- Dixit Dominus - A Triumph
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Date Posted: Sat, 16 Nov 2024
Our recent joint concert with Southwest Baroque Orchestra conducted by guest director, Andrea Brown was a one of our most successful performances ever. St James' Church was filled with an audience of over 130 to hear a feast of vocal and instrumental Baroque music. Audience members commented on how much they appreciated seeing the two groups perform together and hearing such unique instruments including a viola da gamba and two theorbos!
The concert started with two sublime motets by Monteverdi sung by the choir with a delicate accompaniment by Linda Sayce on theorbo. These were followed by two of Handel's German arias beautifully sung by Catherine Bass and accompanied in great style by Michael Williamson on baroque violin, Jacqui Robertson-Wade on viola da gamba and Clare Griffel playing a fine double-manual Rucker's Harpsichord. The first half finished with a rarely heard Concerto for Viola da Gamba in D by Telemann, played with great aplomb by Jacqui with the string players standing around her in the "baroque style".
The highlight of the evening was Handel's Dixit Dominus. This work is rarely performed, not least because the demands that Handel makes on the choir are extremely testing and seldom equalled in his later works. The unremitting energy and dramatic intensity presented both the singers and orchestra with considerable challenges to which they rose with skill and gusto. The exciting chorus movements were interspersed with meditative solo arias sung admirably by members of the choir, culminating in the dramatic final chorus Gloria Patri which left the audience with a real sense of excitement and buzz after the final chord.
Some comments from the audience:
'I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed last nights concert. I thought it was just fabulous! Well done everyone. I was buzzing when I got back as if I’d been singing too.'
"Good choice of music with period instruments. Lovely setting. Well directed. Lots of enthusiam and passion in the performance."
“Wonderful, fantastic!”
“...must have been wonderful to sing."
"'Warmest congratulations and thanks for a wonderful concert at St James’s last night. Collegium are a fine choir and you should feel extremely proud of all the members. (KC)"
'Super concert.'
- South West Baroque Orchestra - the Period Instrument Orchestra of the South West
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Date Posted: Tue, 22 Oct 2024
Roll back to lockdown and the time when it was difficult for musicians to play together except online. The idea was born to create a period orchestra of the south west to which local players did not have to travel large distances in order to play baroque music. The South West Early Music Forum organised a workshop in November 2021 as a result of which SWBO started up the following January with an orchestra of string players (from as far afield as Cornwall, Dorset and Bristol) and 1 flautist. They chose Culmstock Village Hall on the East Devon/Somerset border as a venue with the thought that most residents of the South West could travel there in less than 1 hour and a half.
After 6 rehearsals on a monthly basis they gave 3 concerts – the first 2 were in the magical spaces of Wells and Exeter Cathedrals, and the third at Dulverton Church on Exmoor; and the following summer they played at Truro Cathedral, St. Peter’s Tawstock near Barnstaple and Sherborne Abbey. By this time they had invited local baroque oboist Zoë Cartlidge and baritone Alan Rowland to join them and started 2024 with a performance of Bach’s Ich Habe Genug in the ballroom of the Shrubbery Hotel in Ilminster. They also expanded their range of music making by offering concerts with the South West Baroque Players (consisting of basically the principals of each section) and as such accompanied the Winkleigh Singers in 2 concerts in Umberleigh.
Last summer they did their first concert in Bristol and Collegium singers are delighted to be performing with them in Taunton on 9th November for the first time!
- Andrea Brown
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Date Posted: Fri, 11 Oct 2024
Conducting ‘with spirit and vitality – and musical integrity always at its core’, Andrea Brown has led award-winning concerts and festivals across the globe. Andrea is the Musical Director of Tippett Voices, the Exeter Festival Chorus, the Somerset Chamber Choir and The Fourth Choir.
Andrea works regularly with other choirs including the BBC Singers, North London Chorus, London Oriana Choir and the Southbank Centre’s Voicelab. Recent work includes concerts in Berlin, the Czech Republic and the critically acclaimed ‘Memorial’ with Tippett Voices at the Barbican Centre. Most recently she was Musical Director of ‘The Paradis Files’, a commission by Errollyn Wallen, with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Graeae Theatre Company, broadcast by Radio 3 from the Queen Elizabeth Hall and its subsequent UK tour.
Andrea is the Head of Choral Conducting at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and is a passionate advocate for music education. She co-founded the award-winning Women Conductors and Wavelength programmes to encourage, educate, and promote women within the conducting profession.
An active member of the Association of British Choral Directors, Andrea chairs jury panels of choral competitions, and holds masterclasses for choirs and conductors across the globe. Andrea was the Artistic Director of Various Voices, involving 60+ international choirs performing at the Southbank Centre.
