CIRCLE SINGERS GOLDEN JUBILEE CONCERT

Our Golden Jubilee Concert took place at Dale Street Methodist Church, Leamington Spa (where 'Circle' was founded!) on Saturday 15^th May 2010

The exciting mixed programme included two items for augmented choir consisting of both present and previous members

Handel's great Coronation Anthem, 'Zadok the priest', which was directed by Circle's founding Musical Director, Chris Ward.

Parry's splendid anthem, 'I was glad', which was directed by Circle's current Musical Director, Beresford King-Smith

---------------------------- Jubilee Concert ------------------------------

 Rosemary Robinson                                              Lynne Adams 

Golden Jubilee Concert

Lynne Adams piano & organ

Rosemary Robinson piano & harpsichord

Instrumentalists and soloists

---------------------------- Programme ------------------------------

Part 1

Gabriel Fauré: Cantique de Jean Racine

Randall Thompson: Four Country Songs from 'Frostiana'
The Road not Taken / Come in (SAA) / Stopping by Woods (TBB) / Choose something like a star

Matthew Harris: Four Shakespeare Songs, Book II (directed by Lynne Adams)
Take, O take / Tell me where is fancy bred / Under the greenwood tree / Come away, come away, death

Randall Thompson: Alleluia

Augmented Choir – George Frederic Handel: Coronation Anthem, Zadok the Priest
Conducted by the choir's first Musical Director, Chris Ward

- INTERVAL -

Part 2

Augmented Choir – Hubert Parry: I was glad

Rosemary Robinson: O Frabjous Day!
('A Cantata for the First Day in April' – First Public Performance)

Beresford King-Smith: The Golden Journey to Samarkand(First Performance)

Cy Coleman: The Rhythm of Life (with piano duet)

Paul Simon: Bridge over troubled water

------------------------------ Recent Concerts ------------------------------

Come with me to Bethlehem

A concert of Christmas music with seasonal readings

Saturday 12th December 2009 at 7:30pm

Town Hall, The Parade Leamington Spa CV32 4AT,

The Mayor's Christmas Charity Concert.
A concert of Christmas music with seasonal readings and audience carols

Proceeds to the Mayor's Charites.

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Come with me to Bethlehem

A concert of Christmas music with seasonal readings

Saturday 5th December 2009 at 7:30pm

Sutton Coldfield United Reformed Church,
1 Brassington Avenue, Sutton Coldfield B73 6AA,

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'Sacred and Secular'

Saturday 31st October 2009 at 7:30pm

St.Chad's Church,
Church Hill, Bishop's Tachbrook,
nr.Leamington CV339RJ

Franz Shubert

The Circle Singers of Royal Leamington Spa

Musical Director: Beresford King-Smith

Accompanist: Lynne Adams
with David Weir, Flute
Proceeds in aid of the
St Chad's Centre
Tickets £6,00 from 01926 334812
or on the door on the night

A programme of choral music

'Sacred and Secular'

Programme:-
A Motet for All Saints'Tide - Stanford: Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt

19C Sacred Music from Austria and Germany:-
Schubert's Deutsche Messe D872 - Zum Eingang(Prelude)
Bruckner: Locus iste
Schubert: Zum Gloria (Gloria and Creed)
Rheinberger: Abendlied
Schubert: Zum Offertorium / Zum Sanctus (Offertory and Sanctus)
Brahms: Geistliches Lied
Schubert: Nach der Wandlung / Zum Agnus Dei ( Agnus Dei)
Mendelsohn: Verleih uns Frieden gnaedlich
Schubert: Schlussgesang (Final Benediction)

Interval
Madrigals from England and Italy
Thomas Ford: Since first I saw your face
John Dowland: Wilt thou, unkind
John Bennet: Weep O mine eyes
John Wilbye: Adieu, sweet Amaryllis
Giles Farnaby: Pierce did dance with Petronella

Beresford King-Smith: Two 'Bird' Madrigals (with David Weir, flute)
The Blossom (First Performance)
Questi vaghi concenti (Anon) (Second Performance)

Adriano Banchieri: Festino nella sera del Giovedi Grasso, avanti cena
(An Entertainment for the Night before Carnival Thursday, before Dinner) Extracts


Sunday 29th March 2009 - St John the Baptist, Fleet Street, Coventry
Repeated: Saturday 9th May 2009, St Mary, Temple Balsall

