Supported by Arts Council England and the RVW Trust
We welcome the New Cambridge Singers to the Festival for this innovative programme of music old and new. The concert will feature London premieres of works by Giles Swayne and Paul Newton-Jackson, alongside Renaissance works by Lassus, Byrd and Tallis, including his awe-inspiring 40-part motet, Spem in Alium. Graham Walker conducts, with accompaniment on period instruments provided by Newe Vialles, and musicians from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
- Giles Swayne Everybloom
- Thomas Tallis Spem in alium
- Lassus Missa Bell’Amfrit altera
- Byrd Gradualia for Ascensiontide
- Tallis Canon in 8 parts (for audience and choir)
- Paul Newton-Jackson Then the angel showed me the river…. (for choir, audience and brass) London premiere
Graham Jackson © Kip Loades
New Cambridge Singers
Newe Vialles
Sackbuts and Cornetts from the Gulidhall School of Music and Drama
Conductor - Graham Walker
Please note: there will be a pre-concert talk with Giles Swayne at 6.30pm.
There will also be the opportunity for some audience participation, both as part of Tallis's famous Canon, and Paul Newton-Jackson's new work, which won the inaugural NCS composition competition last year. The audience chorus will rehearse with the choir and ensemble from 5pm on the afternoon of the concert. If you have some experience of choral singing and would like to register interest please email audiencechoruslondon@newcambridgesingers.org.uk.
Tickets £23 (premium) £18 (unreserved) children £5 - book online now.
The premium package includes reserved seat + programme + interval drink.
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Founded in 1986, the New Cambridge Singers are a choir of 35 singers, drawn from a wide range of backgrounds. Led by cellist and conductor Graham Walker, the singers offer five varied programmes a year, generally performed both in a historic Cambridge venue, and again in one of the surrounding towns or villages. In addition the choir often travels further afield, and has given several concerts in London in recent years, and toured to Dresden in April 2016.
Accomplished, ambitious and friendly, the New Cambridge Singers offer an energetic outlook, combining a rich and mature sound with delicacy and intimacy. They relish innovative programming, performing a wide range of music from the Renaissance to the present day – the 2016-17 programme includes works by Rachmaninov, Fauré, Tallis and Giles Swayne. Although the majority of music performed is a cappella or accompanied by piano or organ, the choir regularly performs with orchestras, including most recently the New Cambridge Players, East Anglia Chamber Orchestra and the Dresden Sinfonia.
The New Cambridge Singers are also committed to, and have a strong tradition of, the commissioning and performance of new works. These have included works by Peter Maxwell Davies, David Bedford, Kelly Crandell, Christopher Brown, Rory Boyle and, most recently, Giles Swayne.
