Members' Information
Members' Diary
We will start rehearsals again in September. The concert dates and programme are yet to be finalised but full information will be posted as soon as possible. It is going to be fun and exciting, though!
Wed. 04 09 24 Term begins 7:00pm Finish 9:00pm [drinks & nibbles social after early rehearsal finish]
Wed. 30 10 24 Half-Term Holiday
Sat. 9th Nov. 24 Remembrance Concert 7pm Brown: ‘Flanders Fields’, Duruflé & Stanford ‘Motets’ & Poulenc’s Gloria
Wed. 20th November 7:00pm AGM followed by rehearsal
Sun. 15th Dec 24 Christmas Concert in St Paul’s at 3:00pm
Wed. 08 01 25 Term Begins
Wed. 26 02 25 Half-Term Holiday
Sat. 05 04 25 Spring Concert – 7pm Haydn – Insanae et vanae Curae; Mozart – Litaniae Lauretanae; Haydn – Nelson Mass
Easter Holiday 9th, 16th & 23rd April
Wed. 30 04 25 Term Begins
Wed. 28 05 25 Half-Term Holiday
End of Term 18 06 25
Sat. 21 06 25 Come and Sing time tbc; Four Coronation Anthems; Schubert – Psalm 23; Franck – Panis Angelicus; Mozart – Inter Natos Mulierum
Important Documents
Alnwick and District Choral Society has worked on important policy documents which members may wish to view. They are 1) Serious Incident Reporting Policy Statement & 2) Conflict of Interest Policy. If you click on the buttons to the right a new web page will open.
Covid-safe return to rehearsals
A comprehensive risk assessment has been carried out by the committee to enable Alnwick and District Choral Society to return to rehearsals. By following covid-safe best practice we hope to minimise the risk of contracting covid. Please open the pdf to the right to reassure yourself that we take the pandemic very seriously and are taking all steps necessary to keep you safe.
Committee Members
Chair: Karen Carlson
Vice Chair: Paul Newman
Secretary: Jolanda Cartwright
Treasurer: Sheila Duncan
Librarian: Joyce Clayton
Social Secretary: Claire MacKarill
Programmes, Posters & Publicity Rep: Paul Newman
Sop. Line Rep: Felicity Edmunds
Sop. Line Rep: Vicky Johnson
Alto Line Rep: Cindi Pexton-Shaw
Bass Line Rep: Colin Lesser
Tenor Rep & Website: Ian C Brown
Friends’ Secretary: Debbie Howey
Data Protection Officer: Joyce Clayton
Contact Info:
If choir members would like to contact their line rep, please make use of the dedicated link below. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Thank you for getting in touch!
Alto Line Rep
Bass Line Rep
Soprano Line Reps
Tenor Line Rep
Latest Version of Handbook for Members
Online Poster
Spring Concert 05 04 25
Condutor: Peter Brown
Organist: Linden Innes-Hopkins
The Programme:
Please click on the programme for a better view
Our Spring Concert started at full volume with Haydn’s ‘Insanæ et vanæ curæ’. This powerful motet has a frenzied opening and contrasting calm, lyrical sections; we should stay focused on God and ignore ‘frantic and futile anxieties’. It was new to many and fun to sing.
The second choral work ‘Litaniæ Lauretanæ’, written when Mozart was 15, is said to be the most straightforward of the four litanies he composed while in Salzburg. It is a lovely, musical dedication to the Virgin Mary consisting of repeated supplication for prayer. We heard all our soloists sing beautifully; the piece has varying moods – joyful hope, brooding and dramatic tension and the sombre petition for mercy ‘miserere nobis’ which ends the piece.
Before the interval the soloists each chose a work to showcase their skill. They were all superb:
Heather Jill Burns: ‘At the River’ Aaron Copland’s setting of a hymn by Robert Lowry.
Patrick Owston: ‘Love bade me welcome’ Ralf Vaughan William’s setting of a poem by George Herbert.
Sam Marston: ‘Tom Bowling’ Originally composed by Charles Dibdin, this patriotic sea-shanty commemorates the death of a Royal Navy Officer and is thought to be modelled on his brother, Captain Thomas Dibdin.
Claire Boulter: ‘Laudate Dominum’ KV339 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The most memorable piece for me was ‘Love bade me welcome’; the universal conversation where God offers his love and forgiveness for free, and longs for us to make the step of faith. This piece is understated but simply beautiful: after “So I did sit and eat” the sustained notes of Linden’s glorious organ playing create a moment of perfect peace which I just wanted to hold on to.
