Cantabile con brio - Celebrating 50 years of London Concert Choir (1960-2010)

Cantabile
con brio
Celebrating 50 years of
London Concert Choir:
1960−2010
by Susan Deville

Cantabile con brio
Celebrating 50 years of
London Concert Choir: 1960−2010
by Susan Deville
2

Edited by Alan Huw Smith
List of concerts edited by Eleanor Cowie
Designed by Stephen Rickett of MasterPage Ltd
info@masterpage.net
Published by the Thameshead Press
Coates Lodge, Coates, Cirencester, GL7 6NH
Copyright © 2011 London Concert Choir
www.london-concert-choir.org.uk
London Concert Choir is a company limited by guarantee,
incorporated in England, with registered number 3220578.
Registered charity number 1057242.
Registered Office: 2 New Square, London WC2A 3RZ.
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Foreword
Any celebration of fifty years of music making is a celebration of
people – those who have performed on stage and worked behind
the scenes, and those who were there to share in the exhilaration,
fulfilment and fun.
This book is a celebration of London Concert Choir and its
predecessor, the Brompton Choral Society. During the choir’s
anniversary year, past and present members and conductors were
asked to contribute their recollections and Sue Deville has woven
these personal memories and experiences into her record of
the choir’s history.
Many contributions are no more than moments remembered
which we hope will spark further memories from others.
Collectively they paint a portrait of a lively society evolving
under the influence of the four musical directors who have been
responsible for leading the choir since 1960.
Robert Munns, Donald Cashmore, Gregory Rose and Mark
Forkgen have each had a unique impact on the life of the choir
and their differing musical styles have each advanced the choir’s
development, repertoire and presence in the musical world.
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All four have shared their own inspiration and developed the joy
to be found in collective music making. All the contributors here,
speaking for themselves and for their friends and fellow members,
past and present, acknowledge their debt and their gratitude to
the conductors. Rather than including individual tributes, in these
pages we thank them as a choir as we celebrate fifty years.
Bill Cook
Chairman, London Concert Choir
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Chapter One
The Choir at 50
London Concert Choir now has some 150 auditioned members
who rehearse each Monday night, as did the first few dozen
members of the Brompton Choral Society when it was established
fifty years ago.
Much has changed in these fifty years, but much has remained the
same. The Brompton choir, selected by its conductor, included a
number of professional singers as well as talented and dedicated
amateurs. The story of the transition from Brompton to LCC
is about sustaining a high level of skills and capabilities while
expanding in scale and size, range of concerts, partners and
venues, and new artistic directions beyond the remit of a choir
serving the church in Brompton.
The four conductors who have led the choir over 50 years
have each made their unique contribution to developing
the choir and have made belonging to it an enjoyable
and stimulating experience, with each of them bringing
professional excellence in their differing experience and
musical focus.
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Helen Beddall-Smith has been a member of the choir under
each of them:
I have known all four conductors and each has their own
unique kind of inspiration and enthusiasm. Robert Munns
encouraged me to sing in the first place and introduced me
to Bach’s St John Passion and St Matthew Passion and Elgar’s
Dream of Gerontius. Donald Cashmore gave me a greater
understanding of Haydn and Vaughan Williams, particularly
through the Sea Symphony. Gregory Rose introduced me to
Gabrieli, Hummel, Dvořák and Copland. With Mark Forkgen
I continue to enjoy every minute of the rehearsals and the
huge variety of music, from Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice to Duke
Ellington’s Sacred Concert, Handel, Beethoven, Mendelssohn,
My Fair Lady and the masterpiece that is Britten’s War Requiem.
From its earliest days in Brompton the choir was able to
command a London audience for a major concert. LCC now
sings regularly with a variety of leading orchestras, notably the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the City of London Sinfonia.
In recent years it has performed with the period ensemble
Counterpoint when singing baroque music, and most recently
with Southbank Sinfonia in the Britten War Requiem for the
fiftieth‐anniversary concert.
The range of venues has expanded from mostly church-based
concerts to a full season of major and minor concerts, promoted
by the choir, at principal London venues including the Cadogan
Hall, the Barbican Hall, and the Royal Festival Hall and
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Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank. For twenty-five of the
last fifty years the London seasons have been regularly punctuated
with overseas tours to festivals and shared concerts across Europe.
The friendliness of the choir has certainly not changed. Saturday
workshops and the increasing number of engagements outside
the core concert activity mean that there is plenty of opportunity
to make and consolidate friendships. Friends and families and
potential new members are now regularly invited to meet the
choir at an ‘open rehearsal’ where Mark Forkgen talks about the
music to be performed at the next concert.
Social activities have tended to be linked to weekend rehearsals
or trips out of town. There have been end of season parties and
other events such as a quiz evening organised by Sue MacFadyen.
In the 1990s David Greenwood initiated a newsletter Cantabile
con brio, edited by Jane Houseago, which kept friends and
members informed of what was going on in the life of the choir,
and there were for many years less formal summer newsletters.
The choir has always prided itself on looking professional on stage.
But like most things, what might look effortless is not achieved
without a good deal of planning behind the scenes. In earlier
days a pre-determined seating plan where everyone had a named
place was found to be the best way of doing this, but over time
choir members took more responsibility for arranging themselves
within the seats assigned to their section, in a sensible way.
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ON JOINING
I came to London from Northamptonshire in 1970 and asked a music
student friend which was the best choir to join. She said that the LSO
Chorus were the best singers, but the Brompton Choral Society had
the prettiest girls. So I joined Brompton.
- Peter Finch, former General Manager, who went on to marry one of them
Walking home from work in autumn 1971, I took a short cut past Holy
Trinity Brompton and heard a wonderful sound coming from the church.
I discovered that it was the Brompton Choral Society rehearsing. I knew
there and then that I wanted to join. I plucked up my courage and
arranged to have an audition with Robert Munns. I remember there being
a lot of merriment about my name being June and not Joan. . . I passed the
audition and joined the altos and have been there ever since.
- June Williams (neé Sutherland)
When I came to London to work after university I did not initially find a
choir that I really wanted to sing with. In the summer of 1977 I was sent
on a civil service training course where I met Frances Noble (now Shaw),
who had joined the choir in 1974. She persuaded a number of us to come
along to a concert and I realised that this was what I had been looking for.
I joined the choir that autumn, and two years later married one of the other
course members who had come to the concert. I am still happily with both.
- Sue Deville
As an Arts Officer for the Borough of Hackney there was no way I could fit
my life around both work and a choir. Then I went to work for Kensington
and Chelsea and found that evenings were more manageable. Back in
1988 we went to libraries for info and there I found a useful document
which listed musical activities in the whole of the country. I decided I
wanted to join a sizeable choir, easily accessible from work, and that met
on Mondays in London. Yes, LCC fitted. And there was Gregory Rose, and
a welcoming feeling, and then the music!
- Gabriel West
A cousin of mine worked alongside a fellow member of the choir, Lorna
Lewis, who was giving out flyers for the choir’s next concert. She sent me
one and I went along to one of the rehearsals in September 1998. I was
hooked! The first sops had a new member!
- Sue McFadyen
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Nonetheless, effort is needed backstage to get the choir lined
up in time and in order, so that they can take the stage quickly
and in an organised manner; Kevin Darnell and in recent years
Gabriel West have taken charge of this.
Concert dress has changed over the years; for a long time
ladies wore white blouses and long black skirts for concerts,
sometimes with coloured blouses at Christmas, but later
changed to all black, and now wear either trousers or long skirts.
Men still normally wear dinner jackets and black bow ties,
but occasionally open-necked black shirts – especially welcome
in hot weather.
Ladies’ concert dress (Barbican Hall, 2008)
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Christmas is a time when all choral singers enjoy dusting off
the green and orange Carols for Choirs books. Carols can draw
audiences who may not normally come to choral concerts to listen
to and join in traditional Christmas music.
In the early years, the choir gave performances of works such as
Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in December.
However, under Donald Cashmore the choir usually gave a
concert of carols and other Christmas music at Holy Trinity
Brompton followed by mulled wine and mince pies: a pleasant
opportunity to meet with friends and supporters of the choir.
Under Gregory Rose, Christmas concerts were given in various
churches, including St Martin-in-the-Fields, sometimes with
readings, such as Dylan Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales
read by choir member and actor Peter Kenvyn.
Under Mark Forkgen, the tradition has evolved of two concerts
at St Martin-in-the-Fields on a Saturday in early December:
a shorter one in the late afternoon aimed at families and a
longer one in the evening. This is followed by a concert nearer
Christmas at another church or a performance with the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra at the Cadogan Hall.
The choir has also frequently sung for charity and other events at
Christmas, and the annual trip to SeeAbility at Leatherhead was
for many years an integral part of the festive season.
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One tradition of recent years has been to include a carol
composed or arranged by a choir member. One of the most
memorable is Alliliuiya Jesu y’Ohinye, an Ashanti Christmas
carol from Ghana which Peter Kenvyn transcribed, arranged
and translated. The text was part in English and part in Twi, the
majority Ghanaian language of the Ashanti. It was moving to hear
a recording of a Ghanaian choir singing and to hear their messages
of appreciation after hearing a recording of our attempts to sing in
their language. The carol was performed again in December 2002,
with children from Christ Church Primary School, Battersea.
Programmes from Christmas charity concerts
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Performing Alliliuiya Jesu y’Ohinye at St Augustine’s (December 2002)
Attractive and professional programmes and publicity material
are an important part of the choir’s presentation. Programmes
for Holy Trinity Brompton concerts in the early years were
essentially listings of the works to be performed. But as the choir
developed, publicity material and programmes have become
increasingly important.
By the mid-1980s concerts on the South Bank were accompanied
by illustrated programmes with full notes. Various members of
the choir have contributed notes over the years; David Roseveare
took on this task over a long period and Alan Huw Smith has
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een a regular contributor. Digital photography and the skills of
Stephen Rickett mean that programmes now include photographs.
As well as programmes, season leaflets giving details of all
concerts for regular supporters and as a tool for encouraging
new members to the choir have been a feature since the 1970s.
In the time before the internet, publicity largely relied on the
distribution of specific posters and handbills to libraries and
other institutions around London. While these have continued,
the choir’s website, designed and maintained by choir member
Graham Hick, has been increasingly important in publicising the
choir and its concerts. It is now the chief source of new recruits, to
such an extent that a waiting list has become necessary.
Certainly in its first four decades the majority of concert tickets
were sold to the families and friends of choir members. Over
the last ten years the choir has established itself to a point where
it is regularly invited to partner with major orchestras at major
venues in the expectation that the name of London Concert
Choir will add something to the attraction for the general
concert‐going public. That is a source of great satisfaction for all
our members and friends.
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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, BROMPTON
Regular rehearsal and performance
venue from 1960 to mid-1980s
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Chapter Two
Early Years
with Robert Munns
1960–1974
Brompton Choral Society was founded by Robert Munns, who
had been appointed Director of Music of Holy Trinity Brompton
in 1959 with the aim of widening the musical activities of the
church. Robert had been educated at the Royal Academy of
Music, where he held the William Robertshaw Scholarship, and
won the Read Prize for Conducting and the Keene Memorial
Prize for Improvisation.
Membership of the new society was drawn from the
congregation and from others known to Robert, particularly
students at the Royal College of Music. He recalls that in the
early years the choir was effectively an autocracy and that he
chose the works, although he had a supportive committee to help.
Successive Vicars of Holy Trinity were chairmen. It was
fortunate that Robert Munns’ father was a bank manager and
was able and willing to act as treasurer for a time and provide
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the necessary financial guarantees to enable concerts to
be put on, as grants from the National Federation of Music
Societies (NFMS), to which the choir was affiliated from its
earliest days, and the local authority were not sufficient on
their own. Peter Finch recalls that when he joined in 1970
John Inglis, who was involved in the church’s finances, had
become treasurer. Peter began to help him and after a while
acted as treasurer and was later general manager until 1981
when he moved away from London.
Although programmes from as far back as 1970 say that
Brompton Choral Society was founded in 1960, Robert confirms
that the first rehearsals were held in the autumn of 1959,
culminating in a concert in Holy Trinity Brompton in November.
No programme of that concert survives, but Robert recalls that
it included Bach’s cantata Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe and
Stanford’s Beati quorum via. John Huw Davies, one of the
professional singers from the church choir, was the bass soloist
and performed with the choir in many concerts in the 1960s;
he went on to have a varied musical career, including conducting
the BBC Singers. Membership was initially about 30, but increased
through the 1960s to more than 100.
For the first twenty years or so the choir rehearsed at Holy
Trinity Brompton, initially in the crypt. A former member of
the congregation remembers that a church group also met in
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Early rehearsal, c.1965 at Holy Trinity Brompton
the crypt on Monday evenings, among other things making
bandages to send to Africa. They were asked to help with making
coffee for the singers in return for the coffee money for their
charity. Later rehearsals moved to the newly-built Church House
at Holy Trinity, much more convenient as numbers grew and
with a kitchen to facilitate coffee making. Church House was
large and well-equipped, and was useful for Christmas parties
following the annual Christmas concert and for accommodation
for the choir to change in when performing in the church.
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ON ENJOYING
The week isn’t quite right unless I have had a good sing. In the summer I
get withdrawal symptoms and look forward to September every year.
- Helen Beddall-Smith
It is a friendly, fun and welcoming choir, run by an enthusiastic committee
and musical director who brings a variety of music to the choir. Inspiring
and challenging at times but most of all it is very rewarding and definitely
puts a smile on your face!
In June 2003 the choir performed at my wedding in a small church in
Bodicote, Oxfordshire. It was a great privilege, a fun day and not many
people can say they have had LCC perform at their wedding!
- Sue McFadyen
The choir has given me enormous enjoyment and rewards over the years.
The three conductors I have sung under all introduced the choir to a range
of music, made Monday evenings challenging but fun, and made one
proud to be a part of the choir. That has not changed while much else has;
the War Requiem performances showed just how far the choir has come.
- Sue Deville
I joined the choir in January in the 2001-02 season so just over eight years
ago. It is my third choir experience and I remember being very nervous
at the audition because the choir was so much better than either of the
previous two! There were two things that really made me want to join
and that have continued – first, that we sing the piece at every rehearsal
and only do a minimum of note-bashing so each rehearsal is a joy and
second that it is so friendly and everyone looks out for each other – and
that goes for both my fellow second altos and my involvement with the
organisation of the choir. And then the longer I have been singing with
LCC, the better it gets.
- Barbara Whent
There are many things that are special about LCC: the constant challenge
of new repertoire, such as Porgy & Bess and the Duke Ellington sacred
music; rehearsals are fun: the chance to sing in amazing venues like RFH,
Cadogan Hall and the Barbican. I think we are continually getting better
– the more that is expected of you the harder you are prepared to work.
There are so many highlights but War Requiem at the Barbican was an
all‐time special experience at so many levels.
- Ian Judson
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The first concerts for which there are definite advertised
dates are Handel’s Messiah on 13 December 1960, and Bach’s
St John Passion on 28 March 1961. Britten’s St Nicolas, which
has featured in the choir’s repertoire regularly during its
fifty years, was performed on 5 December 1962 and again
in 1969; a special feature of this latter concert was the
participation of Robert Munns’ twin sons, aged about eight,
as two of the three ‘pickled boys’ who are brought back to
life by St Nicolas in one of the legends retold in the cantata.
The 1960s saw the choir tackling a wide variety of works;
the 1966 programme ranged from Monteverdi’s Vespers of
1610 to twentieth-century works, including Kodály’s Jesus
and the Traders, Kenneth Leighton’s Crucifixus pro nobis
and Vaughan Williams’ A Vision of Aeroplanes. The choir
moved beyond the sacred choral repertoire, giving a concert
performance of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in Holy Trinity
Church House in October 1965, shortly after its opening. There
were also regular performances of the major choral works
such as Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation and Bach’s
B minor Mass, St John Passion and Magnificat.
Most concerts were given in Holy Trinity Brompton or Church
House, and occasionally in other London churches. 1963 saw
the choir performing for the first time in a larger setting –
St Paul’s Cathedral. Again, no programme survives, but the
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works performed included Bach’s Singet dem Herrn and Kodály’s
Missa Brevis. The organ was played by Robert Cundick.
The cost of concert admission ranged from five to ten shillings in
the late 1960s and programmes recorded ‘the cost of promoting
these concerts is continually increasing and is not even covered
by the new increased ticket prices’ – something that has not
changed over the years!
In 1969 the choir gave what is thought to have been the first ever
performance in Brompton Oratory of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius
– an appropriate venue since Elgar was married there and received
a copy of Newman’s poem as a wedding present. The same work
was performed there in 1978 under Donald Cashmore. The
choir sang John Rutter’s The Falcon in April 1971 in the presence
of the composer.
In 1970 the choir performed in a large concert hall for
the first time, singing Brahms’ German Requiem with the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Fairfield Hall in Croydon:
a great boost for the choir’s confidence in public performance.
The choir visited Croydon again in 1973 to sing Bach’s
St John Passion with the English National Orchestra;
unhelpfully, the concert date coincided with a train strike.
Shortly afterwards the choir was hired by the ENO to sing
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in the Fairfield Hall.
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Peter Finch recalls: “The conductor was William Rutledge,
whose distinctive feature was that he had only one arm. The
choir gave a respectable performance, but the papers the next
day were beastly, saying that a basic requirement for a
conductor was two arms.”
A number of distinguished musicians featured as soloists
and players during this period. Ian Partridge, Paul Esswood,
Neil Jenkins and Benjamin Luxon are among those whose names
are widely known. Other soloists were professional singers
working with ensembles such as the BBC Singers, the Ambrosian
Singers and at Covent Garden. Robert Cundick, organist of the
Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Martin
Neary, later organist at Winchester Cathedral and Westminster
Abbey, performed with the choir. Orchestras were made up
of professional players and were known either as the Capriol
Orchestra or on some occasions the Robert Munns Orchestra.
Robert Munns left Holy Trinity Brompton and the choir in
1973, having laid a firm foundation on which to build, with the
choir now performing in major halls as well as churches
and able to take on the challenge of working with other
conductors. It was particularly fitting that he was present at the
performance of Britten’s War Requiem to celebrate the
choir’s fiftieth anniversary and to see just how far the journey he
initiated had led the choir.
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BROMPTON ORATORY
Performance venue
1969 to 1981
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Chapter Three
On from Brompton
with Donald Cashmore
1974 - 1987
Donald Cashmore was appointed to succeed Robert Munns
in 1974. Peter Finch recalls that there were some 70 applicants
of whom four each took part of a rehearsal, after which a poll
was taken of members – a process followed in subsequent
appointments. Donald had studied at the Royal College of Music
and was a graduate of London University in both music and
chemistry. He was established as a choral conductor in London,
having been appointed as Director of Music at Kingsway Hall in
1952, and founded the City of London Choir in 1963.
He had a special interest in the music of Elgar, Vaughan Williams
and Britten, conducting six Vaughan Williams concerts
in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in the 1972 centenary year.
Donald recalls receiving a warm welcome from the choir; he
found plenty of sopranos but not many tenors – a situation
well known to his successors.
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He worked to instil musical and performance disciplines
so that the choir presented music to a high standard, including
auditioning new members and periodically re-auditioning
existing members.
He also established a chamber choir drawn from the main
membership, which rehearsed before the main choir and
performed additional items in concerts and occasionally gave
separate concerts.
Donald’s years with the choir were certainly marked with a wide
variety of music. After beginning with a concert of Beethoven’s
Mass in C and Christus am Ölberge in his first season, he extended
the choir’s repertoire in the late 1970s to include such works
as Orff ’s Carmina Burana, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle,
Honegger’s King David (narrated by the newsreader Richard
Baker), Stravinsky’s Mass and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.
Most concerts were still given in Holy Trinity Brompton but
some, especially the secular ones, were held elsewhere – a
Summer Serenade concert including Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes
and the spirituals from Tippett’s Child of our Time was given in
Chelsea Old Town Hall in 1978.
In January 1976 Gillian Perry took on the role of Church
Representative, which had become necessary with a conductor
who was not also musical director of Holy Trinity Brompton.
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She recalls:
It involved liaising between choir and church, being responsible
for booking the church and hall for rehearsals and concerts, as
well as from 1980 for the assembly of our huge tiers of staging
when it did not interfere with a service. There were a multitude of
small things to deal with to ensure the concerts went smoothly in
what was becoming an increasingly busy church.
My job reached a peak when we put on the St. Matthew Passion
with supper break in March 1980. I organised teams of church
volunteers to provide lunch for the rehearsal for orchestra and
soloists, tea for the afternoon when the choir joined the rehearsal,
and the interval supper for everyone including the audience. It
was a marathon. Despite the huge responsibility and anxiety of
that Saturday I was still moved by the music as I sang the concert.
Afterwards Neil Jenkins, who sang the Evangelist, thanked me for
the supper and I felt a sense of relief that it was all over.
Lesser-known works performed under Donald included
Horovitz’s Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo; Martin of Tours
by Peter Dickinson; The Covenant of the Rainbow by Gordon
Crosse; Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast by Coleridge Taylor and
In Windsor Forest by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The more
traditional repertoire was not neglected. Anthea Simon
(now Taylor), secretary in the 1980s, recalls Donald’s skill at
putting together varied and interesting programmes, scheduling
some new or little-performed works alongside favourites of
the choral repertoire, which also went down well with the NFMS.
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MEMORIES
Shoes for the soloist
The baritone soloist originally engaged for a Christmas concert at
St Martin‐in‐the‐Fields had to be replaced at short notice because of illness.
The replacement happened to be visiting London, and so available to sing,
but had not come prepared with concert clothing. He managed to find
shirt, tie and suit, but formal black shoes to fit him were more of a problem.
An appeal went out at the rehearsal to see if one of the gentlemen of the
choir could help; I realised that the size required was exactly that of my
husband, who was somewhat surprised to get a call asking him to bring
a pair of black shoes to the concert with him and arrive early enough
to hand them over!
- Sue Deville
The moving harmonium
I have firmly etched into my concert memory a performance of Rossini’s
Petite Messe Solennelle at St James’s Piccadilly with Stephen Layton
playing the harmonium. Unfortunately the wheels on the bottom had not
been secured, and the harder Stephen pedalled and the more fervently he
played the more the harmonium progressed towards the audience. At odd
moments when he had his hands free he had to grab it and drag it back
towards him. For those of us who could see what was going on it was a
struggle to remain the least bit ‘solennelle’.
- Anthony Sharp
In November 1975 I was asked to look after the soloists and take them to
their changing rooms in the vicarage. Felicity Lott was our Soprano soloist
in the Mozart Requiem for that concert and I remember her charmingly,
smilingly saying to me she really didn’t mind sharing the ladies’ changing
room in the crypt (at that time a dismal, dank place). I managed to
persuade her we had another, more salubrious room for her.
- Gillian Perry
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King David, for example, was coupled with Bach. Fauré, Haydn,
Mozart, Monteverdi and others all featured in these years; a
major venture was Bach’s St Matthew Passion, with supper
interval, in 1980. Felicity Lott was one of the distinguished singers
who sang with the choir at Holy Trinity Brompton.
Donald’s role as conductor of the City of London Choir meant
that the choirs were able to combine to promote joint concerts
on a larger scale than either choir could manage separately. There
were three memorable joint concerts in the Brompton Oratory.
The first of these was a performance of Bach’s B Minor Mass
with the London Bach Orchestra in 1975, followed by Elgar’s
Dream of Gerontius in 1978 and Verdi’s Requiem in 1981, both
with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Performing in the
Oratory was an uplifting experience, but it was not the easiest
place to put on concerts. Peter Finch recalls the first visit:
We had to put up our own staging, which was a rather ramshackle
set one could borrow from, I think, the NFMS. This had to be
removed immediately after the performance, so more or less
every tenor and bass helped carry it out of the Oratory and pass
it over the wall to Holy Trinity Brompton. The start of the final
rehearsal had to be delayed half an hour as the staging was not
erected in time. Not how to please a conductor, although ours just
about managed to keep his cool.
In October 1978 the choir made its South Bank debut in
the Queen Elizabeth Hall singing Duruflé’s Requiem, Haydn’s
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Nelson Mass and Vivaldi’s Magnificat. This was a big step
forward and brought the choir to greater prominence on
the London music scene. It was also much easier in practical
terms for the choir to perform in a purpose-built concert
hall; despite the beauty and atmosphere of Holy Trinity
Brompton, fitting choir and orchestra in was not easy.
From 1979, at least one concert a season (and usually
more) was given in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Many
twentieth‐century works were performed, including John
Gardner’s Cantata for Christmas in December 1979, and
Brian Kelly’s At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners and Bliss’s
Mary of Magdala with Beethoven’s Mass in C in 1983.
A special grant was obtained for the first London performance
of Jonathan Willcocks’ Voices of Time in 1984 and in 1987 for
the first London performance of Joubert’s The Martyrdom
of St Alban. The London Bach Orchestra was regularly used.
Soloists included a number of distinguished names, often
early in their careers, including Lesley Garrett, Neil Jenkins,
Catherine Wyn Rogers, Stephen Roberts, Adrian Thompson and
David Wilson-Johnson.
Through a choir contact, the chamber choir made annual
excursions for several years beginning in 1979 to the beautiful
village of Lurgashall, West Sussex, to sing in aid of the Petworth
Cottage Hospital. In 1980 they sang at Ealing Parish Church
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to mark its 850th anniversary. In London, there were regular
social events around the Christmas concert and sometimes
in the summer too. One former member recalls a fundraising
auction at which she bought a framed watercolour that is still in
her home in Australia.
To mark the choir’s silver jubilee season a formal dinner was
held in the splendid surroundings of the Middle Temple Hall
with entertainment by musicians in Elizabethan dress. The
then secretary recalls that planning menus and seating took a
good deal of work.
Holy Trinity Brompton remained a regular venue for carol
and other concerts. One particularly memorable one was a
Remembrance Day concert in 1983 which included Elgar’s
For the Fallen.
By the mid-1980s the links between the choir and the church
had become less strong, and Church House was increasingly
needed by the parish for church activities. The decision was
taken to move rehearsals to Baden-Powell House, not far away in
Kensington. The hall was a large one and one member remembers
it as ‘a small conglomeration of chairs in the midst of a huge
shiny floored space.’
In 1983 the choir sang for the first time in the Royal Festival Hall
with the City of London Choir, performing Vaughan Williams’
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Sea Symphony; this was followed by Brahms’ Requiem in 1984
and Orff ’s Carmina Burana in 1985.
In 1986 the choir promoted jointly with the City of London
Choir and the St Michael’s Singers Coventry a performance
of Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast together with music by
Bruckner, Elgar and Dvořák. The concert was given first
in Coventry Cathedral and then in the Royal Festival Hall.
In 1987 Verdi’s Requiem was performed jointly with the
City of London Choir and the Philharmonia Orchestra; Donald
was unfortunately unable to conduct because of ill health, so
Lazslo Heltay (then director of the Brighton Festival Chorus)
stepped into the breach.
Having two choirs performing in major venues opened up
greater possibilities for attracting sponsorship after the choir
made the move in the 1980s to performing on the South Bank
and working on a larger scale. Anthony Sharp recalls:
In my time as chairman we sought to raise sponsorship and
we tried to sell advertising space in the programmes just to try
to balance the books from year to year. But both of these were
very time-consuming activities, mostly conducted by letter
or using friends and business contacts of choir members, and
not always that productive. We did have a small success selling
advertising, but our biggest coup was persuading the French
chemical giant Rhône-Poulenc to sponsor a series of concerts
of French music on the back of the fact that the ‘Poulenc’ in
Rhône-Poulenc was related to Francis Poulenc the composer.
26

