SATURDAY 11 DECEMBER 2pm / 7pm
An 'Open' Messiah
St Barnabas, Royal Tunbridge Wells
Seen the video of the Hallelujah chorus being sung in a shopping centre? Now's your chance to turn up in the middle of a load of strangers and sing it (and the rest)! In the best tradition of "scratch" or "singalong" performances of Handel’s oratorio Messiah, the beautiful neo-Gothic church of St Barnabas in Tunbridge Wells plays host this Saturday, led by the Stonegate Singers and a line-up of soloists, trumpet, organ, and double-bass: all are welcome to come along and sing or to listen.
soprano: Grace Constable
alto: Kate Welch
tenor: Gary Marriot
bass: Michael White
trumpet: Simon Desbruslais
double bass: Nicholas Bown
organ: Matthew Raisbeck
conductor: Antony Pitts
Singers should bring their own copy of the score (the majority version will be the Watkins Shaw edition), and there is a £10 payment towards costs; the rehearsal is from 2pm to 5pm, and the performance starts at 7pm, with one interval; dress is smart, dark, and warm. Those who simply want to listen should turn up for 7pm; a donation of £10-£15 is requested.
To reserve your place - as singer or audience:
phone 01580 201142
or in person at Brittens in Tunbridge Wells.
MONDAY 13 - WEDNESDAY 15 DECEMBER
Road to Jericho - Who is my neighbour?
workshops and filming in Ramallah and Jericho
Who is my neighbour? is a new musical presentation of the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan - in which the characters of the original parable are fused with mythical elements from Arab and Jewish cultural history. The birthplace of the Good Samaritan story and its Story-teller have long exerted a magnetic influence on the British composer Antony Pitts, resulting in a number of artistic responses to the region's history including several substantial broadcasts on BBC Radio 3, and culminating in the composition of a complete oratorio called Jerusalem-Yerushalayim – which is based on the Old Testament history and prophecies about Jerusalem and re-engages directly with the Hebrew source of so many familiar Biblical names. This new commission for the Road to Jericho project is being written specially for the joint forces of a Palestinian Arab ensemble, Dal'ouna, and a radical UK-based string quartet, Fifth Quadrant, and combines ritualized movement with musical gestures and colours from both Western and Middle Eastern sources. Watch this space - the timing, given the response to recent events in Israel seems uncanny: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B31GJ20101204.
LONDON FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY CHURCH MUSIC 2011
Call for works
The Festival invites composers to submit works for inclusion in the 2011 LFCCM.
Compositions may be for choir SATB, SSATB or SSAATTBB (with no further divisi), unaccompanied, or with organ accompaniment.
Texts should be on an Easter theme, or of a general nature - eg Locus iste, Ave verum, Exultate Deo etc.
Settings of the Mass, evensong canticles (Magnificat & Nunc dimittis) and Preces & Responses are also welcome.
The Festival also seeks works for organ - for use either as voluntaries or as recital works. Works should be between 5 and 7 minutes in duration.
Works should be submitted no later than Friday 14th January 2011.