For the second half of the programme, we returned to Haydn with his ‘Nelson’ Mass. This masterpiece for troubled times has a similar theme to our opening litany. There are wild dynamic contrasts from gloomy menace suggesting the horrors of war and conflict to the joyous and playful happy ending of ‘dona nobis pacem’. The intensity of the opening of the Kyrie establishes a sense of danger and imminent threat; the driving urgency in the tempo is ominous, and yet our defiant spirit is dominant and we have hope of joy and peace to come. Despite all the foreboding, the predominant emotion in the mass is jubilation.
I was thrilled to sing with the Choir and the four soloists whom we welcomed back were outstanding. Claire Boulter, the soprano soloist sang the most significant and demanding role in the Mass but all four seemed to revel in the quality of each other’s singing.
Many thanks to our exceptional organist Linden, who may not have played an actual organ solo but her playing was amazing throughout, the range of her imaginative registrations staggering and her touch exquisite. Lastly, thanks to our fabulous musical director, Peter; it was a stunning and exhilarating concert.
Online Poster
"In Dulci Jubilo - Carols for Choir and Audience" 15 12 24
The Programme:
A special concert to finish the year with the wonderful acoustics of St Paul’s. So many people said how good it was to hear new carols as well as being able to join in old favourites.
Linden’s solos were stunning, as were her subtle accompanying. Thank you to our gifted organist, Linden Innes-Hopkins and to our very accomplished musical director Peter Brown.
Happy Christmas and New Year to you all and hopefully see you in January!
Please click on the programme for a better view
Online Poster
Music for Remembrance and Celebration- 09 11 24
The Programme:
Please click on the programme for a better view
Our music for remembrance and celebration at St Paul’s is always poignant. We remember with gratitude the sacrifice of lives cut short and celebrate through wonderful music the influence of faith on those spared. Peter Brown’s ‘In Flanders Fields’ set the atmosphere and high expectation; Linden’s organ playing was superb and her expertise in the opening fanfare with the powerful reimagining of the ‘Last Post’ instantly made the audience recall and honour our war dead.
We next sang the ‘Four Motets on Gregorian Themes’ by Maurice Duruflé. Many see these as fine gems which show Duruflé’s fascination with plainchant. Linden then played her organ solo ‘Fugue on the Clock Chimes of the Cathedral at Soissons’. This glorious music has an emotional build-up and a sustained dramatic ending. C. V. Stanford’s ‘Three Motets on Latin Texts’ followed. The impressive ‘Coelos ascendit hodie’ with ADCS singing as a double choir produced some exhilarating exchanges and brought the first half of the concert to a triumphant close. Both sets of motets were new to almost everyone and we found them challenging, but exciting to sing.
The remembrance celebration continued with Francis Poulenc’s ‘Gloria’. After the unaccompanied motets the tumultuous opening made the audience sit up. Linden gave us a tour de force in orchestral colour and her registrations had us believe we were hearing a French organ! The ‘Gloria’ is full of contrasts with passages of lyrical serenity, eerie disquiet and infectious joy. The second movement ‘Laudamus te’ came to Poulenc as he watched a group of Benedictine monks playing football and there is a sense of freedom and happiness. The juxtaposition of contradictions and the dissonance add to the dramatic intensity of the piece and the emotional impact.
The audience appreciated the pieces chosen in the programme; feedback showed that for some it was the best concert they had been to by ADCS. My favourites were Peter Brown’s ‘In Flanders Fields’, Stanford’s ‘Beati quorum via’ and lots of sections in Poulenc’s ‘Gloria’ with its sudden striking changes and lively dissonance.
Thank you to our soprano soloist Veronica Gilbert whose excellent performance showed poise and confidence and to Linden Innes-Hopkins for her wonderful organ playing throughout and lastly thanks to our very gifted musical director Peter Brown. This was a moving Remembrance Celebration.
Photos by Charles Cartwright
Online Poster
A Summer Concert - 22 06 24
The Programme:
Please click on the programme for a better view
The Summer concert in St Paul’s contained works inspired by settings of the ‘Magnificat’. They were influenced by the ‘Song of Mary’ and reflect her emotional acceptance of the angel Gabriel’s message that she would be the mother of Jesus. We have had a wonderful year singing together and this collection had some sublime moments and was a glorious way to spend a warm summer evening.
