The Newcastle University Chamber Choir is a small group of experienced choristers who, with the guidance of MUSSOC President, Timothy Cranfield, and Isobel Chesman, rehearse weekly, tackling a range of choral repertoire.
After a successful Remembrance Day Evensong last year, the choir was delighted to return to St. Nicholas’ Cathedral on Sunday the 18thof February for a full day of services to mark the First Sunday of Lent. Eucharist at 10am featured a stunning Renaissance setting of the mass by Orlando Di Lasso, along with Herbert Howells’ 20th century composition, ‘Like as the Hart’, as the anthem. The Evensong at 4pm featured more Howells with his ‘Gloucester Service’, finishing with Thomas Morley’s ‘Agnus Dei’, a beautiful example of English Renaissance repertoire.
But those who were unable to make the services need not be disheartened! The choir shall be returning to the cathedral in Spring to perform Franz Schubert’s 6th Mass in G Major and Patrick Doyle’s ‘Non Nobis Domine’.
We believe firmly in the positive educational purposes of music, and seek to engage and inspire children
The members of the choir perform frequently in the university’s King’s Hall and were thrilled to give a recital of both familiar and lesser known Christmas carols at the end of last year, accompanied by Professor Magnus Williamson on the hall’s newly-minted organ! However, the choir, believing firmly in the positive educational purposes of music, have, in the past, often visited local primary schools as part of an outreach program, seeking to engage and inspire children to participate in confidence-building activities, such as joining a choir. These events were received warmly and enthusiastically by the children involved!
All of us in chamber choir are a friendly and approachable bunch, so please, come and speak to us after one of our concerts, or pop along to The Armstrong Building on a Friday at 6:30pm when our rehearsal finishes, to say hello – we’d love to see you! For those interested in auditioning to join the choir, please contact director, Timothy Cranfield (T.Cranfield@ncl.ac.uk) or manager, Isobel Chesman (I.Chesman@ncl.ac.uk). For those who wish to join a choir without auditioning, please consider MUSSOC’s larger choir,Voices, which covers more popular repertoire. For more information, contact conductor, Michael Winter (M.Winter@ncl.ac.uk) or manager, Laura Burnett (L.Burnett@ncl.ac.uk).