RHÔNE-POULENC SERIES
Concert poster
15 June 1989
27

It did help that the then chief executive Michael Hunt was a
music enthusiast; he is still an enthusiastic and regular audience
member even though he has retired to Devon.
In 1986, with the choir regularly performing in prestigious
London venues with top orchestras, it was felt that a name better
reflecting its nature should be adopted. Philippa Tudor recalls
that members were invited to suggest new names, with the
winning suggestion receiving a period of free membership. She
suggested London Concert Choir – a straightforward statement
of what the choir does and a name which has since proved
unexpectedly helpful for finding LCC on the internet.
The change of name sums up how the choir had developed
in Donald’s 14 years with it. Donald retired as conductor of
the choir in 1987, but returned to conduct it together with the
City of London Choir for one final time in 1989 for a concert
of music by Berlioz, Saint-Saëns and Poulenc, part of the
Rhône-Poulenc series.
He left the choir with experience of tackling a wide range of
music and able to secure regular dates in the leading venues
and attract sponsorship from major companies. The musical
training and confidence that Donald imparted helped the choir
to improve its performance and reputation and to take on
new and different challenges.
28

Chapter Four
Making the
Music Happen
The choir has been singularly fortunate in its accompanists
and assistant conductors. Sylvia Tait accompanied the choir
under Robert Munns and Donald Cashmore, and often played
continuo and solo pieces on the harpsichord in concerts. Mary
Carmichael and Richard Barnes were assistant conductors in the
latter part of Robert’s time.
Paul Joslin, then organist at Holy Trinity Brompton, and
Andrew Lucas, now Master of the Music at St Alban’s Cathedral,
were assistant conductors under Donald Cashmore, and in
1986 it was Andrew who took over preparing the choir for the
performance of Verdi’s Requiem in the Royal Festival Hall
when Donald Cashmore became ill. He also rehearsed the
choir and conducted some concerts in the period between
Donald leaving and Gregory Rose taking up his appointment.
After Gregory Rose’s arrival, Stephen Layton, now renowned for
his work with Polyphony, ENO and the Holst Singers, worked
29

with the choir for a time, to be succeeded by Peter Barley, who
had followed Stephen as Organ Scholar at King’s College
Cambridge. Peter’s association with the choir lasted until he
left London to become Organist and Master of the Choristers
at St Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin in 2002. He was followed by
Alexander Mason and Anthony Kraus, both of whom secured
jobs outside London after a relatively short time with the
choir, and then by Benjamin Bayl. Prize-winning accompanist
Jonathan Beatty is currently assistant conductor and principal
accompanist of the choir.
Planning seasons with due regard to cost, opportunities for
bringing in financial support, securing dates at prestigious
venues and providing a variety for choir and audience
has always been a key role for the choir’s management. Each of
the conductors has participated in this constructively. During
Gregory Rose’s time with the choir a separate concert planning
sub-committee was established to enable a small group to give
greater focus to this task; he remembers it as a good setting in
which to bounce ideas around.
A new constitution was drawn up in 1974, after Donald
Cashmore’s appointment. For a time the choir operated as an
evening class under the auspices of the Inner London Education
Authority (ILEA), but this was abandoned when the increasing
number of members living outside its area became liable
30

under ILEA rules to higher subscriptions. Jeremy Groom
succeeded Peter Finch as treasurer and was subsequently
chairman, being in turn succeeded by Nicholas Walker,
Anthony Sharp, Colin Allies, David Greenwood, Deborah Bono,
Andrew Cullen, Alan Huw Smith and Bill Cook.
The nature and role of the committee have evolved significantly
over time. Anthony recalls: “When I joined the committee we
were very much what you would expect an amateur society to
be. I vaguely recall there was some sort of written constitution:
I recall a typewritten sheet with a rusty staple in the corner,
and our accounts were contained in a handwritten cash book.”
The organisational structure needed to develop to keep pace with
the growing scale of the choir’s activities and the increasing sums
of money involved. In 1996, the choir, already a registered charity,
became a company limited by guarantee, with Simon Livesey as
Company Secretary. Simon’s painstaking work on that change
and subsequently in ensuring that the choir meets the legal and
financial requirements of its status has been invaluable.
Encouraging friends and families and regular audience members
to be associated with the choir started from the earliest days,
and programmes from as far back as 1963 have lists of Patrons.
Now the choir has a number of loyal supporters, who are
rewarded by invitations to various special events and receptions.
Their continuing support is greatly appreciated.
31

