of the Naxos record label, Klaus Heymann. COL supporters will remember that the project was publicised at the time with launch concerts in London and Edinburgh. The Bursary Scheme will allow talented young Palestinian musicians to travel to the UK for an inspiring period of intensive tuition. The first round of applications will take place in Spring 2008, with four successful candidates travelling to London in August. The COLT has committed to supporting the scheme on a long-term basis, and hopes to expand the number of places available in future years. Click here to support the scheme. The Choir of London and Orchestra made its inaugural visit to the Palestinian Territories in December 2004, participating in concerts in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah, and engaging with young local musicians through workshops and individual tuition. This interaction between young British and Palestinian musicians highlighted more similarities than differences, and the striking power of music and music-making to transcend questions of border, race and identity. What was common was a thirst for experience, a quest for excellence, and a mutual inquisitiveness and curiosity about each other’s background and personality. The only serious substantive difference between the players from each background was one of opportunity: in the main, each of the Choir of London performers has been able to take for granted in his or her musical education what for most of the Palestinian performers is an ongoing struggle. Access to teaching, quality of resources, and the experience of music-making at the highest level are all at a premium in the Occupied Territories, and it was thought that some modest benefit might be brought to bear by creating a scheme which would help to foster direct links between the many excellent and hardworking music schools in the Occupied Territories and their counterparts in the UK. This Bursary Scheme has been established in the hope that individual Palestinian music students can take part in short music programmes in the UK, sharing their experiences with their compatriots in the Palestinian Territories upon their return, thus helping to consolidate the place of Palestine on the international map of western classical music, and offering support to the groundbreaking educational work being carried out within the Territories. The scheme is particularly aimed at assisting students to whom such opportunities would otherwise not be available. Recipients of the Bursary will spend two weeks in the UK, taking part in a music summer school (in which they will be exposed to a variety of different ensemble formats and undertake some private tuition) and spending several days in London, taking lessons at the Royal Academy of Music and the Purcell School, and experiencing musical life in London by attending BBC Promenade concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. To read more about the background to the scheme, click here. Click here to support the scheme.

Stolen Voices premiere

Sat, 1 Sep 2007 09:06:31 +0100

The Choir of London performs an exciting new work later this month at London’s Imperial War Museum, as part of a day of free events marking United Nations International Day of Peace. Commissioned for the occasion from outstanding young British composer Tarik O’Regan, Stolen Voices is an oratorio inspired by a collection of young people’s war diaries published last year. Offering powerful insights into the child’s experience of conflict, these diaries have been used as the basis for an ambitious programme of educational workshops running in south London schools over the past month. Two performances of the work, each lasting twenty minutes, will be given in the Museum Atrium at 11.30am and 2.30pm, and will feature the Choir of London alongside Farnham Youth Choir and its conductor, David Victor-Smith. Also appearing will be members of the Choir of London Orchestra, and award-winning soprano soloist Elizabeth Franklin-Kitchen. Other highlights of the day include talks by ‘Stolen Voices’ war diarists Zlata Filipovic, Sheila Allan, Inga Joseph and Zoya Pham, and a performance by Somalian hip hop / folk fusion artists Dhalad and Iskashato. United Nations International Day of Peace Imperial War Museum, Lambeth, London Friday, 21st September 2007, 10am – 3pm Stolen Voices performances at 10.30am and 2.30pm Choir of London / Choir of London Orchestra / Farnham Youth Choir / David Victor-Smith / Elizabeth Franklin-Kitchen Free entry

Benefit Concert for MAP UK

Wed, 4 Jul 2007 09:06:31 +0100

The Choir of London recently received an invitation from Red Desert Productions to participate in a concert arranged at short notice to raise emergency funds for the humanitarian work of Medical Aid for Palestinians UK. MAP UK is a long-established charity with a reputation for minimising bureaucratic expenditure and getting relief quickly and effectively to where it is most needed. Having maintained a commitment to charitable work in the Palestinian Territories over several years, the Choir wholeheartedly supports the aims of this benefit concert, and has agreed to contribute to what promises to be a thrilling programme of music, dance and poetry. The concert will feature a variety of artists of widely varying backgrounds, including the traditional Palestinian dance troupe al-Zaytouna, the Israeli jazz musicians Gilad Atzmon and Yaron Stavi, 'oud player Nizar Al-Issa, percussionist Tariq Said, and Egyptian dance master Shafeek Ibrahim, as well as the writer Iqbal Tamimi. Friday 13/7/2007, 7.45pm Fundraising Concert for Medical Aid for Palestinians Union Chapel, Islington, London N1 2XD Jeremy Summerly / Choir of London / Gilad Atzmon / Shafeek Ibrahim / Nizar al-Issa / Tariq Said et al. Tickets £10 from www.unionchapel.org.uk or available on the door

