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To make use of an RSS feed, you need some "feed reader" (or "aggregator") software. Most modern web browsers have feed readers built in.
The RSS feeds for Eclectic Voices are listed below...
Eclectic Voices upcoming events:
https://www.eclecticvoices.org.uk/dbaction.php?action=rss&dbase=events
Eclectic Voices news:
https://www.eclecticvoices.org.uk/dbaction.php?action=rss&dbase=uploads
Latest News
- EV Season 2024-25
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Date Posted: Wed, 7 Aug 2024
Hello EVers, and welcome to the 2024-25 season!
Coming up is a defining season for the choir, one that will set a new standard for us. We have created what I think is a terrific programme and I hope that you'll share my enthusiasm for it! I also, very seriously, want to ask each of you to use it as a tool to recruit new members to our unique group.
1. Lontano Festival of American Music - 15 November - The Warehouse
We have been invited to give the final concerts (we'll sing it twice) of this exciting festival, held at the Warehouse, a cool venue on the South Bank. It's the sort of programme that sets EV apart, called Songs, Psalms and Proverbs......Steve Reich to Paul Simon. We've all wanted to have another crack at Steve Reich's Proverb, and here's our chance, joined by a pro ensemble of keyboards and percussion. My own two pieces will be from memory.
Philip Glass Three Songs
Odaline de Martinez Three Afro-Cuban Songs
Charles Ives Four Songs
Steve Reich Proverb
Paul Simon arr. Stroman Can't Run But
Scott Stroman Glory from Jazz Psalms
2. Britten and Bach at Christmas - 15 December - Union Chapel
We return to Union Chapel for a banger of a concert based around Britten's St. Nicolas, including the Highbury Youth Choir, our bespoke Britten Ensemble, two of our favourite singers, tenor Adrian Thompson and baritone Jonathan Eyers - and one of our favourite pieces, Britten's Cantata Misericordium. To kick it off I've tossed in a piece of mine, written for the Lyon Opera Chorus and never done in the UK, and we'll finish with Bach (of course!).
Stroman So Hallowed and So Gracious is the Time (First UK performance)
Britten St. Nicolas
Eric Whitacre Lux Aurumque
Britten Cantata Misericordium
Bach Cantata BWV 61, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
3. Mozart Requiem with Robert Levin - 20 January - Milton Court Concert Hall
After last season's triumphant C Minor Mass, how could we not jump at the opportunity to perform Levin's completion of the Requiem, with him playing Mozart in the same concert? We'll be in the spectacular Milton Court Concert Hall in the Barbican Centre, after a short and concentrated period of rehearsals (each Monday and Thursday). For this one everyone will be expected to be note-perfect when we start our rehearsals. We'll be joined by the Blaze Ensemble, soloists from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and pianists Levin and David Dolan.
Mozart Concerto for Two Pianos
Mozart, completed Levin Requiem (with an illustrated introduction from Robert Levin)
4. Water/Canons - 30 March - Union Chapel (or 29 March in Actors' Church)
This is really attractive EV programme, one where East meets West. It is built around beautiful contemporary pieces by two of the world's most celebrated younger composers. We'll be joined by a Hindustani singer and tabla player, organist and percussionist. I guarantee that you will love singing this luscious music as much as the audience enjoy hearing it.
Stroman Bright Psalms
Poulenc Quatre Motets pour un temps de Pénitence
Nico Mulhy Bright Mass with Canons
Reena Esmail Malhaar: A Requiem for Water (First European performance)
5. Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life: Geneva, Switzerland - 23-26 May
Actors' church, London - 7 June
Last Autumn I was invited to guest conduct my Suite from Songs in the Key of LIfe with the La Châtaigneraie Community Choir in Geneva. It was a blast - they'd learned it from memory, as EV had, and we immediately dreamed up the idea of working together in 2025. We'll each contribute a few additional songs, and we'll be performing with a top octet of jazz musicians. All will be from memory.
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- Happy New Year
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Date Posted: Tue, 2 Jan 2024
Hi all,
Happy New Year! I hope you've refreshed after the holidays and have taken some time to familiarize yourself with the Mozart C Minor Mass.. Let's get off to a quick start on Thursday and give ourselves the luxury to really get to know this great piece in detail.
Remember that we will be rehearsing with voice parts mixed (not in sections).. Sarah and I will be seating everyone on Thursday to ensure a nice balance of voice parts.
See you Thursday. Let's start on time, enthusiastic and well prepared, and begin as we mean to go on.
Thanks
Scott
- Our programme for 2023–24
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Date Posted: Fri, 29 Sep 2023
We have a fantastic programme ahead of us this year.
Sunday 22 October, Singet Dem Herrn (BWV 225) at Union Chapel: We'll get a head start on our December Bach programme by singing Singet Dem Herrn with keyboard accompaniment at the Union Chapel Church at 11AM.
