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What's coming up in 2025? |
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With Christmas and the carolling season behind us and the cold of January arriving, it can be easy to feel a little lost. But don’t worry - a new year brings new beginnings and there’s so much more wonderful choral music to come in 2025! The rest of our ‘choral connections’ season will explore a diverse range of choral works which celebrates musical giants from around the world.
Remember, as a Friend of The Bach Choir you're entitled to 15% off tickets - just use the confidential code TBCFA at the checkout.
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| Find out what’s coming up in 2025 here |
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Rachmaninov performance |
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Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil (Vespers) is a transcendent work, which Rachmaninov himself had played at his funeral. Movement 6 is one of our favourite sections, so we decided to record a snippet of it in our rehearsal. It's a wonderful movement to get lost in, with a beautiful melody.
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| Watch this rehearsal snippet now |
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Why solo choirs are so special |
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Have you ever watched a choir that gave you goosebumps? We’d imagine so if you’re reading this - moments like that are what we’re all about at The Bach Choir. In this video, David Hill explains why hearing a choir singing with minimal accompaniment so often produces these moments. |
| Watch this video on our website |
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Cecilia McDowall interview |
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Image by Karina Lyburn |
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We’re enormously excited to sing three of Cecilia McDowall’s works at our next concert, so ahead of this we caught up with her in an interview. Within it we discussed her memories of singing with Sir David Willcocks, the influence that our St Matthew Passion has had on her and how Russian Orthodox music has inspired her.
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| Read the full interview now |
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Basses - how low can you go? |
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If you’re a bass, you hold a crucial role in any choir, no matter what the tenors might have told you. Some composers and styles focus more on the bass than others, though - one famous example is Rachmaninov whose All-Night Vigil (Vespers) gives the bass line a huge harmonic role and tests out his singers’ range by utilising notes as low as B♭. In this analysis of the piece (Rachmaninov’s favourite of his own works), David Hill looks at how Rachmaninov harnesses the power of this voice group, which is a technique that we see often in Russian Orthodox music.
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| Watch David Hill's analysis now |
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John Rutter's Come and Sing |
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Experience the thrill of singing with our President Sir John Rutter at our next Come and Sing event. It’s happening on June 21st, but tickets are selling fast - on the day, we’ll explore a number of his works, including A Sprig of Thyme and brand new works entitled Dancing Tree and I'll Make Me a World. Secure your spot now…
Remember, as a Friend of The Bach Choir you're entitled to 50% off your ticket - just use the confidential code TBCFA at the checkout.
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| Buy tickets to our John Rutter Come and Sing now |
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No ordinary concert |
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Our annual St Matthew Passion performances have been running for nearly a century now, and they’re still going strong. When we say that it’s no ordinary concert, we mean it - an 11am start, the use of the English language, the ensemble that we use and the masterful conducting by David Hill all combine to make it a performance like no other.
Remember, as a Friend of The Bach Choir you're entitled to 15% off these tickets - just use the confidential code TBCFA at the checkout.
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| Find out more about our St Matthew Passion |
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Become a Friend of The Bach Choir |
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The Bach Choir Friends are a social group of like-minded music lovers of all ages and backgrounds, without whom we could not maintain our reputation for musical excellence.
If you want to receive a 15% discount on all of our own promo concerts and come to a complimentary drinks reception where you could meet David Hill, soloists and members of The Bach Choir, sign up to become a Friend of The Bach Choir now.
By doing this, you'll help to support our arts charity, while treating yourself to a wonderful musical and social occasion. |
| Become a Friend of The Bach Choir |
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Into Spring: East Meets West
Thursday 6 March 2025, 7.30pm
Holy Trinity Sloane Square
London
Rachmaninov - All-Night Vigil (Vespers) (selected movements)
Kodály - Missa Brevis
Tavener - As one who has slept; Mother of God
McDowall - Gaude et Laetare; Easter Light; Candlemas
Conductor - David Hill
Organ - Philip Scriven
Chorus - The Bach Choir
Get closer than ever to The Bach Choir in the gorgeous setting of Holy Trinity Sloane Square in this intimate evening of music for choir and organ. |
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St Matthew Passion
Sunday 6 April 2025, 11am
Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall
London
Bach - St Matthew Passion (in English)
Tenor, Evangelist - Ed Lyon
Bass, Christ - Simon Shibambu
Soprano - Elizabeth Watts
Mezzo-soprano - Helen Charlston
Tenor - Guy Cutting
Baritone - Neal Davies
Chorus - The Bach Choir
Ripieno Choir - London Youth Choirs
Orchestra - Florilegium
Conductor - David Hill
The Bach Choir’s annual performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, sung in English, is a much-anticipated fixture in London’s musical calendar.
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Belshazzar's Feast
Thursday 8 May 2025, 7.30pm
Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall
London
Blackford - La Sagrada Familia Symphony (world premiere)
Delius - The Song of the High Hills
Walton - Belshazzar’s Feast
Conductor - David Hill
Orchestra - Philharmonia Orchestra
Baritone - Christopher Purves
The Bach Choir and the Philharmonia Orchestra join forces for an evening of British music full of gripping stories and stunning landscapes.
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Sir John Rutter's 80th Birthday Celebration
Wednesday 5 November, 7.30pm
St Paul's Cathedral,
London
Rutter - Untitled (title TBC - world premiere)
Vaughan Williams - Symphony No.5
Rutter - The Gift of Life
Conductor - John Rutter
Orchestra - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Chorus - The Bach Choir
Join the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at St Paul’s Cathedral for a concert celebrating the 80th birthday of one of the UK’s most accomplished living composers and icon of choral music, conducted by the man himself, John Rutter.
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Come and Sing with Sir John Rutter
Saturday 21 June, 11am
St Gabriel's, Pimlico,
London
Conductor - John Rutter
A unique opportunity to sing with Sir John Rutter and singers from The Bach Choir. We’ll sing some of Sir John Rutter’s folk-song cycle The Sprig of Thyme and a sneak preview of his new work Dancing Tree together with a mixture of familiar favourites to bring some midsummer sunshine.
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