Cadogan Hall concert annnounced

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 09:06:31 +0000

In March 2007, a week before departing for a major tour of the Middle East, the Choir of London and Orchestra will stage one of their most exciting UK performances to date at London’s Cadogan Hall. The highlight of the concert is a performance of John Rutter’s Requiem, conducted by the composer himself. The Choir will be joined for the evening by acclaimed Welsh soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, who will also perform highlights from her forthcoming Universal Classics CD. Make sure to book early for what promises to be a very special concert. Saturday 24/3/2007, 8pm Rutter Conducts Rutter Cadogan Hall, London John Rutter / Elin Manahan Thomas / Choir of London and Orchestra Tickets £30 / £25 / £20 Available on 0207 7304500, or online at www.cadoganhall.com (booking fees apply) Please note that a 10% discount is available if you are also booking for the ‘Come-and-Sing Day’.

Choir to host Singing Day with John Rutter

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 09:06:31 +0000

In March 2007, the Choir of London will host an open ‘Come-and-Sing’ day led by renowned composer and conductor John Rutter. Designed for singers of all ages and standards, the day will explore a selection of choral classics, including some of John’s own works. Don’t miss your chance to come and sing with the UK’s best-loved choral composer! Saturday 24/3/2007, 10.30am - 3.15pm (registration from 10am) Come-and-Sing Day Cadogan Hall, London Tickets £18 or £10 for non-singing audience Available on 0207 7304500, or online at www.cadoganhall.com (booking fees apply) Please note that a 10% discount is available if you are also booking for the ‘Rutter conducts Rutter’ concert.

Choir announces 2007 Middle East tour

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 09:06:31 +0000

The Choir of London and Orchestra will visit the Palestinian Territories and Israel between 29th March and 15th April 2007 for its most ambitious international project to date. The visit will include the following elements: PALESTINE MOZART FESTIVAL Building on the success of 2004’s collaborative Bach Festival, the 2007 Palestine Mozart Festival, will bring together more than 60 European professional musicians with close to 250 Palestinian performers and music students. As such, it promises to be one of the largest and most ambitious collaborative arts events ever staged in Palestine, involving a series of large-scale gala concerts, chamber music performances, film screenings, academic lectures, and educational workshops. Members of the Choir of London and Orchestra will also contribute to the Festival progamme the first fully-staged professional opera production ever to tour the West Bank, a performance of Mozart's The Magic Flute. The Festival is being planned in conjunction with a number of locally based institutions, including the Al-Kamandjati Foundation, Nablus the Culture, and the Goethe Institute. It will reach venues in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus, Hebron and Gaza over the course of a two-week period (31st March - 14th April 2007), with an anticipated total local audience of over 2500 people. Click here to be redirected to the Palestine Mozart Festival website. For full concert listings, see the Performance Page. COLLABORATION WITH SAWA AND EFRONI CHOIRS The Sawa Choir is composed of Palestinian girls from the Galilee region in northern Israel; the Efroni Choir a Jewish children’s ensemble based in Emek Hefer. The Choir of London has enjoyed a close relationship with both groups since its first visit to the region in 2004, and is committed to ongoing support for the choirs and their long-standing partnership. As part of the Easter 2007 visit, the singers of the Sawa and Efroni choirs will sing alongside the Choir of London in choral workshops led by distinguished British choir trainer Jeremy Summerly. All three choirs will then perform in a special joint concert. For full concert listings, see the Performance Page. GALILEE WORKSHOPS The Al-Baath is an adult mixed-voice choir composed of Palestinian singers from the village of Shafa-Amr in northern Israel. Following on from a successful joint concert in May 2006, the Choir of London will return to Shafa-Amr in April 2007 for a series of choral workshops. RECITALS IN JERUSALEM As part of its 2007 tour, the Choir of London will also perform recitals at the Dormition Abbey and the church of St Anne, two of the most remarkable venues in the Old City of Jerusalem. For full concert listings, see the Performance Page.

