The Chester Festival Chorus, one of Chester's premier choirs, will hold its annual concert on Saturday, July 4, at the Wesley Church Centre on St John Street, starting at 7:30 PM. The program offers an eclectic mix of modern choral music, described as 'modern but listenable', featuring works by Jonathan Dove, Dale Trumbore, Felix Mendelssohn, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Arvo Pärt.
Guest Artists and New Musical Director
The concert will include performances by soprano Elspeth Piggott, bass Graham McCusker, violinist Matthew Chadbond, and accompanist Graham Eccles, all under the direction of the choir's new musical director, Joseph Judge. Judge, a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, brings extensive experience as chorus director of Leeds Philharmonic Chorus, artistic director of the Exon Singers Festival, musical director of Chester Bach Singers, and director of the Hallé Choral Academy. He recently served as choral director for the Alan Bennett film 'The Choral' starring Ralph Fiennes, and has worked with English National Opera and Walk the Plank on community opera projects in Manchester. Judge has also conducted Manchester Camerata and assisted the BBC and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras, led session recordings for Sony PlayStation, and produced the album 'Northern Lights' with BBC Choir of the Year winners Voices of Hope.
Concert Theme and Repertoire
Andy Ashton, chair of Chester Festival Chorus, explained the concert's theme: 'This year's concert focuses on the voices of the choir, accompanied by piano, two soloists, and a violin. The theme is time. Jonathan Dove’s 'The Passing of the Year' uses poems from Emily Dickinson, William Blake, and Alfred Tennyson to explore themes of time passing through the seasons and the years. Dale Trumbore’s 'Stuck in the Middle' explores similar themes of life passing as we busy ourselves with our daily activities.'
Ashton added: 'Mendelssohn’s beautiful Romantic-era 'Sechs Sprüche' is a collection of six short anthems for key days in the church year. J.S. Bach’s 'Wachet Auf' (Awake! the voice calls to us) is perhaps his best-known cantata. You will definitely recognise some of it! Arvo Pärt’s 'Spiegel im Spiegel' has become a popular classic and will be heard here in the version for solo piano and violin.'
Choir's History and Significance
Formed in 1981 by Martin Merry, a founder of the Chester Summer Music Festival, the Chester Festival Chorus has established itself as one of North West England’s leading large-scale mixed-voice choirs. At the annual Chester Summer Music Festival, the chorus has performed major choral works from Handel and Mozart to Britten, Poulenc, and Tavener. The choir is delighted to welcome Judge as its new musical director.
Ashton concluded: 'We are delighted to be joined by our new Musical Director Joseph Judge, accompanist Graham Eccles, and our guest soloists, Elspeth Piggott, Graham McCusker, and Matthew Chadbond for this special concert which showcases an eclectic mix of modern but listenable music. All the pieces being performed are available to listen to on Spotify as a precursor to hearing them live. We can't wait to perform them in the wonderful surroundings of the Wesley Church Centre with its incredible acoustics.'
Full details and ticket bookings are available at www.chesterfestivalchorus.org.uk. The concert takes place in Chester, Cheshire.
