Cambridge Chorale 

Saturday March 23rd 2024 at 7.30pm

Programme

Vittoria Aleotti:  Io v'amo vita mia.  Hor che la vaga aurora. Baciai per aver vita

Claudio Monteverdi:  Sfogava con le stelle.  Si ch'io vorrei morire.  O Primevera

Thomas Morley: My Bonny Lass

Robert Ramsey:  Sleep, Fleshly Birth

John Wilbye:  Draw on, Sweet Night

Thomas Weelkes:  Thule, The Period of Cosmography

Orlando Gibbons:  The Silver Swan

John Farmer:  Fair Phyllis

Robert Pearsall:  Lay a Garland

INTERVAL

Edward Elgar:  The Shower.  The Fountain

Amy Beach:  Through the House Give Glimmering Light

Ralph Vaughan Williams:  Loch Lomond

Caroline Shaw:  And the Swallow

Eleanor Daley:  Grandmother Moon   

Biography

Cambridge Chorale is a dynamic vocal ensemble committed to performing music at the highest level. Directed by Robert Brooks, the choir is one of the most accomplished adult choirs in the country and tackles a wide range of repertoire. The choir is equally at home performing large choral classics such as Bach’s Mass in B Minor and Duruflé’s Requiem, as well as more challenging contemporary works by composers such as Einojuhani Rautavaara, Judith Weir and Cheryl Frances-Hoad.

The choir is a highly sought-after partner for musical collaborations across the UK. Over recent years, the choir has filmed performances for Ely Cathedral’s Lent series and recorded tracks to publicise Multitude of Voyces, three anthologies of sacred music by female composers. In 2022, the choir worked alongside award-winning vocal ensemble The Gesualdo Six on of Arvo Pärt’sPassio.

To support its own charitable aims, the choir regularly partners with national and local charities to raise funds through its concerts and social media. The choir is committed to promoting the benefits of music-making and, to this end, works with a local school each year at its family Christmas concert to inspire children to get singing.

The choir has produced a number of critically acclaimed recordings, including My Spirit Sang All Day (2005),A Christmas Celebration(2007),Salvator Mundi(2011),Songs & Sonnets(2014) andHymns to the Mother of God(2020). The recordings demonstrate both the high quality and the versatility in performance that have become the hallmarks of Cambridge Chorale.

The choir was formed in 1994 by Michael Kibblewhite. More recently it has been directed by Julian Wilkins (2005-2016) and Owain Park (2016-2023). Members of the choir come from all walks of life - teachers, scientists, stay-at-home parents, software developers, PhD students and more - and are united by a love of choral music-making.

As an amateur choir, the only income is through ticket sales, donations and subscriptions from the singers themselves. If you enjoy Cambridge Chorale’s performances, you might consider supporting the choir by becoming a Friend or Patron. Donations enable the choir to take on projects that otherwise might not be possible. This could include, for example, purchasing new and exciting repertoire; commissioning new compositions or staging concerts with professional orchestras and soloists.