South Bank debut for COL gentlemen; launch of Jewish Sacred Choral Music project

Wed, 24 May 2006 09:06:31 +0100

The gentlemen of the Choir of London will take part in a major performance of Jewish Orthodox cantorial music staged at the South Bank Centre in London next month. The concert will feature over a dozen of the world’s leading cantors, including Joseph Malovany (New York); Alberto Mizrahi (Chicago); Arie L Subar (Montreal); and Shmuel Barzilai (Vienna). It will be staged under the joint auspices of the Jewish Music Institute at SOAS (University of London) and the London Central Synagogue. The Choir’s participation in this performance is part of its ongoing Jewish Sacred Choral Music project, which seeks to introduce a variety of outstanding Jewish liturgical repertoire to new audiences. Sunday 25/06/2006 Cantors in Concert Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank, London Gentlemen of the Choir of London / various soloists More information at http://www.rfh.org.uk/main/events/133547.html Tickets £25 / £20 / £15 Available online at https://www.rfh.org.uk/main/booking/index.html?esroevent=34087, or on 08703 800 400.

Choir of London returns to Middle East

Tue, 2 May 2006 17:52:56 +0100

Between the 13th and 20th of May, members of the Choir of London will return to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories for their first visit since the Choir’s groundbreaking inaugural project in 2004. During the course of the visit, the Choir will work with local musicians in Jerusalem, Ramallah and the Galilee in a series of choral workshops and joint concerts. For further information about any of the performances listed below, please send email to info@choiroflondon.org. CHOIR OF LONDON PERFORMANCES, MAY 2006 Monday 15/05/06 St Paul’s Anglican Church, Shefar’am Choir of London, Sawa Choir, al-Baath Choir Rahib Haddad and William Dawes (conductors) 7.30pm Tickets available from 7pm; no pre-booking required Including music by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, C P E Bach, Maurice Duruflé, Benjamin Britten, John Tavener and John Rutter; and folksongs in Arabic and English. Wednesday 17/05/06 St Anne’s Church, Old City of Jerusalem Choir of London William Dawes (conductor) 1pm Free lunchtime rehearsal, no pre-booking required Including music by Antoine Brumel, John Sheppard, C P E Bach, Maurice Duruflé, Claude Débussy, John Tavener and John Rutter. Thursday 18/05/06 St George’s Anglican Cathedral, East Jerusalem Choir of London, Jerusalem Chorus, musicians from the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music William Dawes (conductor) 7pm Including music by Vivaldi, Mozart, Haydn, Donizetti, Franck, Verdi and Fauré; and folksongs in Arabic. Friday 19/05/06 Ramallah Cultural Palace, Ramallah Choir of London, Jerusalem Chorus, musicians from the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music William Dawes (conductor) 7pm Including music by Vivaldi, Mozart, Haydn, Donizetti, Franck, Verdi and Fauré; and folksongs in Arabic.

‘Lament for Jerusalem’ reaches no. 1

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:39:44 +0100

The Choir of London’s debut CD, a recording of John Tavener’s Lament for Jerusalem on the Naxos label, entered the UK core classical chart this month at number 1. ‘It’s hard to imagine it better performed or recorded’ (BBC Music Magazine, *****) ‘There’s an erotic charge in the Lament that at once seduces the ear and demands spiritual contemplation, intensely realised in this premiere recording by Jeremy Summerly’s Choir of London and his excellent soloists.’ (Classic FM magazine, ****) ‘The performance is perfection, beautifully recorded with warm, spacious acoustics.’ (Classical CD Review) This recording is a call for rejoicing for Tavener fans... there is great beauty to be found here. The performances of soloists, choir and orchestra under Jeremy Summerly are exquisite and graceful’ (Amazon.com editorial review) ‘Jeremy Summerly's performance with the Choir of London achieves the right kind of balance between austere rigour and devotional intensity’ (The Guardian, ****)