Previously a Soprano, Andrea has performed and recorded at the finest concert halls around the world with top-class ensembles. Operatic performances include Opéra Châtelet, Shakespeare’s Globe, Split International Festival, Spitalfields Festival, Utrecht Early Music Festival and the BBC Proms.
Andrea is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in recognition of significant contribution to the field.
Andrea's website: http://www.andreabrown.com
- Future dates for your diaries
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Date Posted: Wed, 25 Sep 2024
We are looking forwards to an exciting rest of the season with our new director Andrew Kirk, starting with our traditional Xmas concert on 16th December:
9 November Dixit Dominus
16 December Christmas concert
2025
16 March Sense of the Divine
28 June See Nature Rejoicing
8 November The Glory of Palestrina
15 December Christmas Concert
There is so much to look forward to. Mark your diaries today.
If you would like to add our concerts automatically to your calendar, here is how:For Google Calendar, iCloud Calendar, etc:
Open your online calendar, and find the option that allows you to add (subscribe to) a new calendar based on that calendar's URL. The URL you need is:https://www.collegiumsingers.org.uk/dbaction.php?action=ExportICS&dbase=events&auth=Sm9obi5FZHdhcmRz
Click this link and open the link in your software (Outlook, etc)
- New Music Director Appointed
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Date Posted: Sun, 22 Sep 2024
We are very pleased to welcome Andrew Kirk as our new Music Director. He will be taking the reins as from our Christmas concert this year.
Andrew is a freelance organist, accompanist, choral director and composer working mainly in the Bristol and North Somerset area. From 2003-2023 he held the position of Director of Music and Organist at St Mary Redcliffe Church, Bristol, where he had responsibility for directing several choirs, as well as being custodian of the magnificent Harrison & Harrison pipe organ.
"I am delighted to have been appointed as the next Musical Director for Collegium Singers. I am greatly looking forward to working with the singers and committee to create an exciting programme of concerts and events for future years, building on the excellent work of my predecessor Elinor Cooper. I look forward to exploring and developing new initiatives. My connection with Collegium Singers goes back four years, as organ accompanist to the choir in some of their concerts, which I have much enjoyed. Hearing the excellent standards of the choir, along with their enthusiasm and friendliness, encouraged me to apply for the position as Musical Director when it became vacant earlier this year."
Born and educated in Leicester, he won an Organ Scholarship to Pembroke College, Oxford where he studied organ with David Sanger. He regularly gives organ concerts in Cathedrals, Churches and concert halls. He holds the FRCO Diploma, having gained the Turpin and Durrant prizes for organ playing.
A message from Andrew:
- Top Baritone to perform with Collegium in June
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Date Posted: Mon, 29 Apr 2024
We are thrilled to announce that Baritone Eddie Wade will take time off from his busy schedule at The Royal Opera House to join us for our summer concert in June. He will sing Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs and other selections in our programme.
Earlier this year Eddie performed the role of Alcindoro at ROH in La Bohème, a role he sang along with that of Benoît for Irish National Opera last year. Further recent credits include Germont in La Traviata for Oxford Opera and Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro at Dorset Opera Festival. His current project is the role of Fouquier-Tinville in Giordano's Andrea Chénier at ROH in May and June.Among numerous notable engagements elsewhere are roles with Opera Holland Park, Longborough Festival Opera, Scottish Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opera North, Glyndebourne, Glyndebourne on Tour and English Touring Opera.
YouTube Video URL:
- Join our Facebook page
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Date Posted: Wed, 7 Feb 2024
Why not stay up to date with all of Collegium's news and activities on our very active Facebook page? There you can see all our recent rehearsal videos for a taste of what's coming up in our next concert, and other related news.
See the link to Like us!For more information, see: https://www.facebook.com/CollegiumS
- Recording of pieces in our forthcoming concert
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Date Posted: Thu, 25 Jan 2024
We have published 2 more pieces on our You Tube channel that will be featured in our upcoming concert Vigils and Vespers: Os Justi by Bruckner and Abendlied by Rheinberger. We hope you enjoy them! YouTube Video URL:
- Abendlied by Rheinberger
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Date Posted: Thu, 25 Jan 2024
YouTube Video URL:
- Recording of the Somerset Carol
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Date Posted: Thu, 30 Nov 2023
We were delighted to invite KB Wedding Videography to record one of the pieces that we are doing for our Xmas concert, "A Christmas Story". The Somerset Carol is now available to see on our You Tube channel. This traditional carol was discovered by Cecil Sharp when he visited Bridgwater during the English Folk Song revival in the early 20th Century. It was subsequently used by Vaughan Williams in his Fantasia on Christmas Carols. YouTube Video URL:
- Vocal Workshop in October
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Date Posted: Tue, 31 Oct 2023
In October we enjoyed a superb vocal workshop in Culmstock Village Hall.