Friday 10 November, 20:00, London Jazz Festival at Actors' Church: We'll be collaborating with a wonderful guitarist, Niklas Winter, and his group from Finland, on a programme based around his Graduale CD, which you can find on Spotify. His group includes Juho Laitinen, cello, Severi Pyysalo, vibes/percussion, and Henry Lowther on trumpet and flugelhorn. We'll also sing music by Pat Metheny, Jim Pepper, and several songs from Scott's Songs of the Spirit CD: High Sky, Together Alone, Earth Song, and Long Wolf. If you don't have the CD, you can listen to them on the website: scottstroman.com.
Sunday 3 December, 11:00 Bach Magnificat at AIC: We'll join together with the AIC choir and soloists, and the period instruments from the City Bach Collective (trumpets, tympani and all) to give our first performance of Bach's Magnificat as the focus of the 11AM service at AIC. We're doing the original version that includes the four Christmas interpolations, originally in Eb, though we'll do it in D, where Bach later transposed it.
Sunday 10 December, 17:00, Bach 1723 at Union Chapel: One of the greatest Bach sopranos of all time, Emma Kirkby, and Jonathan Eyers, bass, will join EV and the City Bach Collective to perform a programme based on Bach's first year in Leipzig:
Bach Chorus and Chorale, Singet dem Herrn , BWV 190 (1723)
Bach In Dulci Jubilo BWV 729 (orch), BWV 368 (choir/orch)
Bach Motet Singet dem Herrn BWV 225 (1727)
Vivaldi Winter from The Four Seasons (1723), (orch)
Bach Magnificat (1723)
Friday 16 February 2024, 20:00 (provisional date/time), Mozart Mass in C Minor at St. Giles' Cripplegate (Barbican): Robert Levin will be with us from Boston as we, and the Covent Garden Chamber Orchestra, reprise the performance of his edition and unique completion of the Mass in C Minor which we enjoyed performing so much in 2021. This is a great opportunity, as Robert will be in residence that week at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, from which we will draw our soloists.
Friday 29 March 2024: Haydn's Stabat Mater, with the American International Church choir.
Saturday 11 May 2024: Singer's Choice, music of many genres, chosen by members of the choir.
Friday to Sunday 7–9 June 2024, concert trip to Finland: Niklas Winter is arranging an excellent trip for us, to reprise our London Jazz Festival programme with him and his group at two performances in Finland. Exact details to be confirmed, but one concert will be at the Naantali Music Festival, near historic Turku, and the other concert in Helsinki. The concerts will hopefully be on Saturday and Sunday, which might mean a Friday evening rehearsal and a Monday return. Details will be available shortly. If you've not been to Finland you're in for a treat; not only is it beautiful but it is a country in love with music.
We hope to see you at some of these events. If you are interested in singing with us, please get in touch straight away. (info@eclecticvoices.org.uk) It's not too late to join this term – as all rehearsals are now recorded, you will be able to catch up.
- Plans for September
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Date Posted: Fri, 21 Jul 2023
We have a great programme lined up for the next term.
We start regular Thursday rehearsals at the American International Church on 14 September.
On 16 September we have a choral singing workshop at AIC from 1400 – 1800. Scott and Sarah will be there, with Clare Wheeler, former Swingle Singer, as guest vocal coach, to take us to the next level of choral singing. This event will be open to all and advertised outside EV. Please invite friends.
On 10 November we join forces with Niklas Winter from Finland. Niklas has created a work, Graduale, and we will perform this, together with other material by Scott and Messaien. This will be presented as part of the London Jazz Festival. Niklas will bring three other musicians from Finland.
On 10 December we will perform at the Union Chapel with the City Bach Collective. The programme will be based on works from the year 1723.
- Bach Chorus and Chorale, Singet dem Herrn BWV 190 (1723)
- Bach In Dulci Jubilo BWV 608, BWV 383
- Bach Motet Singet dem Herrn BWV 225 (1727)
- Vivaldi Winter from The Four Seasons (1723)
- Bach Magnificat (1723)
Andrew Wood
Chair, Eclectic Voices
- OUR PLANS FOR 2022/23
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Date Posted: Sat, 20 Aug 2022
Hi All,
We hope that you’re having a good summer. What a great finish to last season we had in Edinburgh & Kirkcaldy!
We're all very proud to be part of Eclectic Voices — few groups were as successful in creating live music through the challenges of the past two years. We commissioned and premiered excellent new music, presented outstanding Bach and Mozart concerts, celebrated 30 years together, collaborated with singers, brass, strings, jazz and folk musicians, supported our youth choirs, were featured on stage in The Weekend and more.
It's now time to move forward by drawing full houses to our concerts and recruiting new members. A key date is Thursday 6 October, when we're inviting potential singers to try EV at an open workshop leading to the London Jazz Festival concert. We're calling this the !BOOM! moment and all of us need to spread the word.
This season's programme is inspired by lots of great suggestions from our singers. The ones I couldn't fit will likely turn up later! Here's a rundown of the season. You will find full details and all the rehearsal dates in the members' section of the website.