EARLY DAYS
I found a seething mass of people packing Holy Trinity Brompton on the
weekly practice evening managed by Robert Munns in magisterial style. It
was an exciting time for the choir as they had decided to hire the Fairfield
Hall and the RPO to perform Brahms’ Requiem. It was exciting for me also,
as I had never sung in so grand a hall or with such an august orchestra.
- Peter Finch
My first concert was the Bach B Minor Mass to be performed at Brompton
Oratory with the City of London Choir in April. I worked terribly hard on
my piano at home, determined to succeed, and oh the thrill of that night
two months later when I was actually singing without relying on others. It
was the start of a wondrous journey of discovery of the wealth of choral
music in an amazing variety of styles.
As the years passed I and the choir improved. Increasingly we sang
on the South Bank and other venues. It was time to move on from
Brompton. The London Concert Choir was born, to go on to new heights
and achievements. Standards rose and we became more professional,
particularly in recent years.
And so there is always a new challenge, a new work to discover alongside
revisiting works we have previously sung. There are also new friends to be
made as well as keeping in touch with the old ones. Rehearsals are hard
work but also fun, and the friendly atmosphere adds to the joy of making
music. I feel enormously privileged that for 35 years I have belonged to
a choir that has continually moved forward, constantly stretches us, raises
standards, gives us expert tuition and is so enjoyable.
- Gilllian Perry
When I joined the choir in 1968, it almost became part of South
Kensington’s intonation, timbre and attitude. The beautiful purity of the
sopranos’ vowel sounds was matched by the enthusiastic scrumming of the
bass section towards the pub in the rehearsal break; only the fittest could
get there and back and sink a pint in the time allowed. . .
- Andrew Cullen
32

Bidding for and securing sponsorship, whether from commercial
organisations or charitable trusts, is a time-consuming
task. Successive chairmen, treasurers and, for a time, a paid
development manager (the late Helen Houghton) with other
members of the committee put enormous efforts into developing
and securing the choir’s financial base.
David Greenwood gives a flavour of the intensive work which was
needed as the choir broadened the scope of its activities:
Colin Allies, as chairman, and the committee together with Mark
initiated a strategic review of the choir. With the help of Helen
Houghton, a three-year plan was developed that involved, inter
alia, broadening the choir’s activities to include working with local
schools, appointing a Composer in Association (Simon Speare)
and participating in the Chelsea & Westminster Performance
Series. Given our rehearsal location just off the Gloucester Road
and our historic links to Kensington, we also sought to secure the
support of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
At the start of the implementation phase of the plan, Colin
had to stand down as chairman and I was asked if I would take
over. Not having been directly involved in the planning process
or indeed been on the committee, it was quite a sharp learning
curve! However, the committee and voice reps were a stalwart lot
and put up with me whilst I familiarised myself with the
intricacies of running a choir in a challenging environment.
To deliver the artistic plan, fundraising was a critical issue. In
this context, Helen Houghton was very influential in sourcing
additional revenue from grant‐making trusts and corporate
sponsors to support the work.
33

David Greenwood brought Alan Huw Smith onto his committee
in 2000 to develop financial management, which he continued
to do under the successive chairmanship of Deborah Bono and
Andrew Cullen, before becoming chairman himself. He writes:
Each season we were relying on low-budget church-based
concerts to subsidise a single annual heavily loss-making
concert with a major orchestra on the South Bank. Everything
was staked on it.
Sponsorship and grants made possible some other kinds of
activities but they could never be a major source of funding and
could too easily be swallowed up in the cost of external help in
obtaining them. We needed a business model that could be relied
on to keep the choir solvent while funding the major concerts
we wanted to give. We looked for new ways to undertake joint
promotions and share the risk of more high-cost concerts.
This business development was continued under Bill Cook’s
chairmanship and the last decade has seen the choir expand its
activities to the point where the revenue earned has increased
almost ten-fold to around £100,000. This has made possible more
concerts with major orchestras without fear of exhausting the
reserves and the choir can now confidently plan a season with
several concerts at major venues serving all London such as the
Cadogan Hall, the Barbican and the Southbank Centre.
The practical side of presenting music to audiences (which
includes engaging venues, orchestras and soloists, organising
publicity, preparing programmes, selling tickets etc.) relies
34

on many people working behind the scenes. All these tasks
have been done over the years almost entirely by volunteers and
several lasting and wide-ranging contributions stand out.
Patricia Barnes, who was treasurer and later concert manager
and administrator, was a perfect example of a multi-tasking
woman, fully and enthusiastically involved both in highlevel
planning, securing funding and liaising with venues and
artists and in more practical tasks.
Helen Beddall-Smith was at one time secretary and involved in
publicity and has for many years ensured that a team of ticket
and programme sellers and stewards is on hand where the choir
is responsible for front-of-house duties. Helen has persuasively
‘co-opted’ partners and friends of choir members, and
brought helpers from the Chance for Children Trust, a
charity devoted to providing music and arts experiences for
disadvantaged children and young people.
Successive membership secretaries have been responsible for
managing contact with choir members as well as the recruitment
of new members. Each voice section has a representative to
act as a channel of communication between the membership
and the committee. They also have an important role in
monitoring attendance and liaising over concert numbers.
The task of communication has been made much easier by the
internet and email; in earlier times an urgent message which
35

AUDITIONS
The first formal contact of members with conductors has always been the
dreaded audition. It has long been the practice to give potential new
members the chance to attend a few rehearsals before a formal audition,
so that they can decide whether the choir is for them, but an audition can
nonetheless be daunting, despite the efforts of successive conductors to
make it as pleasant as possible (especially when the potential member is a
tenor!). There has also always been a programme of periodic re-auditions,
necessary for maintaining standards, sometimes reassigning singers to
different parts and enabling conductors to give individual feedback.
Frances Shaw, who joined the choir in 1974, remembers her audition:
. . . Sheer terror – as I had never sung in a choir before nor learned to
read music. A neighbour persuaded me to come after a sing-song at a
communal garden party in Notting Hill, where lots of us lived in those
days. Fortified with a glass of port from the Ennismore Arms, I growled
my way into the second altos. Donald’s only comment was that he never
turned away pretty young women. A problem all his successors have had
to address musically. . .
Frances eventually graduated from second alto to first soprano.
Catering problems
I remember making vast quantities of pizza and coleslaw to offer the
guests after a summer concert in the late 1970s, but for some reason we
could not get into the hall to get it ready until after the performance, so we
got all the guests to go into a smaller venue to get drinks and snacks while
they were waiting but of course they got stuck well into the nuts and things
so by the time they were shunted along to the hall (under protest if I recall
correctly) they had no appetite for pizza and coleslaw and we ended up
donating most of it to a soup kitchen somewhere!
I also recall making quantities of sandwiches to feed the RPO between a
final rehearsal and performance, but they rather turned their noses up at
the somewhat amateurish results so there were a lot of sandwiches left
over as well. Can’t remember what happened to them but I suspect
someone (eg me) was left eating sandwiches for breakfast, lunch
and tea for a while.
- Isobel Cooper
36

needed to get to the membership (for example the cancellation
or last-minute change of venue for a rehearsal) involved the
section representatives in many telephone calls.
Nicholas Spence was treasurer for many years and then librarian.
Longer-standing members will remember how he used to refer
to giving members an annual sight test when presenting the
impeccably prepared but small‐type annual accounts and budget
at the annual general meeting. Anne Clayton has looked after
the bookkeeping and accounting of the choir over many
years and was treasurer herself for a time. Barbara Whent,
who followed Sue Logan as treasurer, combines the efficient
management of the choir’s finances with a high-powered job
requiring frequent foreign travel. Stephen Rickett has over more
than a decade done everything from organising trips abroad
and the fiftieth-anniversary party to photography and design.
Committee secretaries are often overlooked, but have always
been vital for ensuring the recording and transmission of
information, as well as a multitude of other tasks which
somehow do not seem to belong anywhere else. Some
tasks such as maintaining mailing lists and liaising with
supporters are now undertaken by others. Secretaries have
included Miss V Fyler, Mary Carmichael, Gill Barralet,
Miss F R Powell, Miss D Baker, Angela Lloyd Jones (who
married Peter Finch), Helen Beddall‐Smith, Anthea Simon,
37

LOOKING BACK
Throughout the many years I have always been amazed at the variety
of music we have sung. I know that there is no other choir that could
have offered the experience of singing such a wide musical programme,
under the excellent batons of Gregory and then Mark. These two men
are wonderful, inspirational conductors and have greatly added to my
enjoyment of being in a choir. But behind all this has been the committee –
volunteers willing to help the choir survive throughout the years.
- Gabriel West
It has been a hugely enjoyable 15 years for me and looking back over our
programmes during that time, it is remarkable what a range of work we
have undertaken – from Pérotin to Gershwin and on to Speare and to the
galaxies beyond in Star Wars not to mention Sea Symphonies, Masses and
Spem in Alium! The pinnacle for me, undoubtedly, has been in our 50th
year, singing the War Requiem not once but twice – a real privilege.
- David Greenwood
I have been a member of London Concert Choir since 1997, and the
Chariman from 2000–2001. My most enduring memory is of the richness
of British musical culture. I had been singing in American choirs for many
years, and had performed a wide range of music, but London Concert
Choir under Mark’s direction expanded both the choir’s and my musical
horizons enormously. It has been one of the most enriching times in my
life, and I am very grateful both for that opportunity and for my continued
association with the the group.
- Deborah Harper Bono
38

Dulcie Fairhurst, Ailsa Hornsby, Hilary Wootton (who was
also concert manager) and Tom Roques. Over most of the last
ten years Eleanor Cowie has acted as secretary, adding editing
and publicity to her role. Others who have served the choir in
a range of roles relating to finance, administration and publicity
include Sue Manzoni, Kevin Darnell and Melanie Mehta.
Sue McFadyen, who followed Hilary Wootton as concert manager
in the early 2000s, and was in turn succeeded by Will Tilden,
describes the role:
As concert manager time is spent visiting concert halls, booking
soloists and orchestras as well as contracting the above and
working closely with Mark, the rest of the committee and
the venue managers to make sure all runs smoothly at concerts.
When you work behind the scenes in an organisation like
the choir you definitely have to be flexible, have lots of energy
and above all a sense of humour. You may end up taking
sixty music stands to a venue for rehearsal, or the conductor’s
podium and lighting to your next concert!
The LCC Box Office has been run for nearly twenty years by
June Williams, with a succession of helpers. June sums up for
all those who have volunteered their time and talents in so many
ways over the years when she says: “I took over the box office
in 1991. I had had so much pleasure and fun from the choir
that I thought it was time to give something back.”
39

LONDON CONCERT CHOIR
Queen Elizabeth Hall
1994
40

Chapter Five
Continuing to Flourish
under Gregory Rose
1988–1996
Gregory Rose was appointed conductor of the choir in
September 1988, after the choir was once again invited to
choose from a short list. At the time of his appointment,
Gregory had worked with many international artists, including
John Lill, Jack Brymer and Moray Welsh, and composers such
as Stockhausen, John Cage, Steve Reich and Peter Eötvös, had
made television and radio appearances and recordings
for Hyperion, and was conductor of London Jupiter Orchestra,
Singcircle, Circle, Reading Symphony Orchestra and the
National Youth Choir of Wales, as well as appearing as a
guest conductor nationally and internationally.
Gregory’s years were characterised by the wide variety
of repertoire and by the choir’s continuing presence at
major London venues. The choir also made its first tours
abroad in these years.
41

Most concerts in this period were given at the Queen
Elizabeth Hall and St John’s Smith Square, with occasional
bigger concerts in the Royal Festival Hall. Churches including
St James’s Piccadilly, St James’s Sussex Gardens and St Paul’s
Knightsbridge were also used, particularly for carols. There
were performances of many of the best-loved classics such as
Bach’s Mass in B Minor (in which Gregory recalls the choir
excelled itself), Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Handel’s Messiah
and Mozart’s Requiem.
Gregory Rose and choir members carol singing (December1994)
42

Concerts in these years were often given with the London
Jupiter Orchestra formed by Gregory Rose. Among those which
attracted particular notice in the press was a concert given in
November 1990 to mark the 90th birthday of Aaron Copland.
The Times Diary of 26 July 1990 expressed regret that it looked
as if the anniversary would not be marked by any London
performance as an orchestral concert planned for December had
failed to attract sufficient sponsorship.
A letter from Gregory was published the next day pointing out that
London Concert Choir and the London Jupiter Orchestra would
be performing works by Copland including In the Beginning in
the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the exact day of his 90th birthday,
14 November 1990. (The date had been identified and booked
with the South Bank some time before.)
Robert Maycock wrote in The Independent of the performance:
“[In the Beginning] is a long and tricky sing, but the choir
produced one of their most urgent and fresh performances,
securely tuned and balanced.”
The programme also included the first complete performance of
Copland’s Old American Songs in the choral/orchestral version,
and is one which remains fixed in Gregory’s memory.
Some of the major enterprises put special demands on the
choir’s resources of all kinds. At the end of May 1990, the
43

GREGORY ROSE:
Reflecting over the period that I conducted London Concert Choir fills me
with huge pleasure, and brings back memories of wonderful concerts. But
it also brings back the enormous enjoyment of the weekly rehearsals and
the delight in meeting my friends – the choir – each week. In addition I
can see a journey of my own where, in conjunction with many enjoyable
‘programme planning sub-committee’ sessions, I helped frame concert
seasons, putting in a few new discoveries of my own or other members’
suggestions, that have remained special for me.
I think particularly of my first encounter with Beethoven’s friend,
Johann Nepomuk Hummel in the excellent ‘Beethoven Plus’ Series that took
place on the South Bank in the 1988 season. We were asked if we could
include in our Queen Elizabeth Hall programme one of Hummel’s five
Masses. This was my first concert with LCC.
It was a nightmare finding the choral scores, the main score and parts
for this mass, but, after intensive detective work, we were able to perform
the mass, and it was for me a revelation and the beginning of a personal
interest in Hummel which culminated in publications of my editions of
Hummel and a recording for Naxos.
I also loved putting in pieces by such masters as Janácek and Liszt, and
including the quirky Pavane by Fauré, alongside his famous Requiem,
and sneaking in a piece of Salieri next to Schubert’s glorious Mass in G
as well as the gorgeous, rarely-performed Christmas piece by Rossini:
La Notte del Santo Natale.
Above all I still feel the warmth of the choir in those weekly rehearsals in
South Kensington, from the warming up to the rigorous note-bashing and
gradual growth from note-correcting to music-making. These were happy
times and I remember my period as conductor with tremendous delight.
44