Starting with coffee and cake (always a feature of Collegium Singers events!), the day began with a brilliant session on vocal care with Jenna Brown from Bristol Voice Care. Safe to say we will never look at a drinking straw in the same way again!
After a delicious lunch we enjoyed a workshop on sightsinging with Leonie Anderson from Barkham Exmoor , where memories of do, re, mi were stirred for many of us!
Our next session was on Beat Boxing, led by tenor Jonathan. It was a real eye-opener and great to go outside our comfort zone.
The day was rounded off recapping the learning points of the day with our MD Elinor Cooper - Conductor and singing through some repertoire for our February concert.
Thank you to Jenna, Leonie, Jonathan and Elinor for inspiring us and to Monty the spaniel for being so well-behaved and allowing us to have cuddles
Thank you as well to Catherine Orbell Bass and Geoffrey for hosting us for lunch.
- Advance notice of our February concert
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Date Posted: Tue, 31 Oct 2023
This season we are scheduling our concerts to a new plan, presenting just our Christmas concert in the Autumn term, and moving our first big non-Christmas programme to February. This affords us new possibilities in repertoire, and our concert on Sunday 25 February at St. Andrew's Church, Wiveliscombe will reflect the time of year.
Entitled Vigils and Vespers, it features excerpts from Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil.
Click here for the full programme, and save the date!
- Open Rehearsal in May
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Date Posted: Sun, 21 May 2023
Our first Open Rehearsal Evening was a success, with five potential new members attending. We are delighted to welcome Jonathan to our tenor section and look forward to meeting more future new recruits when we hold our next event.
Watch this space, as they say -
- May Day at Sheppy's
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Date Posted: Wed, 3 May 2023
We had a lovely time joining in with the May Day Celebrations at Sheppy's Cider Farm. It was a great opportunity to sing some of our summer concert music plus a few rounds, shanties and favourite traditional folk songs.
Dancing around the Maypole was best left to the Taunton Morris Men though!
- New Choir Members
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Date Posted: Sat, 7 May 2022
We are delighted to have welcomed three new sopranos to our ranks this year. New members keep our sound fresh and bring new colours to our music-making.
If you are interested in joining us you are most welcome to attend a rehearsal. Simply contact John Edwards: chair@collegiumsingers.org.uk to arrange a date.
We rehearse on Monday evenings 7:30-9:30 at St Michael's Church, Pitt's Close, Taunton, TA1 4TP
- 'High musical quality': Our Sea Fever Concert reviewed
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Date Posted: Mon, 21 Mar 2022
With numbers diminished by COVID but enthusiasm undimmed, Collegium Singers distinguished themselves and rewarded the inspiration of their talented Director Elinor Cooper in their concert at North Curry Church - ‘The Cathedral of the Levels’ - on 19 March. The theme of water and the sea - in all its guises, and its effect on people’s lives - was the unifying factor of an imaginative, varied and consistently absorbing programme of choral pieces from the last 150 years. Folk song settings by Vaughan Williams, Holst and others enabled the choir to demonstrate precise tuning, crisp ensemble and mellifluous vocal blend and balance, as well as a wide and flexible dynamic range. Particularly impressive was a piece by Kerry Andrew in which tide and wind were unforgettably recreated in sound - although not notes! But perhaps the centrepiece of the concert was an extended work by Finnish composer Mantyjarvi about the wreck of MS Estonia in 1994, setting words from the Requiem, the Psalms and Radio Finland’s Latin (yes, Latin) news broadcast. The mixture of styles and textures had a strong emotional impact. Settings of spirituals, and a remarkable virtuoso miniature by Elgar encompassing calm and tempest in a few bars, added diversity. Various pieces required soloists from the ranks of the choir; while all were excellent, especial mention should be made of Catherine Bass and Matthew Jelf. All in all this was a challenging and rewarding concert of high musical quality. We look forward to their next concert, with a Royal theme, on 28 May in Taunton Minster.
- Feedback from our Christmas Concert
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Date Posted: Mon, 17 Jan 2022
We were very pleased to receive this comment from an audience member after our concert in December:
"Delightful subtle dynamic, growing gloriously with their new conductor who is a nonpareil"
Many thanks, we enjoyed singing the programme as well!
- Christmas Concert raises money for St Margaret's Hospice
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Date Posted: Wed, 29 Dec 2021
Considering the uncertainty with Covid, we were very please to have a large and enthusiastic audience attending our charity Christmas concert in aid of St Margaret's Hospice and we were delighted that altogether we raised over £480 to support their excellent work.