Friday 23 September 2022
Islington Proms: Shed a Little Light, with Anthony Fort, organ and piano
St. James Prebend, London N1
Bach, Jesus bleibet meine Freude
Lauridsen, O Magnum Mysterium
Britten, Gloriana Dances
Britten, Rejoice in the Lamb
James Taylor, Shed a Little Light
Angelou/Stroman, Touched by an Angel
Stroman, Forgive, Not Forget
Bach, Cantata BWV 4, Christ Lag in Todesbanden
Gospel, Precious Memories
Saturday 12 November 2022
London Jazz Festival: Songs of Life and Liberty
with Martin Speake Quartet and Highbury Youth Choir
Actors' Church, Covent Garden
Stroman, Maya Angelou Songs
Stroman, Songs from Songs of Life and Liberty
John Ashton Thomas, Blake Songs
Stevie Wonder, Songs from Songs in the Key of Life
10-18 December 2022
Christmas Family Concert, Sunday Service & Charity Carolling
with Sarah Wilkinson and Liam Dunache, piano and organ
Christ Church Highbury, American International Church, St Pancras Station
Helen Beauchamp, Hope/Light
Morten Lauridsen, Sure on This Shining Night
Sergei Rachmaninoff, Bogoroditse Devo
....plus carols
Saturday 11 Feb 2023
Singers' Choice and Steve Reich, with marimbas and organs
American International Church, London W1
Purcell, Songs from The Fairy Queen
Messiaen, O Sacrum Convivium
Bach, Motet BWV 230, Lobet den Herrn
Bruckner, Tota Pulchra Es
trad., Ezekiel Saw the Wheel
Steve Reich, Proverb
Stuart Kambona, Kuja Kwake Bwana
Stroman, Ox Dance
Sunday 2 April 2023
People's Messiah at Union Chapel, with the City Bach Collective and a people's choir
Handel, Messiah
For Summer 2023 we're currently pursuing a late May bank holiday trip followed by a London performance(s).
See you all at our first rehearsal on the 8th September in our new home :)
Juliette & Scott
EV Chair and Music Director
- New Year, New Plans
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Date Posted: Mon, 3 Jan 2022
Happy New Year to all our Eclectic Voices!
I am so proud of what we achieved in 2021, inspired by the challenges we faced: the 30th anniversary concert with spectacular Mozart in June, wonderful performances of The Weekend in September, a terrific shared concert with our youth choirs in November, and to top it off, one of the most fun Christmas concerts I can remember, with our folk friends, just a few weeks ago.
So, it's time to build on this, and take EV to the next level. Our next project is called EV Mixtape, inspired by a daily series on BBC Radio 3. I've put together a programme of short, snappy pieces of many styles based on a few themes, including some suggestions from EV members, that will run directly into each other without introduction.
The whole programme lasts just over an hour. It will have a few solo vocal spots and use some instruments played by EV members, and will feature one terrific solo jazz pianist. That's it—succinct, engaging, and easily tour-able. We'll start with a performance on Saturday 12 February at 7.30 at our Christ Church home base.
We have postponed the Peoples' Messiah project to 2023, as it would be too much of a challenge to recruit the extra participants from the community (that it is designed to inspire) at this time. Instead, we'll be going full-Bach: the motet BWV 227 Jesu Meine Freude and cantata BWV 4 Christ lag in Todesbanden, with the City Bach Society. We'll start on this in February and perform in early April.
And, we'll be joining with our younger singers, led by Sarah and Hannah, to celebrate HYC's 25 birthday at Christ Church on the afternoon of Saturday 26 March.
And then to Edinbugh in the summer... Really looking forward to a great year with you all.
Thanks for your singing, your commitment, and your love of making music together.
Cheers, and many blessings for 2022,
Scott Stroman
EV Music Director
- BACK TO SINGING!
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Date Posted: Mon, 8 Nov 2021
Eclectic Voices' Autumn 2021-22 performance season started with a bang on Saturday 6 November with a truly eclectic mix of music at one of our favourite venues, St Paul’s Covent Garden, featuring our own Highbury Youth Choirs and guest musicians, the Guildhall Jazz Singers.
The programme included Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb and Choral Dances from Gloriana, Scott Stroman’s Songs for the Seasons, composed to words by Enid Blyton, and a selection of new songs by Duncan LamontFor Christmas, on 18 December 2021 we will be performing again at St Paul’s Covent Garden. Yuletide Folk will be a memorable gig with the English Acoustic Collective, featuring original material from a Folk Carol Competition that Eclectic Voices ran in 2019.
Plans for the Spring and Summer include a joyous performance of Handel's Messiah for Palm Sunday at Union Chapel, designed to make this wonderful music accessible to a wider audience, and a collaboration with the Carnyx Brass ensemble in late May and early June, to be performed in both London and Edinburgh.