Netherlands Wind Ensemble, formed of solo players from the
most prestigious Dutch orchestras, came for its London debut
of two concerts, one with the choir in the Queen Elizabeth
Hall and a second instrumental one (promoted by the choir) in
St John’s Smith Square.
Four ‘Gold’ supporters, including Akzo Chemicals, who
continued to support the choir for several years afterwards,
were recruited, and a Dutch flower supplier found to give flowers
and London florists to arrange them. But there were also more
mundane practical arrangements. An extra airline seat had
to be booked for the contrabassoon and a volunteer spouse
with estate car recruited to meet and transport the double bass
(and player) from Heathrow to the South Bank.
A choir member accompanied other players with less bulky
instruments on the Piccadilly Line to the rehearsal on the
South Bank – not perhaps the most relaxing introduction to
London for them!
The choir also continued its tradition of promoting new works,
not least those by its President, Professor Peter Dickinson.
It had given the first London performance of his Outcry in
the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 15 March 1988 under Nicholas
Cleobury shortly before Gregory Rose took up his appointment;
the work was recorded a few days later in the hall of
University College School.
45

In the words of the composer:
Outcry is a protest against the maltreatment of the animal
kingdom by man, expressed through settings of poems by
William Blake, Thomas Hardy and John Clare. It concludes that
man is to blame for his disharmony with the Universe which is
only on loan to each generation.
The performance was noticed in the national press; Simon Heffer
in the Daily Telegraph wrote:
It is meant as a compliment to say that the work is reminiscent
of Britten at his best . . . the crispness of the choir’s enunciation
made the literal outcry coherent . . . After the interval a rare
performance of Vaughan Williams’ Five Tudor Portraits received
a rousing reception. The choir’s precision and sensitivity were
exceptional . . .
In 1990 the choir gave the first performance of Dickinson’s
Tienanmen 1989 in St John’s Smith Square. This work, for double
choir and tubular bells, was commissioned by the choir with
funds from Greater London Arts and was designed as a tribute,
one year on, to the students who were killed in Tienanmen
Square in June 1989. The text is based on documentary sources
relating events and dates as they occurred and the music is
based on tunes heard or sung at the time. The work was
repeated in July 1993 in St James’s Piccadilly together with
the first performance of Expedition to the North Pole by
Michael Parsons.
46

OUTCRY
Recorded in 1988 shortly after the first performance
by London Concert Choir and City of London Sinfonia
47

In June 1994, the choir promoted a major concert of works
by Rachmaninov (Vesna [Spring], Piano Concerto No. 2
and The Bells) in the Royal Festival Hall with the London
Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir and Russian tenor
Vladimir Solodovnikov in aid of the Spastics Society (then about
to change its name to Scope, as it is now known).
Gregory counts this as another of his highlights, but in spite
of the considerable work in planning, and the enjoyment for
the choir of performing very different music, the size of the
audience was disappointing and the choir was left with a
substantial financial loss. Thanks to the very considerable
efforts of the then chairman Anthony Sharp, the treasurer
Nicholas Spence and others on the committee, who drew up
and implemented a financial recovery plan, including a pledges
auction, the situation was resolved over the following months.
The choir frequently collaborated with other charities in these
years. In 1992 one of its Queen Elizabeth Hall concerts was
given in aid of Trinity Hospice Clapham, and in 1995 a major
Mozart gala concert was in aid of the Royal Marsden Hospital’s
CT Scanner Appeal.
The choir’s now established presence on the South Bank led to
engagements outside the concerts it promoted itself. At Christmas
1989 it took part in the London Talkback Radio carols at Covent
Garden Piazza and was the choir for the London Fire Brigade’s
48

RACHMANINOV CONCERT
Concert poster
9 June 1994
49

MEMORIES
The fashion shoot
Shortly before Christmas 1994, the sister of a friend of June Williams,
freelance fashion journalist Janet Impey, approached June to see if the choir
would be interested in a singing and modelling photo shoot. Volunteers
from the choir met on a cold night in a hotel in Queen’s Gate. They were
kitted out in warm model coats, scarves and hats and walked up the road
to the Natural History Museum where they were photographed singing by
lamp and candlelight. An article ‘Oh come all ye tuneful’ with one of the
photoshoot pictures of Gregory Rose and choir members and a photograph
of the whole choir together with details of the choir and its next concert
duly appeared in The Times.
Veronese at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital
In 1997 the choir was invited by the hospital Chaplain and the Director
of Arts to sing at the thanksgiving service to mark the return of Veronese’s
Resurrection to the hospital following cleaning and restoration; choir
member June Williams then worked at the hospital. She remembers that the
response for volunteers was such that names had to be drawn from a hat.
Peter Barley rehearsed the choir and played the organ. The restoration was
reported in The Times.
The RUSSIAN TENOR
At the final rehearsal on the Monday before the 1994 concert of
Rachmaninov’s The Bells and Vesna the tenor soloist was present,
an unusual luxury. A member recalls him sitting at the edge of the the hall
in Baden‐Powell House reading the score of Vesna as we rehearsed it and
Gregory Rose being a little surprised when he didn’t start singing when the
tenor comes in. His reply to Gregory was in the form of a question – was
he meant to be performing Vesna as well as The Bells? It turned out that his
agent had made a mistake and although the choir had booked him to sing
both works he had been told only about The Bells. Fortunately there were
three days left before the concert.
50

carols in Central Hall Westminster. In Christmas 1993 it
formed the choir for a Carol Concert for Home Start (a charity
helping young families under stress) in the Guards Chapel; an
inspiring venue although the ladies of the choir were warned that
cloakroom facilities would be limited!
The choir also ventured into the world of musical theatre with
a concert of Gershwin Pops at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in
November 1995. As well as choruses from George Gershwin’s
opera Porgy and Bess, the programme included choral
arrangements of several well known songs from his musicals
(‘Let’s call the whole thing off ’, ‘The man I love’), some in new
arrangements by Gregory Rose.
This led later, in 1997, to the choir being invited to take part in a
concert at the Royal Albert Hall for the centenary of Ira Gershwin’s
birth which was recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 2
and national television and featured Larry Adler, Ruthie Henshall,
David Soul and Charles Dance among others.
For many years a number of the choir also sang carols at the
Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall in the pre-Christmas
period. In 1995 the choir performed at the Barbican Hall for the
first time in a Hochhauser Grand Classical Gala, singing wellknown
opera choruses. New venues and different repertoire were
always stimulating, and such events helped the choir financially
as well as raising its profile.
51

A longer charitable association was with SeeAbility (formerly
the Royal School for the Blind). This began in 1995, with the first
in a series of annual carol concerts in Leatherhead, which
continued under Mark Forkgen. They were initially held in
the SeeAbility chapel but following redevelopment moved to
Leatherhead Parish Church. This was always an enjoyable part
of the Christmas season; the enthusiasm of the residents and
supporters, reinforced by excellent mince pies and mulled wine
in the interval, created a particularly warm atmosphere in which
to sing carols, and the contributions of the SeeAbility choir,
composed of singers with visual and other impairments, were
particularly moving.
The choir performed Brahms’ Requiem in the Sheldonian
Theatre Oxford in May 1993 as part of the Music at Oxford
series. Performing away from London always provides greater
opportunity for social contact than is possible in the normal
rehearsal interval.
From time to time the choir also held summer parties and other
social events. Sponsored walks took place annually from 1992
to 1995, the money raised being shared with Trinity Hospice or
SeeAbility, some of whose members (helpers and blind people)
joined the choir on the walks.
A party was held to mark Gregory leaving the choir, with food and
musical entertainment provided by members of the choir.
52

MUSIC AT OXFORD
Concert poster
15 May1993
53

Gregory Rose is remembered for his extensive and varied choice
of music and exploration for singers and audiences of less
familiar works from the twelfth to the twentieth centuries. His
final concert with the choir in June 1996 demonstrated this; the
works performed at St John’s Smith Square ranged from Alleluia
posui auditorium, a setting of Psalm 89 verse 19 by Pérotin,
a twelfth‐century composer from Notre Dame Cathedral in
Paris, to works by the twentieth‐century composers Arvo Pärt
and Henryk Górecki.
54

Chapter Six
Overseas Trips
PARIS 1992
The choir’s first overseas trip was to Paris in October 1992 to
give a concert as part of the British Choral Festival in Paris and
Chartres. Most of a party of 58 (including some non-singing
partners) left London by coach early on Friday afternoon
and eventually reached the accommodation in Paris in which
they were staying late in the evening. The party was split between
two hotels and the coach driver had to be guided round small
Paris streets with the help of maps choir members had brought
with them. No satellite navigation in those days!
The concert, conducted by Gregory Rose and with Peter Barley
playing the organ, included two of Handel’s Coronation Anthems,
Janáček’s Otčenáš and Lizst’s Missa Choralis.
It took place in the sixteenth‐century Église St Merri, near the
Pompidou Centre, where Saint-Saëns was once organist. One of
those in the audience can still recall the sound of Zadok the Priest
swelling to fill the church. The audience was appreciative.
55

Anthony Sharp found a restaurant where the whole party could
have a meal together after the concert, and had taken much
trouble to discuss the menu and agree a good price. He circulated
the menu choices and duly faxed the restaurant with what
everyone had chosen.
Janet Wells, June Williams and Gabriel West on the ferry/
Gregory Rose contemplates the memorial to Hector Berlioz
He was therefore (for once) completely thrown when they
produced exactly the same menu for the whole group. The
restaurant said that they had received the fax, but thought that
the numbers represented preference votes, and that the most
56

popular choice for each course was what the whole party wanted!
This did not at all detract from the enjoyment of the evening.
Even more than concerts in the UK outside London, overseas
trips provide an opportunity for choir members to get to know
each other socially more than is possible in the normal weekly
rehearsals. The choir was able to enjoy the sights of Paris on the
Sunday morning before the return journey.
BRUGES 1995
Two and a half years later, in May 1995, the choir made a second
trip, this time to Bruges, to give a concert in the St Jakobskerk,
an early Gothic church in the city centre founded in 1240. As
with the Paris trip, most of the party travelled by coach and ferry,
leaving London on Friday and returning on Sunday evening. The
weather was kind, with members able to eat in the open in the
city’s squares on arrival on Friday evening and to enjoy the
canals and architecture of the city during the weekend.
The musical programme again featured works by Handel and
Janáček, this time with two Purcell anthems and Kodály’s
Missa Brevis; as in Paris, Gregory Rose conducted and Peter
Barley played the organ.
A meal in the hotel followed the concert, after which some
energetic members of the party went out to enjoy the nightlife
of Bruges. The trip included an unscheduled walk of several
57

hundred yards, carrying luggage, to join the coach on the
Sunday afternoon! It was unable to get to the hotel to pick up the
group as arranged because roads were closed for a cycle race.
AMSTERDAM 1997
The next trip abroad, organised by David Greenwood, was
to Amsterdam in March 1997. This time most of the party
travelled by air. The concert was given in the English Church
in the Begijnhof, with proceeds going to the fund for the
reconstruction of the church organ fund. The Begijnhof was
originally the home of a religious order dedicated to educating
the poor and looking after the sick, and is an attractive green
surrounded by beautiful ancient houses shut off from the bustle
of central Amsterdam. It made a tranquil place to assemble before
the concert and to enjoy during the short break in the music.
The programme included choral works by Maurice Greene,
Palestrina, Purcell, Górecki, Pärt, Howells, Elgar and S S Wesley,
and organ pieces by Blow and Georg Böhm. Mark Forkgen
conducted and Peter Barley played the organ. A Dutch member
of the choir, Wendelien Verbeek, had identified an excellent
typical Amsterdam restaurant for the choir meal following
the concert, and there was as usual free time for members
of the choir to enjoy the canals, museums and other
highlights of the city.
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CANNES 1999
The most ambitious foreign venture so far was the trip to Cannes
in June 1999 to take part in the annual Fête de la musique which
takes place in France each 21 June and is marked by events to
celebrate and encourage music in cities, towns and villages
throughout the country. The Royal Borough of Kensington
and Chelsea is twinned with Cannes, and the Cultural
Directorate of Cannes invited the choir to sing with the
Orchestre Régional de Cannes Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur in
Cannes’ covered market, Marché Forville, in the main evening
concert on Monday 21 June.
The choir line up before singing at Marché Forville
59

With arrangements co-ordinated by Stephen Rickett, the choir
travelled to Cannes on the preceding Friday, most by air but a
smaller group by train. There was some free time and some
rehearsal on the Saturday, and on Sunday the choir gave a concert
at the Chapelle Notre-Dame de Brusc at Chateauneuf-de-Grasse,
on a site already occupied in the Bronze Age and a major centre
of pilgrimage in the eleventh century. This was arranged with
the kind help of Madame Hudig, aunt of a choir member,
who lived nearby.
The concert was accompanied by Peter Barley at the piano
and included Zadok the Priest, Stravinsky’s Mass, Bruckner’s
Mass in E minor and Parry’s I was glad. It was reviewed in
Nice Matin under the heading ‘Somptueux concert vocal en la
Madame Hudig presented with flowers at Grasse/Flyer for Fête de la Musique
60

chapelle de Brusc’, the report recording that the audience had
demanded a repeat of the piece sung as an encore, the Hallelujah
chorus, so that they could hear the music again from outside the
chapel. It was a memorable afternoon in the sun of Provence,
followed by a most enjoyable meal at a local restaurant.
The choir showed the best of the British choral tradition
throughout the preparations for the main concert as well as
at the concert itself. The French conductor and orchestra, who
initially gave the impression that they were unsure what to
expect, seemed to be struck by the way the choir concentrated
and delivered the music right from the first run-through. The
choir concluded the evening programme, performed to a packed
audience, with classics from the choral repertoire including
Handel’s Zadok the Priest (or Zakadok as the French announcer
styled it), the Hallelujah chorus and other music from Messiah, and
Land of Hope and Glory (though a passing motorcycle threatened
to drown some quieter passages from Brahms’ Requiem). Mark
Forkgen and the conductor of the orchestra shared the direction.
The audience reaction was certainly enthusiastic.
Again, the trip provided a welcome opportunity for socialising
with other members of the choir. There was time to enjoy the
town or the beach near the hotel, and a reception at the hotel
on the Saturday evening, as well as the meal that followed the
Sunday concert. The unlucky thirteen who had travelled by train
61

had some further adventures on the homeward journey when
the high‐speed train broke down at Lyon, resulting in missed
connections and general inconvenience.
The fact that the choir was able to manage the musical and
organisational aspects of such a trip successfully and overcome
the inevitable minor problems was a real demonstration of the
progress it had made on all fronts since its first venture abroad.
Appreciative feedback was received from the Kensington and
Chelsea authorities.
GERMANY 2003
In the summer of 2003 the choir undertook a short tour of the
Bodensee (Lake Constance) area of Germany. This was in fact a
‘three country’ tour, as the region is where Germany, Switzerland
and Austria meet. The choir flew into Switzerland, stayed in
Austria and performed in Germany. They had to be reminded
to carry passports to concerts as the coach had to pass through
Switzerland while going from Austria to Germany. Colin Allies, a
former chairman, was the leading light in setting up this concert,
as he had family connections in the area. The tour operator’s
meticulous planning, and close liaison with the choir, ensured
that the tour proceeded without a hitch.
Two concerts were given, at the Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Singen and
the Schlosskirche Friedrichshafen. Mark Forkgen conducted and
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Poster for the concert at Friedrichshafen/Rehearsal at Singen
Anthony Kraus played the organ. The Friedrichshafen concert
opened its summer season of concerts. The varied programme
for both concerts consisted of works by Rachmaninov, Kodály,
Elgar, Bruckner, Gardner, Fauré, Britten, Mendelssohn,
Vaughan Williams and Stravinsky. While the choir produced its
own programme (in German), most of the facilitation locally was
provided by Sönke Wittnebel, Georg Koch, Bernhard Conrads
and Waltraud Allies.
The press were present for both concerts and favourable reviews
were published in the Schwäbische Zeitung and the Südkurier.
63

