Christmas in colour 2017
This year our Christmas concert was held of Friday 15th and Saturday 16th December at Towcester Town Hall was all about colour.
The choir was conducted by Towcester Choral Societies Musical Director Helen Swift and it featured 'A Little Jazz Mass’ by Bob Chilcott and ‘Jazz Carols’ by Will Todd and many more popular songs and carols.
Packed audiences enjoyed the performances.
The choir was conducted by Towcester Choral Societies Musical Director Helen Swift and it featured 'A Little Jazz Mass’ by Bob Chilcott and ‘Jazz Carols’ by Will Todd and many more popular songs and carols.
Packed audiences enjoyed the performances.
Christmas CAROLS AT TOWCEster RACECOURSE
The Choir were invited to sing carols at Towcester Racecourse on Thursday 21 December at 10.30 am.
It was a most enjoyable event..
It was a most enjoyable event..
Mozart Requiem MUSIC WORKSHOP - Saturday 14TH OCTOBER 2017
On Saturday 14th October 2017 we held a Music Workshop at The Sawpits Centre in Towcester. It took place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and closed with a FREE concert to which all were are invited. We studied 'Mozarts' Requiem' under the expert guidance of our much talented musical director Helen Swift.
The event was a success with a lot of current members as well as new people who wanted to come and join us.
We look forward to putting our new knowledge of the pieces into practice in the new year for our forthcoming Easter Concert.
The event was a success with a lot of current members as well as new people who wanted to come and join us.
We look forward to putting our new knowledge of the pieces into practice in the new year for our forthcoming Easter Concert.
COME AND SING - 5TH SEPTEMBER
Towcester Choral Society began the new season of singing with a 'Come and Sing' event on Tuesday 5th September 2017 at our new rehearsal venue, the Sawpits Centre, in Richmond Road, Towcester. There were a number of new faces which has developed and they have now joined.
Following extensive renovations the former town library is no more and has been renamed 'The Sawpits Centre'.
Our rehearsals are on Tuesdays and start at 7:30 p.m. and finish at 9:30 p.m. but prospective members are invited to come at 7:15 p.m. to pick up music and meet the committee. Please contact our membership secretary if you plan to be with us, email: 'membership@towcesterchoralsociety.org.uk'
Following extensive renovations the former town library is no more and has been renamed 'The Sawpits Centre'.
Our rehearsals are on Tuesdays and start at 7:30 p.m. and finish at 9:30 p.m. but prospective members are invited to come at 7:15 p.m. to pick up music and meet the committee. Please contact our membership secretary if you plan to be with us, email: 'membership@towcesterchoralsociety.org.uk'
Towcester Flower Festival - celebrating 917 years of modern Towcester
We were again invited to take part in Towcester Flower Festival this year at St Lawrence’s Church. The theme was ‘Towcester through the ages’, celebrating the town’s history since its founding in 917.There was a wonderful array of very imaginative and inventive flower arrangements, representing different organisations, significant events and key figures in Towcester’s long history. We were lucky enough to have our display once again in the very safe hands of Catharine Tarbun, who produced a beautiful piece, showing the development of the choir from its foundation in 1900 to the present day. She used some old photographs, a lovely photograph of our present choir members and two very pretty arrangements, a smaller one representing the choir in its early days, and a larger one as the choir today, with different colours showing the different voice parts. They were joined by a garland.
We’re very grateful to Catharine for all her hard work and creativity. She produced a beautiful result. Thank you so much, Catharine!
We’re very grateful to Catharine for all her hard work and creativity. She produced a beautiful result. Thank you so much, Catharine!
SUMMER CONCERT - 7th & 8TH JULY
Our Summer concert this year took place at Towcester Town Hall on Friday, 7th July and Saturday 8th July. We were joined by members of the Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir with music from around the British Isles, together with the much appreciated musicianship of piper Richard Jasper who opened the concert. There were two sections of Irish dance from Niamh Herbert which enchanted the audience. There was a very wide variety of music from around the British Isles, some familiar, others not so, never the less the packed audience on both evenings much appreciated it with resounding applause.
CREAM TEA EVENT - 24TH JUNE
A pleasant afternoon was spent at our cream tea on Saturday 24th June at the Chantry House and Garden in Towcester. £151 was raised for society funds.
TOWCESTER MID-SUMMER MUSIC EVENT - 17TH JUNE
Towcester Choral Society were once again proud and privileged to support Towcester Midsummer Music singing a variety popular music at St Lawrence Church, on Saturday 17th June.
PALM SUNDAY CONCERT - 9th APRIL - THE ARMED MAN
A packed audience at this year's Easter concert by Towcester Choral Society was overwhelmed with the choice of music this year, the performance being supported by The South Northants Festival Orchestra with soprano soloist Morag Boyle. It began with the Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel Faure, followed by the Ave Verum Corpus, by Mozart and readings of War poetry from Rev. Ben Phillips. The orchestra followed with the Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber. Morag Boyle now offered compositions by Ivor Gurney. The first half closed with the choir's rendition of Crucifixus by Antonio Lotti. The second half was devoted to The Armed Man by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins, which was composed for the new millennium. It was dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo war. It is about the growing menace of a descent into war, interspersed with moments of reflection. It shows the horrors that war brings; and ends with the hope for peace in a new millennium, when "sorrow, pain and death can be overcome" it is a popular piece of Choral music. Within the Armed Man there is the Muslim, ‘Call to Prayers’. For this we were honoured to welcome Hafiz Mumtaz Aseem who is one of the Imams at The Central Jamia Mosque and Community Centre in Wolverton.
There was a standing ovation in appreciation of the performance.
There was a standing ovation in appreciation of the performance.
SOUP AND PUDS LUNCH
Towcester Choral Society yet again had their annual Soup and Puds event to help raise funds for the choir.
The event was held on Saturday 28th January 2017, 12 - 2pm at Towcester Methodist Church and went extremely well, raising an impressive £403 for choir funds. Many thanks to all who supported the event, and especially to Cynthia East who led and coordinated so effectively. Thanks also to her amazing team. All funds raised are very welcome, in that they enable us to put on more ambitious and well produced concerts. Staging, lighting, decorations, refreshments and supporting orchestra and soloists are all expensive items, but well worth the investment.
The event was held on Saturday 28th January 2017, 12 - 2pm at Towcester Methodist Church and went extremely well, raising an impressive £403 for choir funds. Many thanks to all who supported the event, and especially to Cynthia East who led and coordinated so effectively. Thanks also to her amazing team. All funds raised are very welcome, in that they enable us to put on more ambitious and well produced concerts. Staging, lighting, decorations, refreshments and supporting orchestra and soloists are all expensive items, but well worth the investment.