We opened with Stanford’s ‘Magnificat’ in B Flat; it really is a memorable, beautifully melodic composition. The piece by Jacques Arcadelt ‘Ave Maria’ is simple yet delightful. Mozart’s ‘Sancta Maria, Mater Dei’ is more complex: charming, perfectly balanced and playful. You could feel a sense of celebration and joyful dancing in the piece. Grieg’s ‘Ave Maris Stella’ is up-lifting and has beautiful harmonies. The last of our shorter pieces was Rachmaninov’s ‘Bogoroditse Devo’. Once the pronunciation of the Church Slavonic is mastered, it is a glorious, rousing piece of music to sing.
Flor Peeters’ ‘Toccata, Fugue and hymn on Ave Maris Stella’ was Linden’s beautiful first solo. This work was well chosen; it is a majestic, soaring piece, with sections of flamboyantly colourful happy music.
We closed the concert with Sir John Rutter’s ‘Magnificat’. His song of praise from the virgin Mary is an ecstatic, joyful outpouring of a mother to be and its 7 movements nearly all evoke happy excitement, but some are peaceful and reflective. The opening phrase with the repetition of ‘Magnificat’ is simply joyous and the ‘et sanctum nomen eius’ ‘holy is His name’ section with its sense of awe and reverence was wonderful to sing. The bass lead of ‘fecit potentiam’ is jazzy and mildly ominous and the ‘quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est’ ‘For He who is mighty has done great [things] for me’ is much more of a powerful shout of praise. A terrific piece to close the concert. The important soprano solo part was beautifully sung by Veronica who managed to convey such emotional depth of expression.
Thank you to Linden, our fabulous new organist and to our gifted director Peter. Thank you also to everyone who helped out at the concert and prepared the refreshments. There was a lovely relaxed atmosphere afterwards as everyone enjoyed the wonderful canapés and summer drinks. I’d like to wish you all a wonderful holiday and look forward to singing again in September with an exciting new programme of music.
Online Poster
Spring Concert - 16 03 24
The Programme:
Please click on the programme for a better view
The music for our Spring Concert was chosen for its significance to Alan Gidney, who has been our marvellous organist and rehearsal pianist since Autumn 2010. It was special as it would be the last time he would accompany us. ADCS and Alan have journeyed musically through the years with great success, and on March 16th 2024 with the concert in St Paul’s Church, Alnwick we arrived full circle, as the Cherubini ‘Requiem’ was his first collaboration with the choir some 14 years ago and is one of his favourite works. Peter was very pleased with the controlled hushed singing and dramatic outbursts and the choir really enjoyed singing this lovely piece which for many is an overlooked treasure.
After the interval we sang Mendelssohn’s: ‘Verleih uns Frieden’, Rossini’s: ‘O salutaris Hostia’, Brahms’: ‘Geistliches Lied’ and Brückner’s: ‘Locus iste’ which were appreciated by the audience. Two contrasting organ solos by Karg-Elert followed– the slow paced, charming ‘Freu dich sehr, O meine Seele’ and the exuberant intricacies of ‘Nun danket alle Gott’. Alan closed his solo playing for ADCS with this beautiful ‘marche triomphale’ and it was an absolute delight. Karg-Elert is frequently performed by concert organists and this joyous improvisation is perhaps his most well-known and loved for its grand impressive flourishes and technical challenge. Alan played brilliantly as always and went out on a high, what a wonderful piece of organ music!
We closed the concert with two movements from Beethoven’s ‘Mass in C’, the ‘Kyrie’ and ‘Agnus Dei’. They are both pleas for mercy, yet they embody a cheerfulness, a sense of hope and uplifting celebration; the repetition of ‘dona nobis pacem’ [a treat for tenors to sing] anticipates the peace of answered prayer. As the final ‘peace’ is breathed out and fills St. Paul’s with its stillness it is quite emotional – a farewell concert with such sublime music. Thank you to Peter our superb musical director and a final thank you to Alan Gidney. We wish you the very best. We will miss you so much.
Online Poster
Carol Concert - 17 12 23
The Programme:
Please click on the programme for a better view
In our 90th Anniversary year it was wonderful to finish 2023 with a Christmas concert in St Paul’s. The first thing the audience would note were the Christmas jumpers the choir were wearing to celebrate and stay warm! I think the less serious attire had a positive impact on us as we were relaxed and confident singing. The audience enjoyed the carols sung by the choir and joined in with some traditional ones.
We sang a number of carols really hushed and enunciated the words very well, making it especially moving for some in the audience. Thank you to our soloists Frances Buckingham and Vicky Johnson who sang the opening verses beautifully in ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ and ‘In the bleak mid-winter’ which was recorded and can be listened to by clicking on the player below.
