Circle Singers - Season 2010

CIRCLE SINGERS GOLDEN JUBILEE CONCERT

To celebrate 50 years of making music, The Circle Singers of Royal Leamington Spa held their Golden Jubilee Concert at Dale Street Methodist Church, Leamington, on Saturday May 15^th at 7.30pm. All were invited, whether as an ex-member to join in and sing on stage, or as a member of the audience. The augmented choir sang in Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’ and Parry’s ‘I was glad’.

The concert featured some attractive works by American composers Matthew Harris and Randall Thompson, along with lighter pieces by Cy Coleman and Paul Simon and a piece dedicated to the choir by our present musical director, Beresford King-Smith, appropriately called ‘The Golden Journey to Samarkand’.

The choir was joined on the day by soloists Nikki Bawcutt, Margaret Parker, Richard Roddis and Paul Arthur, giving a first performance of 'Jabberwocky', a setting by Rosemary Robinson of Lewis Carroll’s famous poem. Rosemary accompanied the piece on the spinet and was joined by a small baroque orchestra.

The concert was greatly enjoyed by all with appreciative comments coming from both previous members and directors.

"Just a note to say how much I enjoyed Saturday. It was a great day efficiently organised and well presented. ..... I loved the tone - no voice stood out and the tuning was excellent". Chris J. Ward

"Just to say how much I enjoyed the concert last night. I was very interested to hear the American songs -... well done to Lynne. I was vey impressed with the 1st performances I thought Rosemary's was fun and yours (Beresford's) was most effective and came over very well". ... Sheila Koch

Circle Singers Golden Jubilee Concert - choir augmented by previous members

Circle Singers - Season 2009

Concerts for this season are based on the four principal 'Anniversary' composers of 2009

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)(b. 10th September 1659)
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)(d. 14th April 1759)
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) (d. 31st May 1809)
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) (b. 3rd February 1809)

The following Concerts have been given todate:
Sunday 29th March 2009 at St John the Baptist, Fleet Street, Coventry
Saturday 9th May 2009, St Mary, Temple Balsall

To come:
Saturday 31st October 2009 at 7:30pm -
A programme of choral music including
Schubert's Deutsche Messe and Motets by Brahms, Mendelsohn and others.

Oh! For the wings of a dove - left click to play, right click to save

Circle Singers at St Mary, Temple Balsall - soloist Margot Russell

CIRCLE SCORES A BIG SUCCESS IN ITALY

The Circle Singers (whose Golden Jubilee will be celebrated next year) returned home on Monday 20th April 2009, following a highly successful five-day visit to Sicily, where they gave two performances in Ortigia - the medieval part of Siracusa (ancient Syracuse). Musical Director Beresford King-Smith says, 'We joined forces with a ladies' choir from Siracusa (who were hosting us) and a mixed choir from Agira (in Central Sicily), to give a concert on the Saturday night in the beautiful baroque church of Santa Lucia alla Badia, which was packed to the doors, with many people standing, because all the seats were full ! - Circle Singers' musical contributions, featuring Margot Russell (soprano), were received with tumultuous applause !' 'Then, on the Sunday morning, we all met up again for a Sung Mass in Siracusa Cathedral - a fascinating building which was once an ancient Greek Temple - and again the place was very full.' 'It was our second visit to Italy (the first took place in 2006). All in all, it was another highly successful trip, and we shall hope to go back again at some future date.'

The combined choirs on the steps of Siracusa Cathedral

Circle Singers - Season 2008

Celebrating RVW

Year 2008 marked the 50th anniversary of the death of one of this country's most celebrated composers - Ralph Vaughan Williams(1872-1958). 'Circle' celebrated the anniversary with two RVW concerts one at Dorridge Methodist Church and a second at St.John the Baptist Church, Coventry.

A varied programme of RVW works was given including Elizabethan Part Songs, English Folk songs and music composed for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and the Festival of Britain in 1951. At both of these concerts 'Circle' was privileged to be joined by the Holborne Recorder Consort and accompanied by Adrian Moore at the piano and organ.

Ralph Vaughan Williams
Circle Singers - Season 2007

The Italians Return

Circle Singers were delighted to collaborate with Musica E Parole in a series of concerts during July 2007.

After being won over by Musica E Parole at a concert in London, Beresford King-Smith contacted them with the hope of arranging a joint concert. So it was that in April 2006 Circle Singers visited the beautiful region of Calabria on the southern tip of Italy where we performed two concerts, in Vibo Valentia and Tropea, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791).