The Schwäbische Zeitung review concluded with a reference to
the final lines of Elgar’s Give unto the Lord which refer to the
‘Blessing of Peace.’ This seemed doubly appropriate given that
Friedrichshafen was the wartime home of the Dornier aircraft
manufacturing company and therefore the town attracted
the attention of allied bombing. Indeed, the porch of the
Schlosskirche contained photos of bomb damage to the church.
The review of the Singen concert recorded that “at the end of
the programme the enthusiastic audience remained standing,
applauding until the very last singer had left the nave”
(translation by Jutta Raftery).
The choir was accommodated in a pleasant hotel in a small village
to the south of Bregenz on the Austrian side of the Bodensee. The
trip started with a reception at the hotel, and a coach was available
to take the choir to its concert in Singen. On the following day
many choir members took the opportunity to travel by lake
steamer from Bregenz to the concert in Friedrichshafen.
Following the concert there was a reception and meal at the
Seehotel, Friedrichshafen, which was enjoyed by choir members
and those who had worked on our behalf in Germany. The
Bodensee region is not heavily advertised in the UK as a
holiday destination so many choir members were pleasantly
surprised by the natural beauty of the area and there were
resolutions to visit it again.
64

DUBLIN 2005
In June 2005 the choir spent a weekend in Dublin to renew
acquaintance with Peter Barley, who was then Organist and
Master of the Choristers at St Patrick’s Cathedral.
On the Saturday evening they gave a concert of ‘Hymns to the
Virgin’ in St Bartholomew’s Church, which is known for its
High Anglican liturgical tradition and fine music. Mark Forkgen
conducted and the organist was Benjamin Bayl.
The concert included choral works by composers from Palestrina
to Pärt, and was very well received, although a clash with
the World Cup qualifying match between Ireland and Israel
at nearby Lansdowne Road reduced the size of the audience.
Rehearsal for Evensong in St Patrick’s Cathedral
65

Members of the choir about to board the Dublin amphibious sightseeing tour
The choir sang Evensong in St Patrick’s Cathedral on Sunday
afternoon, raising the roof with their performance of Bruckner’s
Os Justi. The trip also allowed also plenty of time for socialising
and sightseeing; members of the choir enjoyed visiting
Trinity College and other landmarks, walking by the river and
sampling the stout.
66

Chapter Seven
Reaching 50
with Mark Forkgen
1996–
Mark Forkgen was appointed Musical Director from September
1996: the clear choice of the choir after the short-listed
candidates had taken turns to conduct a rehearsal. At the time
of his appointment, Mark was Director of Canticum, the
London-based chamber choir. He was also Conductor of the
Scottish Schools Orchestra and was on the selection panel
for the Society for the Promotion of New Music.
Mark had been Organ Scholar of the Temple Church and
then at Queens’ College Cambridge and was awarded a
scholarship to study conducting at the Guildhall School of
Music and Drama, working during his time there as assistant
conductor to Mstislav Rostropovich for a production of
a rarely-performed Prokofiev opera. Having completed
his course at the Guildhall he was appointed Assistant
Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the
67

MARK FORKGEN’S TOP TEN
I had originally planned a ‘Top Five’ but it became very obvious that I had
too many favourite concerts or ventures from the last fourteen years. This
list, which is in chronological order, is not designed to highlight the best,
but simply those that still live with me today. I could have expanded the
list but decided not to, so a few had to drop out. I reluctantly parted with
Dido and Aeneas, Elijah and the Gretchaninov Vespers!
One thing that sets LCC apart from other choruses is our willingness to do
something different and tackle pieces that many of the choir haven’t sung
before. The journey through the rehearsal process is I believe where the
spirit of the choir thrives.
Haydn: The Creation
June 1998, Queen Elizabeth Hall
For me this was the day the choir came of age. The singing was positive
and rhythmic. In fact the whole performance had a real energy and vitality.
The City of London Sinfonia was on top form and the soloists, including
James Gilchrist, were first class.
Tippett: A Child of our Time
July 2001, Queen Elizabeth Hall
I have conducted this piece a number of times and it is always a deeply
moving experience. In our performance the contemplative sections were
contrasted with a middle section of almost savage brutality and intensity.
‘Go Down Moses’ was overwhelmingly powerful.
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
July 2002, Queen Elizabeth Hall
This was probably the scariest concert I’ve ever conducted. As many will
recall, I only made the last five minutes of the rehearsal after my plane
was impounded by the drugs squad, followed by a white-knuckle ride from
Heathrow on the back of a motorbike!
Needless to say the performance had an incredible sense of spontaneity
and everyone on stage was literally on the edge of their seats. Members of
the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra still remember it, with real relish in their
eyes! The end of ‘Praise to the Holiest’ was, up until this year, the greatest
single moment in our concert performances.
68

Mark Forkgen rehearses the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Barbican Hall (2008)
Bournemouth Sinfonietta and won the second prize and the
audience prize at the Leeds Conducting Competition. After two
years with the Bournemouth orchestras, he decided to take his
career forward as a guest conductor working with a number of
leading orchestras. He is now Director of Music at Tonbridge
School and Conductor of Dorset Youth Orchestra.
The new regime prompted renewed efforts to find a more
comfortable rehearsal venue. A move was made in 1997 to the
nearby hall of St Stephen’s, Gloucester Road, still in Kensington
and Chelsea. This was used as a nursery school by day and
69

Composer in Association Simon Speare at the Southbank Centre/
Flyer for premiere of Frost at Midnight (1999)
there were always paintings to brighten up the hall, though
the models and mobiles could on occasion be something of an
obstruction as well as a visual delight.
From the outset, Mark furthered the choir’s commitment to
performing new pieces with London premieres. One of the first
concerts under Mark’s direction, in March 1997, was the London
premiere, in St John’s Smith Square, of a reconstruction by
Anders Gomme of Bach’s St Mark Passion. In June 1997 the
first London performance of Christopher Brown’s Oundle Jubilate
was given with the St Marylebone School Chamber Choir.
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Then in 1998 the choir was able to appoint Simon Speare as
Composer in Association, for which grants were received
from the Britten-Pears Foundation, the Holst Foundation and
the London Arts Board/NFMS Voluntary Promoters’ Special
Activities Fund. There followed world premieres of three works
written especially for the choir.
Frost at Midnight, first performed in the Queen Elizabeth
Hall in March 1999, was based on a poem by Samuel Taylor
Coleridge focusing on new life, which the composer intended as
a balance to Brahms’ Requiem performed at the same concert.
The work reflected his own emotions as it was composed shortly
before the birth of his first child. A Saturday workshop with
Simon Speare helped the choir understand the work and what
had inspired it.
The next piece, Echo Songs, was first performed in Southwark
Cathedral in November 1999 and was designed to complement
the cathedral acoustic, with the choir divided and sent to different
parts of the building.
Simon Speare’s third piece, The Angels, involved children from
North Kensington primary schools. Thanks to a BT/NFMS
Developing Musical Life award, Simon Speare led a series of
workshops in schools, supported by members of the choir,
using ideas and themes from his pieces to inspire the children to
compose and perform music of their own.
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MARK FORKGEN’S TOP TEN, continued
Vaughan Williams: Mass in G minor
November 2002, Temple Church
This piece is normally home territory for chamber or cathedral choirs so it
provided a real challenge for us. We managed to make it work in both a
symphonic and choral sound world which seemed to highlight the majesty
of the music. The wonderful acoustics at the Temple helped enormously
and we held our pitch beautifully – something which isn’t always the
case in this piece. The professional choir at the church had been singing at
a dinner that night and were returning their music during our concert. I was
inundated with messages of congratulations. They were simply amazed
that a choir of our size and nature could perform to such a level in this
repertoire.
German Tour
July 2003, Friedrichshafen
I have toured in many countries with many different groups and this stands
out as one of the most enjoyable. It had everything a good tour needs:
two excellent concerts in great venues with full houses; time for socialising;
excursions were good fun and the weather was fantastic.
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
March 2008, Barbican Hall
The Beethoven is incredibly demanding, both vocally and musically. For this
reason it is no longer core repertoire for choruses. Our performance was a
monumental evening, in keeping with the piece itself. The symphonic nature
of the work meant that the choir only really appreciated it on the day
but the beauty of the ‘Benedictus’ and the unbounded joy of the ‘Gloria’
showed why this work should still be performed.
Ellington: Sacred Concert
November 2008, Cadogan Hall
Thinking back to this concert just makes me smile. It was probably the most
fun we’ve had. The big band and Nina Bennet were a real joy. The choir
responded so well to performing the work on a ‘nod and a wink’ from the
piano rather than being ‘conducted’. This allowed me to play the piano
and helped give the whole performance a tremendous spontaneity and a
real sense of occasion.
72

The children gave a premiere of their pieces in July 2000 at
St Mary Abbot’s Church in Kensington as part of a choir concert.
Building on this, a series of vocal workshops was held to enable
some of the pupils to form the children’s choir for the premiere of
The Angels in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in October 2000.
Performed with Mozart’s Requiem, this work looks at death more
intensely, drawing its text from Dickens and Updike.
During these years the choir enjoyed building on the experience
of Russian music that it had gained under Gregory Rose. In
March 1998 Rachmaninov’s Vespers was performed in St John’s
Smith Square. As Mark wrote at the time: “Seventy minutes
of unaccompanied music in Church Slavonic is quite an
achievement for any choir. It was certainly a step up for us.”
The extent to which the audience were moved was summed up in
a letter from six Russian tourists who attended the performance:
We were astonished to hear your beautiful voices singing
Rachmaninov’s Vespers in our own language. We could not help
being moved by it, we cried openly . . . It was also very touching
to see that the English audience at the concert was also moved.
We were amazed by your professionalism, the polyphony of your
beautiful voices and their harmony.
It was an excellent, unforgettable performance . . . what joy and
happiness we experienced listening to you in the centre of England,
in its heart – London – singing Russian canticles on the eve of the
Feast of the Resurrection.
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40TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY
HMS President
September 2000
74

In subsequent years, the choir performed church music by
Tchaikovsky and Gretchaninov.
The choir’s 40th anniversary in 2000 was marked musically by
a special concert concluding appropriately with Tallis’s 40-part
anthem Spem in alium sung from the gallery of St Luke’s Church
Chelsea. Socially, the occasion was celebrated by a party on
board HMS President, moored on the Thames, organised by social
secretary Sue McFadyen. It was an ideal place for a celebration
and for longer-standing members of the choir to meet old
friends. Guests danced the night away on board in ceilidh style.
Rehearsal at Bloomsbury Baptist Church (2011)
75

MARK FORKGEN’S TOP TEN, continued
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2, ‘Lobgesang’
March 2009, Barbican Hall
I’d wanted to do this piece for years, but was often met with the obvious and
sensible line that “No-one’s ever heard of it”. I was so pleased that a number
of the present committee’s eyes lit up when I mentioned it again in hope rather
than expectation. The concert itself was a real tour de force: the ‘small-scale’
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was at its best; Erica Eloff and Nathan Vale
shone in the magical solo writing and the choruses simply buzzed with the
choir’s obvious love of the music.
Christmas Concerts 2009
St Martin-in-the-Fields and St Columba’s Pont Street
Our ‘2009 Christmas Series’ was probably the most consistent in my time
with the choir, spanning three wholly choral concerts. The tuning was rock
solid and the choir was completely at ease in unaccompanied numbers
where dynamics and phrasing were changed as we performed. There was a
great feeling of unity and proportion in the musical gestures – something so
important in this repertoire.
Britten: War Requiem
March 2010, Barbican Hall
A life-long ambition realised and probably the choir’s greatest night both
musically and as an organisation. The sheer scale of the venture was a great
achievement in itself; the style in which it was realised was another. The
rehearsals prior to the day with the quite magnificent Southbank Sinfonia
meant that we could all relax in the knowledge that everyone on stage was
completely on top of their role. This was a big occasion for them as well as
Adrian Thompson and Roddy Williams, who were simply peerless. The final
climax and denouement were the greatest moments I’ve experienced
in my musical life.
Wilfred Owen’s nephew Peter Owen, used to hearing the work, commented:
The experience gets better and better and London Concert Choir’s performance
was absolutely no exception. The choir was powerful, surrounding us with
sound that rolled over us, and the children’s choir added an almost mystic
dimension with voices seeming to come from nowhere . . . Wilfred would have
been beside himself hearing his words sung with such verve.
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As numbers grew after 2000 it became clear that the choir was
outgrowing St Stephen’s Hall both because of the restricted
space (moving around during the rehearsal break was quite a
challenge) and the less than satisfactory acoustic. There followed
trials of several alternative venues over the next few years,
including a prolonged period at Pimlico School. Finally the
choir’s current rehearsal base at Bloomsbury Central Baptist
Church was decided on. Both the acoustic and the shape,
with the choir in a semicircle around the conductor, meet the
choir’s needs well. The move signalled a clear break with the
choir’s roots in west London, the home ground of many of its
longest-standing members.
Under Mark Forkgen the choir continued to explore opera
and musical theatre as well as sacred works. Purcell’s Dido and
Aeneas was performed in St Augustine’s Church Kensington in
2004, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at the Barbican in 2006 and a
selection of music from Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals
at the Cadogan Hall in 2007. Getting into character as witches,
residents of the American Deep South and Oklahoma farming
folk, and tackling such a variety of music, was great fun.
In 2008, the choir performed Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert
with a jazz ensemble at the Cadogan Hall, embracing yet another
musical style, and subsequently joined in another performance of
the Sacred Concert at Tonbridge School.
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The traditional choral repertoire was not neglected. The requiems
of Mozart, Verdi, Brahms and Duruflé have all featured. From
the eighteenth century Handel’s Israel in Egypt in 2003 and
Haydn’s Creation in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1998 stand out.
In July 2006 the choir gave the London premiere in the Cadogan
Hall of a completed version of Mozart’s Mass in C minor. This
had been reconstructed for Novello by the distinguished Mozart
scholar Philip Wilby, who was present at the performance and
gave it his approval.
When the choir’s chairman Bill Cook was Master of the
Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London in 2008, he
was able to arrange a rare opportunity for the choir to perform
Haydn’s Creation in the magnificent setting of the City of
London’s Guildhall. The concert was promoted jointly with the
Glass Sellers and the occasion was in aid of their projects to
assist and educate disadvantaged Londoners.
Mark decided that the choir should sing not with each section
in a block as is usual but with all the voices mixed up – so that
no one singer was next to anyone else singing the same part.
Reaction from the audience and the choir was uniformly
favourable. It was certainly a measure of how the choir
had progressed musically; Mark acknowledged that
this was not something he would have done in his early
years with the choir.
78