Including music by 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. 31 May 1809)
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) (b. 3rd February 1809)

Handel Chorus, 'O, the pleasure of the plains!' (Acis and Galatae)
Mendelssohn: Hear my prayer (soprano solo: Margot Russell)
Purcell: Suite from 'Abdelazer' ( or 'The Moor's Revenge')
Haydn: Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis De Deo ('Little Organ Mass')

INTERVAL

Victoria: Salve Regina a 6
Brahms:: Ave Maria, opus 12
Purcell: Funeral Music for Queen MaryII (1695)
- Man that is born of a woman
- In the midst of life we are in death
- Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts
Handel: A Concerto Grosso (from the opus 6 set)
King-Smith: Questi vaghi concenti (1st performance) (with David Weir, flute)
Byrd: Sanctus/Agnus Dei (Mass for Four Voices)

This programme was repeated on Saturday 9th May at 7:30pm at The Church of St Mary, Temple Balsall

Christmas 2008

Dale St. Leamington


St.Peter's Church, Coughton, nr. Alcester

Upton House, nr. Banbury (National Trust)

Saturday 11th October 2008 at 7:30pm

The Circle Singers of Royal Leamington Spa
conductor Beresford King-Smith

Guest Artists:Huw Gibson(cello), Rosemary Robinson (piano)

Choral Music from England & North America

Venue: United Reformed Church, Brassington Ave.

Sutton Coldield B73 6AA

in aid of CROSS: 'Church Refurbishment - Our Statement for Service'

>

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Saturday 26th April 2008

The Circle Singers of Royal Leamington Spa (conductor Beresford King-Smith) with the Holborne Recorder Consort

A Jubilee Celebration of the Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams(1872-1958)

Venue: Dorridge Methodist Church Centre

Mill Lane, Dorridge, Solihull, B93 8NU at 7:30 pm

Proceeds in aid of Mission Aviation Fellowship

The programme – heard at this and the following concerts – provided a chronological survey of Vaughan Williams' choral music, from the Three Elizabethan Part Songs of 1899 right through to the music composed for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, when he was over 80! Other items included the well-known Five English Folk Songs (1913), the motet Valiant-for-truth (1940) and the superb Three Shakespeare Songs which 'RVW' wrote for the 'Festival of Britain' in 1951. The conductor was

Beresford King-Smith

, Musical Director of The Circle Singers for the past 15 years, and the choir was accompanied on the piano and organ by

Adrian Moore

. In addition the

Holborne Recorder Consort

played instrumental music by Vaughan Williams, together with some Elizabethan dances and the hymn by Thomas Tallis which VW used as the basis of his famous 'Fantasia' for string orchestra.


~~ Jubilee Celebration ~~

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Saturday 27th April 2008

The Circle Singers of Royal Leamington Spa (conductor Beresford King-Smith) with the Holborne Recorder Consort

A Jubilee Celebration of the Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams(1872-1958)

Venue: St John the Baptist Church

Fleet Street, Coventry, CV1 3AY

Programme:

Unison Song: Let us now praise famous men, 1900
Part song: Linden Lea 1901
The Call / Antiphon from: Five Mystical Songs 1911)

Holborne Recorder Consort:

Vaughan Williams, arr. Paul Clark:Rhosymedre
(from Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn-tunes, 1920)
Thomas Tallis: Third Melody (used by VW in 'Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis')

Five English Folk Songs, 1913
(The Dark Eyed Sailor / The Springtime of the Year / Just as the Tide was Flowing /
The Lover's Ghost / The Wassail Song)
Bereford King-Smith: The World (words by George Herbert)
( Marking the 50th Anniversary of the death of Ralph Vaughan Williams)

INTERVAL

Wedding Chorus (from In Windsor Forest 1929
Motet, Valiant-for-Truth, 1940

Holborne Recorder Consort:

Vaughan Williams: Valse and Finale (Jig) (from Suite of Pipes 1939)
Anthony Holborne: Two Galliards, 1599 - Wanton / The Widowes Mite

Motet, The Voice Out of the Whirlwind, 1947 ( adapted from Job - A Masque for Dancing)
Three Shakespeare Songs, 1951
(Full Fathom Five / The Cloud-capped Towers / Over Hill over dale)

Anthem, O Taste and see how gracious the Lord is (written for the Coronation 1953)
The Old Hundredth Psalm Tune (written for the Coronation 1953)