Musica E Parole very kindly accepted Circle Singers invitation to return to the UK to perform two concerts on the 21st and 22 July at Coughton Court and St Peter's Church Hall, respectively. The programme for the two concerts consisted of Faure's Requiem and selected pieces from the repertoire of both choirs. Unfortunately the weekend of the two concert coincided with the deluge and Coughton Court was flooded and the concert was subsequently cancelled. The concert at St Peter's did go ahead with great success.

Circle Singers - Season 2006

Beresford's Birthday

To honour Beresford's birthday the choir celebrated in style onboard a moving restaurant, a narrowboat to be exact!

Earlsdon Church Concert

Mozart in Church - Brahms in the Salon

The Circle Singers gave two concerts in the Midlands, this summer, in which the same Mozart items given during the Italian Tour (see below) were linked to some attractive music by Johannes Brahms, including his delightful 'Gypsy Songs' (op.103) and some folksong settings.

'Circle' were joined by The Mozart String Quartet, with Margot Russell (soprano), Lynne Adams (organ) and Rosemary Robinson (piano)

Italian Visit

Just after Easter 2006, ‘Circle’ visited Calabria, in the extreme south of Italy giving concerts on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd in Vibo Valentia and Tropea jointly with the Italian choir ‘Musica e Parole’.

These concerts celebrated the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) with the second half of each concert being devoted to some of his church music, sung by both choirs with a local string ensemble. The programme included such well-known works as the motets Ave verum Corpus and Laudate Dominum, with the soprano soloist Caterina Francese.

The other Mozart works included the Litaniae Lauretanae, K109; Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, K273 and a work for strings.
The concerts were directed by Beresford King-Smith, and keyboard-players were Lynne Adams and Helen Putterill (the conductor of ‘Musica e Parole’). In the first half of each programme, the two choirs combined in a jubilant chorus by Handel before each choir gave short seperate programmes. Circle Singers sang an Agnus Dei by Palestrina and some attractive Shakespearean items by John Rutter, Matthew Harris and Thomas Morley.
The concerts were very well received and the following is a translation from Il Quotidiano Della Calabria - Vibo section, Monday 24 April 2006.

"The city has given well deserved acclaim to the concert given by Musica e Parole and the Circle Singers of Leamington Spa in the packed church of Santa Maria la Nova where an attentive and enthusiastic audience was able to hear a programme of choral music rich, varied and very well performed. It all began last summer when Musica e Parole went to London to give a concert. Amongst the audience was Beresford King-Smith, musical director of the Circle Singers who was greatly impressed by the group from Vibo Valentia and suggested a twinning arrangement. Thus the two choirs began work on this splendid programme which is repeated this evening in Tropea Cathedral. The programme, which included significant and challenging music, was divided into two parts. In the first part the two choirs began by performing together the Alleluia from the Coronation Anthems by Handel, considered the greatest exponent of baroque music. Circle Singers followed with an Agnus Dei by Palestrina and settings of Shakespeare texts. After a solo by the superb soprano Caterina Francese,, also by Handel, Musica e Parole gave a thrilling performance of a capella pieces by Victoria, Viadana, Pitoni and Gasparini, all composers of the baroque-renaissance period. In the second part the two choirs, accompanied by a string group and organ, came together once more to begin a homage to Mozart. Year 2006 was the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Austrian composer, who holds a per-eminent position in the world musical panorama of all time. Recent scientific research is believed to have confirmed that listening to Mozart improves concentration and logical thinking, perhaps because Mozart’s music is a miracle of perfection! Those lucky enough to be present were able to hear several of his most famous compositions: Ave Verum Corpus, Laudate Dominum, Litaniae Laurentanae and Santa Maria Mater Dei. In addition, the concerto for flute and orchestra, K314, was heard. But now a few words about the two choirs. Of Musica e Parole it is enough to say that though they have been active for barely ten years they have never yet disappointed their ever more numerous and appreciative audiences. The Circle Singers of Leamington celebrated their fortieth anniversary in 2000. Amongst their activities may be mentioned concerts in prestigious historic settings and mansions in the English Midlands, concerts held for charity and for the benefit of historic monuments. Their director, Beresford King-Smith was for 30 years Senior Administrator for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, one of the most renowned musical groups in Great Britain. To sum up, the concert was of the highest standard of musical performance and interpretation, enchanting the listeners as only good music can."