Rehearsing Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony with the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Festival Hall (2005)
In July 2009 the choir marked the 250th anniversary of
Handel’s death with a programme of his music, including the
Foundling Hospital Anthem. The concert was given in aid of
Coram, the charity started by Thomas Coram, who established
the Foundling Hospital. Coram is still working with vulnerable
children and young people and their families.
From the nineteenth century, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2,
Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise), performed in the Barbican
Hall in 2008, impressed many as a too-rarely performed
piece, and the choir tackled Beethoven’s monumental
Missa Solemnis again a year later. This was followed by his
79

Mass in C and the finale from Fidelio in the final concert
of the 2009–10 season.
Moving into the twentieth century, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius
was performed in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 2002 and
Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast and Delius’s Sea Drift in 2004 in
St George’s Cathedral Southwark. In March 2005 the choir
returned to the Royal Festival Hall to perform Vaughan
Williams’ Sea Symphony as part of SeaBritain 2005, a series of
events and festivals on the theme of Britain and the sea to mark
the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death
of Nelson. The choir revisited a perennial favourite, Britten’s
St Nicolas, in 2007.
A consequence of the choir’s growing ambition and profile was
the growing number of engagements to sing for charities and
in other promotions. The choir’s connection with SeeAbility
continued with annual carol concerts, and invitations to sing at
Lambeth Palace at a reception for their 200th anniversary in 1998
and at a further reception in St James’s Palace.
In April 2005 the choir sang in St Martin‐in‐the‐Fields in the
Lord Mayor of Westminster’s Gala Concert in the presence of
Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
with Sir Donald Sinden giving readings. In September of
that year the choir gave a concert of unaccompanied music
at the Greek Cathedral of Aghia Sofia for Chios Nature, a
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charity devoted to preserving the wildlife and habitat of Chios
and other islands.
That contact with the Greek community led to an engagement
in April 2006 to sing in the Royal Albert Hall with Greek
composer Stamatis Spanoudakis, whose music was described
as ‘a unique fusion of Classical and Rock music flavoured with
Byzantine influences.’ The choir enjoyed the experience of
different music and performing to an audience that was not the
normal London classical concert audience.
In 2005 and 2006 LCC joined with the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra in their annual Spirit of Christmas concerts at the
Cadogan Hall. In the following year the choir was invited by
the RPO to sing in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as part of
a complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies and to form the
chorus for a concert performance of Bizet’s Carmen narrated
by Brian Blessed, as part of the annual Hampton Court Festival.
Perhaps the most unusual engagement with the RPO was
participating in Star Wars: A Musical Journey at the O2 arena in
2009, a live multimedia performance featuring music from all six
Star Wars films and a giant 100‐foot video screen.
The choir was also involved in bringing music to a wider
audience through a BT/NFMS Developing Musical Life grant.
This enabled the choir to give a free, informal preview
81

at connections. the Chelsea In Westminster summer 2009 Hospital Sue MacFadyen of the three organised major a
concerts in in the Hadleigh 1998/99 Parish season, Church, singing Suffolk, in a space where opening she had
onto recently the main moved atrium from so London. that patients She recalls: and visitors could hear.
It was It a was major a chance achievement for me, as to I be am one based of there, only fourteen to really get winners onto
of these awards publicity (and bring the only in as one many based people in as London), possible. and The a main still
greater problem one to we be have the when first we to win do outside a second concerts award is how for the to attract work
an audience. With the programmes and flyers taken care of from
with schools undertaken with Simon Speare.
London I was able to target the local radio station, free papers and
As well local as businesses overseas trips, to put there word were round a number that LCC of was opportunities coming to
for the sing choir ‘Music to for A sing Summer away Evening’ from in central St Mary’s London Church. in these
years, sometimes repeating works from the choir’s main
We had 300 people in the audience listening to the choir perform
concerts.
pieces
A
by
day
Handel,
out
Palestrina,
of London
Purcell
performing
and Verdi.
great
A great
music
concert
in
spectacular and a tasty settings meal afterwards was always at the enjoyable. local pub for In choir 2001, members! its Best
of British concert, featuring a work from each decade of
the twentieth century, was performed at St Mary’s Church
Barnes a few days before the central London performance
at St Luke’s Chelsea.
In 2003 the choir gave a repeat performance of Handel’s
Israel in Egypt in Norwich Cathedral; this was masterminded
by Janet Wells, in aid of St Andrew’s (Ecumenical) Trust. The
cathedral cloisters were a splendid setting to take a break from
the music making.
In 2004 the choir gave a concert of music with organ in
Dorchester Abbey in Oxfordshire, where Muriel Hall had
82

Interval refreshments in the churchyard of St Mary’s Hadleigh (July 2009)
83

Choir members in Hadleigh, Suffolk (July 2009)
84

Chapter Eight
Celebrating
50 Years
The fiftieth-anniversary season began with a concert of which the
first half consisted of five unaccompanied pieces, one from each
of the last five decades; this showed how the choir’s ability and
confidence to sing a capella has developed over the years.
The real highlight was in March 2010. All those who were lucky
enough to hear or participate in the centrepiece performance of
the season, Britten’s War Requiem in the Barbican Hall, will long
remember what an overwhelming experience it was musically.
This unique work couples the Latin Requiem Mass with poems
by Wilfred Owen, vividly portraying the devastation of the
First World War which so much shaped Britten’s generation.
It was performed with Southbank Sinfonia, and children from
the Finchley Children’s Music Group singing from the balcony.
The preparation had been thorough, with the luxury of a full
orchestral rehearsal the previous evening, something only
rarely possible, not least because of the financial cost. This
85

BARBICAN PRE-CONCERT RECEPTION
Choir friends old and new celebrate the 50th anniversary
31 March 2010
86

followed one of the Saturday workshops which had helped the
choir to appreciate and become more familiar with the far from
straightforward music. All this made for a performance which
many have described as ‘stunning’.
That wonderful evening was not the choir’s last chance to sing the
work in 2010. It was given again in a different, but equally moving,
performance in Salisbury Cathedral with Dorset Youth Orchestra
and Canticum, with the support of Dorset Music Service. The
cathedral setting, and the enthusiasm of the young musicians
of the orchestra, revealed the poignancy of the work, whereas
Three of the choir’s four conductors were present at the Barbican Hall reception:
Gregory Rose, Robert Munns and Mark Forkgen
87

the Barbican performance had brought to the fore the sheer
power of the emotions portrayed.
In April 2010, an evening party masterminded by Stephen Rickett
was held in the historic surroundings of the Royal Hospital
Chelsea. There was dancing until the early hours and some
brave members participated in an X Factor-type audition with
Mark Forkgen taking the ‘Simon Cowell’ role. The excellent food
provided by Anna Garnier, who has catered many choir events,
was greatly appreciated. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the
occasion together and remind members of the social pleasures of
belonging to the choir.
88

WAR REQUIEM, SALISBURY CATHEDRAL
Rehearsal with Dorset Youth Orchestra and Canticum
17 April 2010
89

These musical and social high points of the anniversary year
aptly sum up the directions in which Mark Forkgen has taken the
choir, and his relationship with its members. Bringing some of the
finest music to audiences both in London and the provinces, and
working with young musicians to give them the opportunity to
experience large-scale performance and venues, epitomises what
the choir has become in its fifty years.
90

50th anniversary party at the Royal Hospital Chelsea (23 April 2010)
In its fifty-first year the choir has embarked on a completely
new venture – a foreign exchange with another choir, the
Basilikachor St. Ulrich und Afra from Augsburg, Germany. In
March 2011 Mark Forkgen conducts the combined choirs in
a performance of the Verdi Requiem in the Royal Festival Hall
with Southbank Sinfonia, in the presence of the German
Ambassador. The return leg of the tour takes place at the
91

end of July, when LCC travel to Augsburg to join with
the Basilikachor and the Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie
in a concert in the Basilica as part of the Augsburg Peace
Festival. Appropriately, the programme includes Haydn’s
Mass in Time of War, conducted by the Basilikachor’s music
director Peter Bader, and Dona Nobis Pacem by Vaughan
Williams, conducted by Mark Forkgen.
With a stable financial position and a strong body of supporters
and singers (and a well-qualified waiting list of singers ready to
form the next generation), London Concert Choir continues
to champion the British choral tradition in the heart of the
capital and hopes to enrich the lives of its audiences and its
members for many years to come.
92

Presidents, Patrons,
Companions and Friends
Although the choir no longer has a President, this role was successively
held by Dr Wilfred Greenhouse Allt CBE (Past President of Trinity
College of Music), Dr (later Sir) George Thalben-Ball CBE (distinguished
organist of the Temple Church and President of the Royal College of
Organists) and Professor Peter Dickinson, several of whose works
the choir performed.
Life Friends
London Concert Choir is delighted to acknowledge the invaluable
contribution made by the following individuals:
Peter Barley, Tim and Patricia Barnes, Anne Clayton,
Mr and Mrs Michael Hunt, Sue McFadyen,
Gregory and Helen Rose, Nicholas Spence
Patrons and Companions of LCC
John Armstrong, Deborah and Girome Bono, Howard and Deirdre
Coates, Deborah Cullen, James Davis, Geoffrey Deville, Karen Evans,
Tim Ingram, Mark and Liza Loveday, Jennifer Powell Smith,
Michael Shipley, Sybil and Nicholas Spence, Alison Stone
Friends of LCC
Sue Blyth, Simon Cave, Bronwen Cook, Dianne Denham, John and
Judith Greenway, Jeremy Groom, Nicholas and Maureen Halton,
Miriam Kramer, Anthony Smith, Ruth Steinholtz, Jill Tilden, Will and
Teresa Tilden, Susan Wheatley, Jackie Williams
93

Envoi
Writing this history has been for me a labour of love. The choir has
been part of my life for more than 30 years, and my research has
reminded me just how much wonderful music in splendid settings
under skilled direction I have been privileged to take part in. It has
also reminded me how much more I have got from belonging to
the choir: pride in seeing its ambitions and achievements growing;
lasting friendships; fun while making music and in other activities;
the opportunity as a committee member to help in a small way
in the running of the choir. Singing on a Monday evening has
been a constant while so many other things have changed.
My thanks are due to the choir members past and present who
have helped with their reminiscences and contributions from
their archives, particularly Robert Munns, Margaret O’Sullivan,
Stephen Pocklington and Sybil Priestnall from the choir’s earliest
days. I apologise where people or events are not mentioned as a
result of my ignorance or oversight, but hope at least that members
and supporters of the choir, past and present, will recognise and
enjoy the story of the first 50 years of the choir. May it continue to
delight members and audiences.
Sue Deville
94

PHOTOGRAPHS

SPONSORED WALK
London Concert Choir walk along the Thames to Hampton Court Palace
July 1992
96 96

97
97

98 98

REHEARSAL AT ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH HALL, GLOUCESTER ROAD
Regular rehearsal venue
1997–2007
99
99

100 100

LCC ON TOUR: CANNES, FRANCE
Relaxing in Cannes
June 1999
101
101

102 102

Friends and Companions Evening
St Stephen’s Church Hall, Gloucester Road
June 2002
103
103

LCC ON TOUR: GERMANY
Concerts in Friedrichshafen and Singen churches
and a relaxing boat trip around Lake Constance
July 2003
104 104

105
105

DORCHESTER, OXFORDSHIRE
Rehearsing in Dorchester Abbey and enjoying lunch and tea
12 June 2004
106 106

107
107

108 108

Schubert Mass in G, Dvorák Stabat Mater
Rehearsing at Queen Elizabeth Hall
13 July 2004
109
109

110 110

LCC ON TOUR: DUBLIN, IRELAND
St Bartholomew’s Church and St Patrick’s Cathedral
and socialising in Dublin
June 2005
111
111

SEA SYMPHONY REHEARSAL
Royal Festival Hall
21 March 2005
112 112

Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess
Barbican Hall
20 February 2006
113
113

Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess
Rehearsing at Barbican Hall
20 February 2006
114 114

HAMPTON COURT FESTIVAL CONCERT
Enjoying the interval of Bizet’s Carmen
10 May 2007
115
115

116 116

BEETHOVEN MISSA SOLEMNIS
Barbican Hall
20 March 2008
117
117

STAR WARS: A MUSICAL JOURNEY
LCC with City of London Choir and RPO at the O2 Arena
10 and 11 April 2009
118 118

119
119

120 120

WAR REQUIEM
Pre-concert reception and concert at the Barbican Centre
31 March 2010
121
121

WAR REQUIEM
Salisbury Cathedral
17 April 2010
122 122

123
123

124 124

BEETHOVEN CONCERT
Cadogan Hall
8 July 2010
125
125

concert
programmes
and flyers

128

129

130

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

Elgar Gerontius3.qxd 11/04/02 15:01 Page 1
Tuesday 9 July 7.45pm
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Edward Elgar
The Dream
of Gerontius
London Concert Choir
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Mark Forkgen
Mezzo Soprano: Jeanette Ager
Tenor: Wynne Evans
Bass: Colin Campbell
with Canticum
Tickets £20 £16 £12.50 £9
Box Office - open daily (9am-9pm Mon-Sat, 9:30am-9:pm Sun)
By post: Please make cheques payable to
‘South Bank Centre’ (Royal Festival Hall, SE1 8XX)
138

Sea Symphony A5 200gsm 2col face 1 col reverse.qxp 17/01/2005 14:28 Page 1
Monday 21 March, 2005 7.30PM
Royal Festival Hall, South Bank Centre
Vaughan Williams
A Sea
Symphony
Mendelssohn Overture ‘The Hebrides’
Britten Four Sea Interludes and
Two Choruses from ‘Peter Grimes’
London Concert Choir
Canticum
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Mark Forkgen
Soprano: Patrizia Kwella / Baritone: Andrew Rupp
Tickets £26, £20, £15, £12, £9, £6.50
Box Office - open daily (9am-9pm Mon-Sat, 9:30am-9:pm Sun). By post: Please make
cheques payable to ‘South Bank Centre’ (Royal Festival Hall, SE1 8XX)
London Concert Choir
presents
Duke ellington
SacreD
concert
Nina Bennet soprano
with Big Band
Mark Forkgen conductor
thursday 6 november 2008, 7.30pm
In his last decade Duke Ellington, bandleader, pianist and composer of big-band jazz,
composed the music for a series of remarkable Sacred Concerts combining jazz, classical,
spirituals and gospel, blues and dance. As he himself said, “Every man prays in his own
language, and there is no language that God does not understand”.
Tickets £25, £20, £16, £12
Cadogan Hall
5 Sloane Terrace,
London SW1X 9DQ
Box Office
020 7730 4500
Online booking: www.cadoganhall.com
(booking fees apply)
Cadogan Flyer - Duke Ellington Sacred Concert Q10000 CMYK 3.indd 1 14/09/2008 21:38:37
139