I love singing carols and fill the house and car with their beautiful sound as soon as it’s December. My personal favourites from our Carol Concert: ‘The Infant King’ for its emotional intensity and because in four short verses it simultaneously portrays the birth of Jesus in the context of his later passion, death and resurrection. I also really enjoyed singing the tenor line of ‘The Shepherds’ Farewell’ which still is quite a new carol to me.
It was lovely to chat and catch up over mince pies: thank you to everyone who helped prepare and serve the refreshments and to those who took care of the raffle and tickets. I would also like to thank Alan Gidney for his excellent organ accompaniment and his solo ‘Interlude on Coventry Carol’. Lastly, thank you to our outstanding musical director, Peter Brown for bringing it all together.
We hope you have a have a very happy Christmas and a healthy New Year.
"In the bleak mid-winter" Words: Christina Rossetti, Music: Harold Darke
In the bleak-mid winter
Online Poster
90th Anniversary Concert - 18 11 23
The Programme:
Please click on the programme for a better view
The stirring and majestic ‘Zadok the Priest’ began our 90th Anniversary Concert. Its famous opening starts triumphantly, the music ever expanding, demonstrating authority and power as Solomon is anointed King with God’s blessing. The acoustics of St Paul are so good that no detail was lost. The coronation music is full of excitement and is meant to impress. What a way to start- immediately the tone of this anniversary concert in November is gloriously uplifting.
Each movement of our next program item, the ‘Patchwork Mass’ is taken from a different larger work which the choir has already sung and has significance to its members. Each person in the audience and in the choir will have their own personal highlights, some overlapping. For many in the audience, particularly those who didn’t know the work, Karl Jenkins’ ‘Benedictus’ stood out as a beautiful piece of choral music, the soaring notes and repeated phrases calming and yet uplifting.
The more complex pieces such as the ‘Kyrie’ from the ‘Great’ Mass in C which opened our ‘Patchwork’ Mass, Stanford’s ‘Gloria’ in B flat and ‘Dona Nobis’ from the Mass in B minor by J.S. Bach went well. These were new to me and demanding to master; in the performance the tenors sang them almost as one voice so we were very happy afterwards. Our md, Peter is also a brilliant composer and we were thrilled to sing the ‘Agnus Dei’ from his Requiem Mass which he wrote for ADCS; this lovely reflective piece was my personal favourite. Technically this concert was excellent with alto, bass, soprano and tenor sections acquitting themselves very well. A special mention must go to the soprano soloist Veronica Gilbert whose wonderful performance in the ‘Kyrie’ brought us close to tears.
After the break we sang Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’ in D. The music is joyous and the audience were very appreciative of this well-known dramatic masterpiece. Thank you to all the soloists, drawn from within the choir, who sang so beautifully: Sue Baines-MacNeill [contralto]; Frances Buckingham [alto] and Vicky Johnson [soprano]. The delightful duet ‘Laudamus te’ sung by Frances and Vicky was outstanding.
Thank you to Alan Gidney for his expert and sensitive organ playing and to our gifted md Peter Brown who showed the ability to conduct from the keyboard during parts of the ‘Goria’!
Thank you to Joyce Clayton, our amazing librarian, who regularly goes above and beyond, sourcing and dealing with all our choir music. Organising this interesting display which details the elements of our ‘Patchwork’ Mass and the significance behind each one for the society was a labour of love.
Online Poster
Brinkburn Summer Social - 18 06 23
Message from the Committee:
Reflecting on a very enjoyable day at Brinkburn it struck us that we’ve had a wonderful year singing together. We hope you agree. Our particular highlights were Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, Handel’s Messiah and then capping it off with a fun and enjoyable day on Sunday. We’re sure you’ll have your own.
It was wonderful to see so many members participating in singing this term, despite it being the holiday season for many, and then for so many of you to join us at Brinkburn. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
We’d like to wish you all a wonderful holiday and we look forward to us all back together singing again in September
The Programme:
Relaxing with friends and family
Online Poster
Spring Concert - 01 04 23
The Concert Programme:
Please click on the programme for a better view
G. F. Handel: Messiah
Conductor: Peter Brown; Organist: Alan Gidney
Claire Boulter: Soprano
Sam Marston: Tenor
Beth Mackay: Alto
Patrick Owston: Bass
Handel’s ‘Messiah’ is one of the best loved pieces of sacred music sung in English. Our record audience closely followed the thrilling music, some sang along and many stood for the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus and gave a standing ovation. The night was something special.
