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Queens' College Chapel Choir Cambridge
Soprano: Laura Collins1,4, Victoria Cope, Amy Stroud, Joanna
Willmott2, Harriet Poyer-Sleeman. 1 soloist in Lo, the full, final sacrifice2 soloist in Lully, lulla, thou little tiny child 3 soloist in The Evening-watch 4 soloist in Psalm 86 Queens' College Queens’ College was founded in 1448 by Andrew Dokett, and
owes its regal plural to the patronage of queens Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret of
Anjou. Its architecture boasts additions from every intervening century, spreading over
the Cam by way of the Mathematical Bridge (famed as a design of Isaac Newton). The present
chapel was built by GF Bodley in 1891, on land which was once the site of a Carmelite
priory. It combines severe austerity with a profusion of colour, including stencilling,
painted angels with golden wings, and a 7 light East window; these provide the
surroundings for a famous tryptich - the centrepiece of the sanctuary - painted by a 15th
century artist known as the Master of the View of St Gudule. It is one of the larger
college chapels in Cambridge, possessing a spacious acoustic. The fine Binns organ dates
from 1893 and remains largely unaltered, apart from a change of action in the early 1970s;
it is one of the few surviving Victorian organs in Cambridge, and is ideal as both an
accompanimental and recital instrument. An ongoing Appeal aims to restore it to its former
excellence after a hundred years of continuous use.
Flight of Song The Choir of Queens' College, Cambridge is an amateur mixed-voice choir comprised of singers drawn from across the University of Cambridge. Over the last decade it has established a reputation for innovative performances and projects, and is directed by two student Organ Scholars (who hold the post for just three years each) ensuring a malleable ensemble adapting constantly to changes of repertory and approach. The choir records regularly: Queens’ third CD, Evening Watch (GMCD7155) was released in January 1999, and gained high praise from the journal Choir and Organ, who in a major profile of the choir in its November 1999 issue called it "an exceptional performance of core repertoire". A further disc, Wedding Hymns (GMCD7160) was released in May 1999. The choir's busy term-time schedule includes a twice-weekly Choral Evensong, special events marking the College's year, and services in Cathedrals all over Britain, as well as a lively concert calendar: recent performances of the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 and a semi-staging of Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas have received considerable acclaim - the Independent on Sunday found the Monteverdi "invigorating". In November 1999 a rare performance of Heinrich Biber's Requiem saw the choir work with some of the most talented young British vocal and instrumental soloists. Over the past few years tours have been undertaken to Italy, the USA, and in 1999 a two-week trip to Germany and Switzerland, during which the choir appeared at the 10th Munich International Chorfest in Munich's prestigious Philharmonie im Gasteig. Queens' College Choir has been a keen promoter of contemporary music since CV Stanford (himself a college Organ Scholar in 1870) wrote a setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for the choir in 1874, The Queens' Service. The year 2000 has seen a number of projects which extend the choir’s commitment to new music, including the Queens’ 2000 International Composition Competition, which drew a large number of high-quality entries from around the world. Soprano Alto Tenor Bass Organ Director GMCD 7265THE CHOIR OF QUEENS’ COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGEThe Choir of Queens’ College Cambridge is a mixed-voice choir comprised of singers drawn from across the University of Cambridge. The personnel of the choir change substantially from year to year, as well as its director (two student Organ Scholars, who hold the post for just three years each) but the fundamental principle behind the choir’s success remains: innovative performances of mainstream and unusual choral repertoire. The choir’s busy term-time schedule includes a twice-weekly Choral Evensong, special events marking the College’s year, services in Cathedrals all over Britain, as well as a lively concert calendar, usually culminating in a tour abroad and a compact disc. Songs of Heaven and Earth is the choir’s seventh disc in the past decade. Previous recordings include Evening Watch (GMCD7155), which was released in January 1999, and gained high praise from the journal Choir and Organ. Flight of Song (GMCD7213) featured some premiere recordings and received numerous rave reviews, including a double five-star rating from BBC Music Magazine. Extracts of both discs have been played on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. While receiving much acclaim for performances of mainstream music, Queens’ College choir remains committed to promoting less well-known repertoire, such as some of the items on this disc. The choir has also been a keen promoter of contemporary music since CV Stanford (himself a college Organ Scholar in 1870) wrote a setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for the choir in 1874, The Queens’ Service. SOPRANOKadia Acres [6], Liz Curtis [16, 17], Becca Daker, Anna-Bettina Kaiser, Dulcie Jowett [16, 17], Jenny McAuley [5] ALTOJane Bell, Christi Burt* [17], Juliet Fraser [17] , Anna Simpson, Kate Thatcher [2] TENORLewis Brown* [17], Stephen Dellar [14], Matthew Price [17], John Surcombe [4, 16] BASSJames Aitken, Thomas Barnet-Lamb, John Connor, Matthew Harper, Matthew Wilkinson* [16, 17] *singing only for tracks 16 and 17 Tracks 18 and 19 Directed by James Weeks
SOPRANOKatherine Davidson, Alysha de Ionno, Rachel Flecker, Naomi Lovett, Natalie Malikova, Anna Ruff, Joanna Willmott ALTOClaire Badger, Christi Burt, Anne Clifford, Charlotte Fenby, Juliet Fraser, Beth Guiton, Alistair Tighe ++++++++++++++++++
The Choir of Queens’ College Cambridge James Southall – organ ♦ Samuel Hayes – director Soprano Alto Tenor Bass
Queens' College Chapel Choir Cambridge on Guild Music
Page revised 19.10.04 |
Over the last decade the Choir of Queens’ College, Cambridge has
established a reputation for the excellence and freshness of its interpretations and its
commitment to a wide range of choral repertoire, sacred and secular. The choir is directed
and run by the two Organ Scholars (a post held by C.V. Stanford in 1870), whose three-year
tenure of the post as students of the university ensures a malleable and Protean ensemble,
adapting constantly and successfully to changes of approach and repertory. The tradition
of choral singing in Queens’ College’s historic chapels is, however, a long one,
and in addition to its liturgical duties - leading worship according to the 1662 Book of
Common Prayer, and occasional festal services - the choir today maintains a heavy schedule
of concerts, tours and recordings. Queens’ last two discs, The Queens’
Service and Vox Dicentis, directed by Ralph Woodward, were highly acclaimed; a
place in the choir is much coveted.
GMCD 7287 Love and Honour