LONDON CONCERT CHOIR
Celebrating 50 years
Wednesday 21 October 2009, 7.30pm
Cadogan Hall, Sloane Terrace, SW1
Carl Orff
CARMINA BURANA
with two pianos and percussion
and English and American Choral Music
of the last 50 years
Mark Forkgen conductor
Erica Eloff soprano
Andrew Radley counter-tenor
William Berger baritone
Tickets £25, £20, £16, £12
Wednesday 31 March 2010, 8pm
Barbican Hall, Silk Street, EC2
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
war
requiem
London Concert Choir
Southbank Sinfonia
Finchley Children’s Music Group
Mark Forkgen conductor
Janice Watson soprano
Adrian Thompson tenor
Roderick Williams baritone
Tickets £26, £22, £18, £13, £7
CADOGAN HALL
5 Sloane Terrace,
London SW1X 9DQ
Box Office
020 7730 4500
Online booking: www.cadoganhall.com
(booking fees apply)
020 7638 8891 Box office
Reduced booking fee online
www.barbican.org.uk
London Concert Choir - Carmina Burana Flyer - 2009.indd 1 27/08/2009 10:20:39
10143LCC War Reqiuem Flyer.indd 1 19/01/2010 19:33
020 7638 8891 Box office
Reduced booking fee online
VERDI:
www.barbican.org.uk
REQUIEM
Wednesday 20 October 2010, 7.30pm
Orfeo
GLUCK
ed
Euridice
concert performance
Mark Forkgen conductor
Michael Chance counter-tenor Orfeo
Erica Eloff soprano Euridice
Mary Nelson soprano Amore
Counterpoint period instrument ensemble
Tickets: £25, £20, £16, £12
Wednesday,
9 March 2011, 7:30pm
Royal Festival Hall,
Southbank Centre, SE1
London Concert Choir
Basilikachor St Ulrich
und Afra, Augsburg
Southbank Sinfonia
Mark Forkgen conductor
Claire Seaton soprano
Jean Rigby mezzo soprano
Peter Auty tenor
Alan Ewing bass
Tickets £32, £28, £24,
£20, £16, £12, £8
royal festival hall
PURCELL ROOM
IN THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL
CADOGAN HALL
5 Sloane Terrace,
London SW1X 9DQ
Box Office
020 7730 4500
Online booking: www.cadoganhall.com
(booking fees apply)
10193-1.indd 1 31/08/2010 08:57
10211-1.indd 1 11/01/2011 23:27
140

List of Works
Performed
1960–2010

List of Works Performed: 1960–2010
This list of works performed by the choir does not detail individual works
in carol concerts, or in some concerts consisting of a number of short pieces.
Performances such as charity concerts or opera galas not promoted by the choir
have generally been excluded, as have purely orchestral and instrumental pieces.
Records for the 1960s and early 1970s are incomplete, so the list includes
available detail from surviving programmes and diaries of former members
of the choir.
A Key to the Venue codes will be found at the end of the list
Date Venue Composer Work
13 December 1960 HTB Handel Messiah
28 March 1961 HTB Bach St John Passion
16 March 1962 HTB Kodály Missa Brevis
Fauré
Requiem
5 December 1962 HTB Britten St Nicolas
21 February 1963 HTB Haydn The Creation
3 April 1963 HTB Bach St John Passion
1963 (no date) SPC Bach Singet dem Herrn
Kodály
Missa Brevis
9 December 1963 HTB Mozart Requiem
Graham Whettam Thus spake Solomon *
Handel
Dettingen Te Deum
11 May 1964 HTB Bach Mass in B Minor
7 December 1964 HTB Handel Messiah
8 March 1965 HTB Vivaldi Gloria
Bach
Magnificat
10 May 1965 HTB Purcell Jehovah, quam multi sunt hostes
Britten
Rejoice in the Lamb
S S Wesley In exitu Israel
Vaughan Williams Mass in G minor
27 October 1965 HTB Vaughan Williams Five English Folk Songs
Purcell
Dido and Aeneas
(concert performance)
142

12 November 1965 ECLG Bach O Praise the Lord
Britten
Rejoice in the Lamb
S S Wesley In exitu Israel
Kodály
Missa Brevis
6 December 1965 HTB Handel Messiah
7 March 1966 HTB Vaughan Williams A Vision of Aeroplanes
Kodály
Jesus and the Traders
Kenneth Leighton Crucifixus pro Nobis
Duruflé
Requiem
16 May 1966 HTB Monteverdi Vespers (1610)
28 November 1966 HTB Haydn The Creation
6 March 1967 HTB Bach Mass in B minor
5 June 1967 HTB Duruflé Four motets
Fauré
Requiem
11 December 1967 HTB Bach Christmas Oratorio
26 February 1968 HTB Purcell Three verse anthems
Holst Psalms 86 and 148
3 April 1968 HTB Victoria Mass ‘O quam gloriosum’
Duruflé
Four motets
Kenneth Leighton Crucifixus pro nobis
27 May 1968 HTB Mozart Requiem
Bach
Magnificat
26 October 1968 HTB Handel Dettingen Te Deum
Haydn
Nelson Mass
16 December 1968 HTB Handel Messiah
24 March 1969 HTB Bach St John Passion
1969 (no date) BO Elgar The Dream of Gerontius
8 December 1969 HTB Purcell O God, thou art my God
O all ye people, clap your hands
Finzi
Dies Natalis
David Cox This Child of Life
Britten
St Nicolas
14 January 1970 HTB Britten A Ceremony of Carols
Michael Hurd Missa Brevis
18 March 1970 HTB Bach St Matthew Passion
143

17 April 1970 HTB Handel Messiah
3 December 1970 FHC Brahms Academic Festival Overture
(Choral version)
A German Requiem
19 January 1971 HTB Britten A Ceremony of Carols
William Matthias Ave Rex
6 April 1971 HTB John Rutter The Falcon*
Schütz
St Luke Passion
26 May 1971 HTB Bach Mass in B minor
13 December 1971 HTB Bach Christmas Oratorio
20 March 1972 HTB Kodály Missa Brevis
20 March 1972 HTB Adrian Cruft Lutheran Mass
18 December 1972 HTB Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols
Bach Cantata 140
Various
Music for Christmas
15 March 1973 FHC Bach St John Passion
4 June 1973 HTB Buxtehude Befiehl dem Engel, dass er komm
Fauré
Requiem
18 December 1973 HTB Bach Wachet auf
Singet dem Herrn
Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols
Various
Carols for Choir and Audience
30 March 1974 HTB Beethoven Mass in C
Christus am Ölberge
20 June 1974 HTB Vaughan Williams Four English Folk Songs
Mátyás Seiber Yugoslav Folksongs
Orff
Carmina Burana
17 December 1974 HTB Various Carols for Choir and Audience
15 April 1975 BO Bach Mass in B minor
3 June 1975 HTB Britten Rejoice in the Lamb
Rossini
Petite Messe Solennelle
11 November 1975 HTB Handel The King shall Rejoice
Zadok the Priest
Monteverdi Beatus Vir
Mozart
Requiem
144

18 December 1975 HTB Various Carols for Choir and Audience
30 March 1976 HTB Dvořák Te Deum
Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs
Brahms
A German Requiem
17 June 1976 HTB Bach Jesu meine Freude
Honegger
King David
2 November 1976 HTB Mozart Solemn Vespers
Haydn
Nelson Mass
16 December 1976 HTB Various Carols for Choir and Audience
31 March 1977 HTB Bach St John Passion
23 June 1977 HTB Handel Dettingen Te Deum
Stravinsky Mass
Bernstein
Chichester Psalms
17 November 1977 HTB Handel Messiah
22 December 1977 HTB Donald Cashmore This Child Behold
Various
Carols for Choir and Audience
23 February 1978 HTB Bach My Spirit was in Heaviness
Fauré
Requiem
25 April 1978 BO Elgar The Dream of Gerontius
29 June 1978 CTH Bartók Slovak Folksongs
Brahms
Liebeslieder Waltzes
Donald Cashmore,
(arr.)
Tippett
Vaughan Williams
14 October 1978 QEH Duruflé Requiem
Haydn
Nelson Mass
Vivaldi
Magnificat
My love is like a red, red rose
The drunken sailor
Five Spirituals from
A Child of Our Time
In Windsor Forest
19 December 1978 HTB Britten A Ceremony of Carols
Various
Carols for Choir and Audience
15 February 1979 HTB Bach Lobet den Herrn
Carissimi
Jephte
John Joubert Leaves of Life
Mendelssohn Hear my prayer
145

29 March 1979 HTB Britten Cantata Misericordium
Mozart
Mass in C minor K427
14 June 1979 HTB Parry I was glad
Handel Chandos Anthem No. 9
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 2 ‘Lobgesang’
(Hymn of Praise)
8 December 1979 QEH Haydn St Nicholas Mass
Vivaldi
Gloria
John Gardner Cantata for Christmas
20 December 1979 HTB Various Carols for Choir and Audience
15 March 1980 HTB Bach St Matthew Passion
26 June 1980 HTB Coleridge-Taylor Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast
Nicholas Maw Five Epigrams
Horowitz
Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo
30 October 1980 HTB Byrd Mass in 4 parts
Duruflé
Four Motets
Walton
Missa Brevis
Kodály
Missa Brevis
18 December 1980 HTB Various Carols for Choir and Audience
25 January 1981 QEH Caldara Te Deum for double choir
Dvořák
Mass in D
Mozart
Solemn Vespers
2 April 1981 HTB Bach Mass in F
Haydn
Salve Regina
Pergolesi
Magnificat
15 July 1981 BO Verdi Requiem
15 October 1981 QEH Bach Magnificat
Mozart
Mass in C minor K427
17 December 1981 HTB Various Carols for Choir and Audience
4 February 1982 HTB Buxtehude Magnificat
Verdi
Two Sacred Pieces
Kodály
Jesus and the Traders
Kenneth Leighton Crucifixus pro Nobis
Duruflé
Requiem
4 March 1982 HTB Brahms Song of Destiny
Vaughan Williams An Oxford Elegy
Bruckner
Mass in F minor
146

25 May 1982 QEH Schubert Mass in A flat
Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs
Dvořák
Te Deum
31 October 1982 QEH Mendelssohn Elijah
25 November 1982 HTB Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle
16 December 1982 HTB Various Carols for Choir and Audience
3 March 1983 QEH Beethoven Mass in C
Bliss
Mary of Magdala
Brian Kelly At the Round Earth’s
Imagined Corners
12 May 1983 HTB Bach Ascension Cantata
Lobet den Herrn
Gordon Crosse The Covenant of the Rainbow
Peter Dickinson Martin of Tours
Poulenc
Exsultate Deo
1 July 1983 RFH Bruckner Te Deum
Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony
10 November 1983 HTB Elgar For the Fallen
Haydn
Mass in Time of War
Fauré
Requiem
15 December 1983 HTB Various Carols for Choir and Audience
9 February 1984 SJSG Janáček Otčenáš
Liszt
Missa Choralis
Messiaen
O Sacrum Convivium
Mozart
Regina Coeli
29 March 1984 QEH Rossini Stabat Mater
Mozart
Requiem
9 July 1984 RFH Brahms A German Requiem
Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem
22 November 1984 QEH Purcell Ode for St Cecilia’s Day (1692)
Te Deum
Jonathan Willcocks Voices of Time*
19 December 1984 HTB Various Carols for Choir and Audience
29 March 1985 QEH Handel Dettingen Te Deum
The King shall rejoice
Sing unto God
Zadok the Priest
147

16 May 1985 SMW Bach Jesu meine Freude
Brian Kelly Tenebrae Nocturnes
Kodály
Missa Brevis
10 July 1985 RFH Mussorgsky Night on the Bare Mountain
(choral version)
Borodin
Polovtsian Dances
Orff
Carmina Burana
22 November 1985 QEH Haydn The Creation
19 December 1985 HTB Various Carols for Choir and Audience
11 March 1986 QEH Bach St John Passion
31 May 1986 COV Bruckner Psalm 150
Dvořák
Te Deum
Walton
Belshazzar’s Feast
8 June 1986 RFH Bruckner Psalm 150
Dvořák
Te Deum
Walton
Belshazzar’s Feast
17 July 1986 HTB Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music
Bartók
Slovak Folksongs
Stanford
The Bluebird
Tippett
Five Spirituals from
A Child of Our Time
18 November 1986 QEH Mozart Mass in C minor K427
Dominican Vespers K321
17 December 1986 HTB Various Carols for Choir and Audience
12 March 1987 QEH John Joubert The Martyrdom of St Alban*
Honegger
King David
17 June 1987 RFH Verdi Requiem
7 July 1987 SJSS Handel Dixit Dominus
Vaughan Williams Benedicite
27 November 1987 QEH Bach Mass in F
Vivaldi
Gloria
Bach
Magnificat
17 December 1987 QEH Various Carols for Choir and Audience
15 March 1988 QEH Peter Dickinson Outcry*
Vaughan Williams Five Tudor Portraits
148

7 June 1988 RFH Beethoven Mass in D (Missa Solemnis)
12 July 1988 SJSS Haydn Maria Theresa Mass
Mozart
Dominican Vespers K321
8 December 1988 QEH Beethoven Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt
Hummel
Mass in E flat
Schubert
Stabat Mater (Klopstock)
16 December 1988 SJSS Various Carols for Choir and Audience
10 April 1989 QEH Albinoni Magnificat
Pergolesi
Magnificat
A Scarlatti Dixit Dominus
15 June 1989 QEH Fauré Pavane (choral version)
Requiem
Cantique de Jean Racine
Gounod
Messe Solennelle (Ste Cécile)
4 July 1989 RFH Poulenc Gloria
Saint-Saëns Requiem
22 October 1989 QEH Dvořák Stabat Mater
14 December 1989 SJSS Bach Christmas Oratorio (excerpts)
Various
Carols for Choir and Audience
24 March 1990 QEH Handel Messiah
31 May 1990 QEH Stravinsky Mass
Bruckner
Mass in E minor
12 July 1990 SJSS Schubert Four Songs for
mixed voice and piano
Peter Dickinson Tianenmen 1989 * **
Schumann Vier Gesänge Op.89
Elgar
From the Bavarian Highlands
14 November 1990 QEH Copland In the Beginning
Old American Songs (Sets 1 & 2)
Gershwin (arr. Rose) The Man I Love
Porter (arr. Rose) Every Time we say Goodbye
14 December 1990 SJSS Various Carols for Choir and Audience
15 March 1991 SJP Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle
15 May 1991 QEH Mozart Coronation Mass K317
Litanies K243
149

18 October 1991 SJP Kodály Pange Lingua
Janáček
Otčenáš
Kodály
Laudes Organi
Liszt
Missa Choralis
15 December 1991 QEH Mendelssohn Hymne Op. 96
Salieri
Krönungs Te Deum
Schubert
Mass in G
4 March 1992 QEH Bach Mass in B minor
27 June 1992 QEH Gregory Rose, (arr.) Old English Songs**
Alan Hoddinott Lines from Marlowe’s Faust*
Bernstein
Chichester Psalms
17 October 1992 ESM Handel The King shall Rejoice
Zadok the Priest
Liszt
Missa Choralis
Janáček
Otčenáš
and music by Puccini, Janáček et al.
4 November 1992 QEH Respighi Lauda per la Natività del Signore
Puccini
Messa di Gloria
18 December 1992 SMITF Various Traditional carols
with trumpet and organ
28 February 1993 QEH Haydn Salve Regina
Insanae et Vanae Curae
Hummel
Mass in B flat
15 May 1993 STO Brahms A German Requiem
7 July 1993 SJP Michael Parsons Expedition to the North Pole*
Peter Dickinson Tianenmen 1989**
Lambert
The Rio Grande
3 November 1993 QEH Beethoven Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt
Mass in C
17 December 1993 SMITF Various Traditional carols
with organ and brass
16 March 1994 SJSS Bruckner Ecce Sacerdos
Ave Maria
Schütz
Ave Maria
G Gabrieli Cantate Domino
Schütz
Cantate Domino
Unser Herr Jesus Christus
A Gabrieli Magnificat
150