Choirs mostly sing ‘Messiah’ at the start of Advent as it is culturally connected with the celebration of Jesus’ birth. The inspirational oratorio covers the birth, life, passion and resurrection of Jesus; we sang it the day before Palm Sunday and the result was an emotional experience for everyone involved.
It is hard for visiting soloists [we had 3 new ones], who arrive not knowing the other soloists, professional musicians, nor the choir. At rehearsal we knew we were in for a treat when Sam Marston started to sing his first tenor recitative and aria ‘Comfort ye’ & ‘Every valley’. You could sense it, a desire to deliver their very best performance and throughout, a shared joy of singing with such stunning, young soloists. The musicians were also brilliant and ADCS rose to the challenge, too. We were delighted when the soloists sang the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus and ‘Worthy is the lamb that was slain’, closing the performance with the ‘Amen’.
Peter was very pleased with the clarity of the choir’s singing and people commented on the diction and blend of dynamic contrasts. Although the choruses were quite spritely, there was always control and the performance flowed; the music had an unusual dramatic force.
My personal favourites: the tenor, Sam Marston’s first pieces which set the amazing standard; the graceful poise of Claire Boulter’s soprano ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth’ & her beautiful duet with Beth Mackay ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd’; Beth Mackay’s marvellously theatrical alto aria ‘He was despised and rejected’ and Patrick Owston’s bass aria ‘The trumpet shall sound’ with the exceptional trumpet accompaniment.
Thank you to Alan Gidney whose confident chamber organ playing underpinned it all and to our gifted music director Peter Brown.
This was my first ‘Messiah’. It was a pleasure to take part in such a wonderful performance. Thank you to everyone.
Please click on image for a better view of the soloists
The Chamber Orchestra:
Violins:
James Dickenson, Karen Wigham and Julia Boulton
Viola:
Chrissie Slater
Cello:
Ele Leckie
Trumpet:
Dick Stacey
Chamber Organ:
Alan Gidney
Thank you to Jean Sawyer who organised the varied display of old copies of ‘Messiah’, one was dated 1847 but each one had its own story to tell. They created great interest before and after the performance.
Online Poster
Christmas Concert - 17 12 22
The Concert Programme:
The Concert Programme:
Please click on image for a better view
Christmas Concert
Conductor: Peter Brown; Organist: Alan Gidney
'A Ceremony of Carols'
Harpist: Janet Bennett
The performance in St Paul’s energised the choir. Many in the audience took time to tell choir members how much they’d enjoyed the concert; it was lovely to chat and catch up over mince pies, Stollen and drinks. Thank you to everyone who helped prepare and serve the refreshments.
We began with Britten’s popular masterpiece for choir and harp ‘A Ceremony of Carols’. The choir was blessed to have Janet Bennett; her outstanding playing carried the whole work, always evocative, from sensitive and dynamic warm melodies to shiveringly cold discord! The carol texts are an eclectic mix: Latin, Middle English and Early Modern English. Phrases and moods are sung and passed on – Britten’s music is mournful and joyous, leaving a lasting impression.
The sopranos set the atmosphere and a high expectation of us. The church suddenly is in complete darkness, the congregation rapt in anticipation, then the plainchant rings out as they slowly walk down the aisle, the volume swells and fades as they approach and pass. We are confident that the concert will go well. This festive ‘ceremony’, so called because of the ‘Procession’ and ‘Recession’, will be a great start to Christmas!
Britten’s piece was written for SSA and you still feel the strength of the music, even in this mixed SATB mixed choir version, lies in the interplay between the harp and the two female voices. The soprano and alto singing throughout was delightful and I particularly enjoyed ‘That Yongë Child‘ and the beautiful duet ‘Spring Carol’. Thank you to our soloists Vicky and Frances. Overall, a stunning concert; we delivered in the tricky movement and managed to articulate well and moderate sound to connect with Britten’s texts.
The second half of the concert was a mixture of carols, some traditional, sung with good audience participation. We performed ‘Christmas Eve’, a world premiere of this new carol by Peter Brown who set music to words by Christina Rosetti. What a wonderful new piece! Thank you to Alan Gidney for his perfect organ accompaniment and to Janet Bennett who also gave 3 harp solos. She is such a fabulous harpist.
As the last echoes of the concert give way to lively conversation and laughter in church, we might remember the gift of the baby Jesus and reflect on the perfection of God and the imperfection of humans. “For Christmas bringeth Jesus, brought for us so low.”
"Christmas Eve" words: Christina Rosetti, music: Peter Brown
Please click on the player below to hear a recording of this lovely new carol.
Oops! I’ve moved some of the previous concert reviews to the Archives! Sorry….
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