Our first concert of the season - Hymn to the Virgin - 7th December, Douai Abbey
“Oh, by that joy which Gabriel brought to thee,Thou Virgin first and last, let us thy mercy see.”
So concludes Edward Caswall’s translation of the Marian hymn “Alma Redemptoris Mater”, and thus begins the first concert of Reading Bach Choir’s season.
Inspired by the season of Advent and the magnificent architecture and acoustics of Douai Abbey, “Hymn to the Virgin” brings together music from two distinct periods in veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The programme alternates between William Byrd’s Propers for Advent from his first book of Gradualia with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina’s Missa Alma Redemptoris Mater.
Nestled among the Renaissance treasures are beloved works for the season by Benjamin Britten and Herbert Howells plus music by living composers Gabriel Jackson, Kerensa Briggs and Judith Weir.
This Advent, join Reading Bach Choir in preparation and anticipation for the joy of the coming Christmas season.
Saturday 7th December 2024 7.30 pm
Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, RG7 5TQ
Tickets £18 / Under 18s £5 Buy tickets here or on the door
We expect this concert will be about 1 hour 40 minutes including an interval
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ANOTHER DATE FOR YOUR DIARY
Tuesday 17th December 7.30pm
St Andrew's Church, Caversham
Join us for a relaxed evening singing some carols yourself and listening to the choir perform a few seasonal pieces as well. We'd love you to join us.
Tickets £5 on the door. Under 18s free
We are recruiting
This accomplished choir performs a wide range of choral music, ancient and modern, with a particular focus on challenging and rewarding new music. Recent concerts have included works by Caroline Shaw, Reena Esmail, Margaret Bonds and Saunder Choi as well as more familiar composers such as Byrd, Tomkins, Vaughan Williams and of course J.S. Bach. We recently performed an exhilerating UK premier of Kile Smith's The Arc in the Sky.
We are looking for new members with a high standard of singing and musicianship who are interested in challenging themselves musically in a friendly and aspirational environment, led by our Music Director Daniel Mahoney. If that sounds like you, please come and join us for a few rehearsals to try us out. If you enjoy the experience and want to stay with us, we will arrange a short audition.
We rehearse on Tuesdays at 7.30pm in St Andrews Church, Caversham RG4 7PL.
If you are interested, please contact: membership@readingbachchoir.org.uk or go to the 'Sing with Us' tab at the top of this page and select 'Join the Choir' and 'FAQs'.
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