A Gabrieli
Bruckner
Schütz
Maria Stabat
Christus factus est
Locus iste
Die mit Tränen säen
Psalm 121
9 June 1994 RFH Rachmaninov Vesna
The Bells
8 November 1994 QEH Berlioz Méditation Religieuse (Tristia)
Fauré
Cantique de Jean Racine
Franck
Panis Angelicus
Duruflé
Requiem
21 December 1994 SPK Various Family Carols
15 March 1995 SJSG S S Wesley Ascribe unto the Lord
Purcell
Thou Knowest, Lord
Remember not, Lord, our Offences
Howells
Like as the Hart
Elgar
O Hearken Thou
Edward Gregson Make a Joyful Noise
Parry
I was glad
Kodály
Missa Brevis
6 May 1995 SJK Handel Zadok the Priest
Janáček
Otčenáš
Purcell
Thou Knowest, Lord
Remember Not, Lord, our Offences
Handel
Let thy Hand be Strengthened
Kodály
Missa Brevis
6 July 1995 SJSS Mozart Solemn Vespers
Requiem
14 November 1995 QEH Gershwin The Man I Love (arr. Rose)
Songs (various)
Porgy and Bess (choral excerpts)
19 December 1995 SJSG Various Family Carols
6 March 1996 QEH Bach Magnificat
Haydn
Mass in Time of War
20 June 1996 SJSS Palestrina Ave Maria (two settings)
Pärt
Berliner Messe
Górecki
Totus tuus
Pärt
Beatitudes
Pérotin
Alleluia posui adiutorium
151

7 November 1996 QEH Mozart Mass in C minor K427
Pergolesi
Magnificat
13 December 1996 SMITF Various Carols by Candlelight
8 March 1997 ECA Various Works by Palestrina, Purcell,
Wesley, Pärt et al.
15 March 1997 QEH Bach, ed. Gomme St Mark Passion *
24 April 1997 RFH Verdi Requiem
26 June 1997 SJSS Elgar Great is the Lord (Psalm 48)
Howells
De Profundis
Berger
Brazilian Psalm
Liszt
Lord, how long wilt Thou forget me?
Christopher Brown Oundle Jubilate*
Elgar Give unto the Lord (Psalm 29)
Bernstein
Chichester Psalms
6 November 1997 SJSS Stravinsky Pater Noster; Credo; Ave Maria
Orff
Carmina Burana
12 December 1997 SMITF Various Carols by Candlelight
20 March 1998 SJSS Rachmaninov Vespers
18 June 1998 QEH Haydn The Creation
22 October 1998 BLA Sibelius Kullervo Symphony
4 November 1998 SJSS Parry Blest Pair of Sirens
Britten
St Nicolas
11 December 1998 SMITF Various Carols for Choir and Audience,
including
Peter Kenvyn, (arr.) Alliliuia, Jesu Y’Ohine
15 March 1999 QEH Simon Speare Frost at Midnight* **
Brahms
A German Requiem
17 June 1999 SJSS Stravinsky Mass
Bruckner
Mass in E minor
20 June 1999 CNDB Various Music by Handel, Stravinsky,
Bruckner and Parry
21 June 1999 CAN Fête de la Musique, Cannes, including
Handel
Zadok the Priest
Stravinsky Mass
Bruckner
Mass in E minor
Parry
I was glad
152

11 November 1999 SOU Bruckner Geistliche Chöre (Motets)
Simon Speare Echo Songs* **
Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs
10 December 1999 SMITF Various Carols by Candlelight
17 December 1999 SMA Various Family Carols
26 April 2000 QEH Mendelssohn Elijah
14 June 2000 SLC 40th Anniversary Celebration Concert:
Music for Coronations
Parry
I was glad
Purcell
My heart is inditing
Handel
Zadok the Priest
Tallis
Spem in alium
S S Wesley Thou wilt keep him
Gibbons
O Clap Your Hands
Walton
Te Deum
13 July 2000 SMA Various Summer concert as part of
community music project, with
children from North Kensington
11 October 2000 QEH Mozart Ave Verum Corpus
Simon Speare The Angels* **
Mozart
Requiem
1 December 2000 SMITF Various Advent Carols by Candlelight
20 December 2000 SLC Various Family Carols
7 March 2001 SOU Rachmaninov The Liturgy of
St John Chrysostom
21/25 April 2001 SMB/ The Best of British, including:
SLC Finzi God is Gone up!
Harris
Faire is the Heaven
Jonathan Harvey Come, Holy Ghost
Walton
The Twelve
Elgar Give unto the Lord (Psalm 29)
Britten
Two Choruses from Peter Grimes
Balfour Gardiner Evening Hymn
9 July 2001 QEH Tippett A Child of our Time
7 November 2001 SOU Langlais Messe Solennelle
Duruflé
Requiem
153

1 December 2001 SMITF Advent Carols by Candlelight, including:
Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols
Finzi
In Terra Pax
20 December 2001 SAU Family Carols, including:
Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols
Finzi
In Terra Pax
13 March 2002 SOU Sing Praises! a selection of Psalms
Elgar Give unto the Lord (Psalm 29)
Mendelssohn Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied
(Psalm 98)
Kodály
When Israel came out of Egypt
(Psalm 114)
Keith Roberts Thou O God Art Praised in Sion
(Psalm 65) * **
Vaughan Williams O clap your hands (Psalm 47)
Bruckner
Liebe erfüllt mich, weil der Herr
(Psalm 116)
Elgar Great is the Lord (Psalm 48)
9 July 2002 QEH Elgar The Dream of Gerontius
6 November 2002 TEM Vaughan Williams Valiant for Truth
Mass in G minor
Pizetti
Requiem
3 December 2002 SMITF Various Advent Carols by Candlelight
19 December 2002 SAU Various Family Carols, with children from
Christ Church Primary School,
Battersea, including
Peter Kenvyn, (arr.) Alliliuia, Jesu Y’Ohine
3 April 2003 SAU Handel Israel in Egypt
31 May 2003 NOR Handel Israel in Egypt
15 July 2003 QEH Verdi Requiem
26/27 July 2003 HER/
SCH
Works by Gardner, Fauré, Mozart,
Brahms, Bruckner, Mendelssohn,
Palestrina, Stravinsky, Kodály,
Rachmaninov, Britten,
Vaughan Williams and Elgar
6 November 2003 SAU Mozart Solemn Vespers
Haydn
Nelson Mass
6 December 2003 SMITF Various Advent Carols by Candlelight
18 December 2003 HTSS Various Family Carols
154

18 February 2004 TEM Gretchaninov Vespers, with an illustrated
introductory talk by Mark Forkgen
22 April 2004 STG Delius Sea Drift
Walton
Belshazzar’s Feast
12 June 2004 DOR Music of the Italian and Eastern Churches
Works by Gabrieli, Górecki, Gretchaninov, Lotti,
Monteverdi, Palestrina, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky
and Tchaikovsky
13 July 2004 QEH Schubert Mass in G
Dvořák
Stabat Mater
18 October 2004 SAU Purcell Ode for St Cecilia’s Day:
‘Welcome to all the Pleasures’
Dido and Aeneas
(concert performance)
4 December 2004 SMITF Various Advent Carols by Candlelight
16 December 2004 SLC Various Family Carols
21 March 2005 RFH Britten Four Sea Interludes and
Two Choruses from Peter Grimes
Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony
5 April 2005 SMITF Lord Mayor of Westminster’s Gala Concert
in aid of The Connection at St Martin’s, including
Jon Fielder Westminster *
and works by Britten, Franck, Gershwin, Grieg, Handel,
Peter Kenvyn, Mozart, Palestrina, Parry, Rachmaninov
4 June 2005 DUB Hymns to the Virgin
and other choral works by Palestrina, Guerrero, Gabrieli,
Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Stanford, Wood and Pärt
6 July 2005 CAD Tchaikovsky Nine Sacred Choruses
Beethoven Symphony No. 9 (Choral)
28 September 2005 STS Concert in aid of Chios Nature, including:
Tchaikovsky Nine Sacred Choruses
and unaccompanied works by Bruckner, Gabrieli, Górecki,
Palestrina and Rachmaninov
20 October 2005 HTSS Vierne Messe Solennelle
Janaček
Otčenáš
Fauré
Requiem
3 December 2005 SMITF Various Advent Carols by Candlelight
155

21 December 2005 CAD The Spirit of Christmas
with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Britten
A Ceremony of Carols
Finzi
In Terra Pax
Vivaldi
Gloria
20 February 2006 BAR Tippett Five Spirituals from
A Child of Our Time
Gershwin
Porgy and Bess (concert version)
30 March 2006 HTSS Music and Readings for Passiontide
Mendelssohn Hear my Prayer
S S Wesley Wash me throughly
Mozart
Ave Verum Corpus
John IV of Portugal Crux Fidelis
Monteverdi Christe, adoramus te
Lotti
Crucifixus
Bruckner
Christus factus est
Stainer
God so loved the world
Finzi
Lo, the full final sacrifice
10 July 2006 CAD Mozart Mass in C minor
(reconstruction by Philip Wilby)*
26 October 2006 HTSS Stravinsky Mass
Bruckner
Mass in E minor
2 December 2006 SMITF Various Family Christmas Carols and
Advent Carols by Candlelight
19 December 2006 CAD The Spirit of Christmas
with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Warlock
Capriol Suite and Three Carols
Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols
Bach
Magnificat
20 March 2007 BAR Brahms A German Requiem
27 April 2007 SMITF Choral Music from Around the World
Berger
Brazilian Psalm
Britten
Rejoice in the Lamb
Kodály
Laudes Organi
and works by Bruckner, Gretchaninov, Casals, Franck,
Grainger, Elgar, Takemitsu and Pärt
3 May 2007 STS Concert in aid of Chios Nature,
including unaccompanied works by Bruckner, Lotti, Casals,
Pärt, Grainger, Gretchaninov, Takemitsu, Berger and Elgar
156

12 July 2007 CAD Rodgers and Hammerstein: The Great Musicals
Highlights from Carousel, Oklahoma!, South Pacific,
The King and I and The Sound of Music
31 October 2007 PON Elgar Give unto the Lord (Psalm 29)
Britten
St Nicolas
1 December 2007 SMITF Various Family Christmas Carols and
Advent Carols by Candlelight
20 December 2007 SLC Various Carols for Choir and Audience
20 March 2008 BAR Beethoven Mass in D (Missa Solemnis)
10 July 2008 GUI Haydn The Creation
6 November 2008 CAD Duke Ellington Sacred Concert
29 November 2008 SMITF Various Family Christmas Carols and
Advent Carols by Candlelight
16 December 2008 PON Various Carols for Choir and Audience
28 March 2009 BAR Mozart Coronation Mass K317
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 2 ‘Lobgesang’
(Hymn of Praise)
9 July 2009 CAD Handel 250th Anniversary Concert
Handel
Coronation Anthems:
Zadok the Priest
Let thy hand be strengthened
My heart is inditing
The King shall rejoice
Foundling Hospital Anthem
18 July 2009 HAD Music for a Summer Evening, including:
Handel
Coronation Anthems
and motets by Purcell, Palestrina and Verdi
21 October 2009 CAD 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert
Walton
Three movements from
Missa Brevis
Morten Lauridsen O Magnum Mysterium
John Tavener Funeral Ikos
Eric Whitacre Water Night
Steven Stucky Whispers
Orff
Carmina Burana
5 December 2009 SMITF Various Family Christmas Carols and
Advent Carols by Candlelight
16 December 2009 PON Various Carols for Choir and Audience
157

31 March 2010 BAR Britten War Requiem
17 April 2010 SAL Britten War Requiem
21 May 2010 SMITF The Glory of Italy
G Gabrieli
Palestrina
Monteverdi
Pergolesi
Rossini
Verdi
Rossini
Puccini
Jubilate Deo
Sicut Cervus
Ave Maris Stella, Beatus Vir
Magnificat
O Salutaris Hostia
Pater Noster
Two movements from Petite Messe
Solennelle
Nessun dorma
8 July 2010 CAD Beethoven Mass in C
Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt
Overture and Finale from Fidelio
20 October 2010 CAD Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice
(concert performance)
4 December 2010 SMITF Various Family Christmas Carols and
Advent Carols by Candlelight
15 December 2010 PON Various Carols for Choir and Audience
with Brass Ensemble
* First London performance/premiere
** London Concert Choir Commission
158

Code
Venue
Code
Venue
BAR
Barbican Centre
RAH
Royal Albert Hall
BLA
Blackheath Concert Halls
RFH
Royal Festival Hall
BO
CAD
CAN
CNDB
Brompton Oratory
Cadogan Hall
Marché Forville, Cannes
Chapelle Notre-Dame
de Brusc, near Cannes
SCH
SMB
SOU
SAL
Schlosskirche,
Friedrichshafen, Germany
St Mary’s, Barnes
Southwark Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
CTH
COM
Chelsea Town Hall
Commonwealth Institute,
Kensington
SAU
SJK
St Augustine’s,
Queen’s Gate
St Jakobs Kerk, Bruges
COV
Coventry Cathedral
SJP
St James’s, Piccadilly
DOR
Dorchester Abbey
SJSG
St James’s, Sussex Gardens
DUB
ECA
ECLG
St Bartholomew’s Church,
Dublin
English Church,
Begijnhof, Amsterdam
Emmanuel Church,
Lyncroft Gardens
SJSS
SLC
SMA
SMW
SMITF
St John’s, Smith Square
St Luke’s, Chelsea
St Mary Abbots, Kensington
St Margaret’s, Westminster
St Martin-in-the-Fields
ESM
Eglise St. Merri, Paris
SPC
St Paul’s Cathedral
FHC
Fairfield Halls, Croydon
SPK
St Paul’s, Knightsbridge
GUI
HAD
Guildhall
St Mary’s Church,
Hadleigh
STG
STO
St George’s RC Cathedral,
Southwark
Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford
HER
Herz-Jesu-Kirche,
Singen, Germany
STS
St Sophia, Greek Orthodox
Cathedral, Moscow Road
HTB
Holy Trinity, Brompton
(church or church hall)
TEM
Temple Church
HTSS
Holy Trinity, Sloane Street
NOR
Norwich Cathedral
PON
St Columba‘s Church,
Pont Street
QEH
Queen Elizabeth Hall
159

ANNIVERSARY
MESSAGES

This book is a celebration of London Concert Choir and its predecessor,
the Brompton Choral Society. In the course of its first fifty years the
choir has continued to grow in size and ambition and now has around
150 members of a wide range of ages. Notable for its unusually broad
repertoire, London Concert Choir regularly appears at all the major
London concert venues.
During the choir’s 50th-anniversary year, past and present members
and conductors offered their recollections to Sue Deville who has
woven these personal memories and experiences into her record of
the choir’s history. A portrait emerges of a lively society evolving under
the influence of the four musical directors who have been responsible
for leading the choir since 1960: Robert Munns, Donald Cashmore,
Gregory Rose and the present conductor Mark Forkgen.
Published by Thameshead Press
Coates Lodge, Coates, Cirencester, GL7 6NH
Cover drawing by Tim Baynes
www.timbaynes.co.uk
Copyright © 2011 London Concert Choir
www.london-concert-choir.org.uk