NCS is performing in this event

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2 NCS is performing in this event 2

3 Newbury Choral Society Newbury Choral Society is a non-auditioned choir with a history of over 130 years of bringing a high standard of music to the area. The establishment of a permanent group of singers must have met an urgent need in the town as the Society attracted more than one hundred members for the first concert in Conducted by the choirmaster and organist of Newbury's St Nicolas Church, John Shepherd Liddle, the choir made a good impression on the Newbury Weekly News critic who wrote that 'the execution of the choruses reflected great credit upon the members of the Society and their conductor'. Since that first concert we have continued to perform a wide and varied repertoire, from the great choral works of Bach, Handel and Vaughan Williams to pieces by more recent composers Tavener, Britten and Karl Jenkins. In its second century the choir s conductors have included Jonathan Finney, Robert Barsby, Leo Hussain and its first female Musical Director Janet Lincé. Cathal Garvey has held the position since December You can find out more about Newbury Choral Society, its history and forthcoming events, at If you are interested in joining us, please contact our secretary through the website. We rehearse on Monday evenings at the Methodist Church Hall, Newbury, from 7.20pm to 9.40pm. We ask that you are able to read music but not necessarily to sight-read. You will receive a warm welcome. This programme was printed by Newbury College Print Room.

4 The Programme Will Todd: Mass in Blue Interval In the Mood: Songs from the Great American Songbook Ain t misbehavin Autumn Leaves Begin the Beguine Let s do it Smoke gets in your eyes Night and day Blue Moon S wonderful I got rhythm Over the rainbow Conductor: Cathal Garvey Soprano: Hilary Cronin Piano: Will Todd The Will Todd Trio Rehearsal Accompanist: Steve Bowey We are grateful to the following organisations for their support: The Englefield Charitable Trust Please visit to tell us about your experience of our performance. 4

5 Programme Notes Will Todd: Mass in Blue (Jazz Mass) Op. 28 (2003) Written in 2003 in response to a commission by Hertfordshire Chorus, and originally premiered under the title Jazz Mass, Will Todd s Mass in Blue is a brilliant blend of driving jazz grooves and clear, strong, choral writing against which the solo piano and solo soprano voice weave and blend in a delightful aural tapestry. The work reflects not only the composer s love of jazz music and his admiration of jazz performers, but also his own experience as an improviser. It also allows Todd to make use of his extensive choral skills which he deploys so effectively in works such as the oratorios The Burning Road (Op 10) and Saint Cuthbert (Op 7) or the chorus writing of his opera The Blackened Man. It is a confident work by a composer who understands and responds to the jazz idiom, making free use of the 12 bar blues sequence (which has been fundamental in the development of jazz music) as well as more complex harmonic processes. The Kyrie opens with an energetic cadenza for the trio section which builds into the first set tempo of the work. Over this the first vocal entry is heard, a bluesy theme reminiscent of negro spirituals and therefore apt for the text Kyrie Eleison - Lord have mercy. Gradually other lines join the initial melody until the full choir is singing. On a move to the sub-dominant B flat the choir ecstatically bursts forth with Christe Eleison and as this music subsides we hear the soprano enter on a soulful melody with a strong improvised feel, which builds over the return of the original key of F minor. The music of the Kyrie Eleison is repeated with the soloist interwoven around the vocal lines 5

6 in a virtuosic display. The movement slows and closes on a thrilling F minor 11 chord. The Gloria is set up with a fanfare from the brass which punctuates the whole movement. From the moment the choir enters there is an uplifting rhythmic drive to this setting with the full brass section adding a distinctive colour. In the central section of the Gloria a pulsating 5/8 time is set up which gradually builds until a recapitulation of the opening material brings the movement to a close. The Credo features the soprano in a colourful 12 bar blues in 12/8 time. There is a strong gospel feel with the choir repeating lines from the soloist and humming soft backing harmony. Again in three sections, the first blues part gives way to a more sombre section at the Crucifixus, and after Et sepultus est (and he was buried) a piano solo leads the band into a blazing depiction of the moment of resurrection. The Et resurrexit is set with a scorching up-tempo swing which eventually cuts back into the 12/8 as the movement builds to a thrilling climax. Like the Gloria the Sanctus is set for the choir and band without the soloist. It is a beautiful, slow ballad set up initially on the piano in which the woodwind players are featured, especially soprano sax. The movement provides a welcome period of tranquility and reflection after the sheer energy of the previous three movements. The Benedictus begins with solo double bass over which the choir sings a theme which builds up from the basses through the rest of the 6

7 voices. This music is gradually invaded by a new, more driving beat and the solo voice begins to weave into the texture once again. This funky riff gradually takes over and the music emerges into a powerful Hosanna section with punching brass and a jubilant choral sound. The Agnus Dei grows out of the dying echoes of the Hosanna with a haunting soprano ballad accompanied by piano. In the stirring maestoso which follows, we hear the main themes of the work on high trumpet fanfares and strong trombone chords. Once again the strong 12 bar blues harmony underpins the texture. A huge climactic entry from the choir subsides into a gentle A minor section in which intricate choral lines are woven over a simple, repeated chordal structure. After another big build this time with the chorus featured, the music returns to the opening ballad theme, the soprano now accompanied by soft choir and brass. This is a substantial movement and is more than beautiful it is painful, plaintive, a cry for mercy and a prayer for peace. Traditionally the mass would end here, but in another dramatic master-stroke Will Todd leaves the altos hanging on a soft E after the last chord of the Agnus Dei. The air of expectation grows as the sopranos softly recapitulate the Credo theme. Gradually the music builds with the soloist entering and then the tenors and basses. Suddenly the driving 12/8 beat of the Credo is forcing the music forward as the choir sing Et expecto resurrectionem (we look for the resurrection) and the music comes back to the key in which the work began, F minor. The emphatic final chords of the work leave the listener not in quiet contemplation but jerked forward into praise and belief. Credo Amen! Ralph Woodward

8 Mass in Blue libretto 1. Kyrie Lord, have mercy Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. Lord have mercy upon us. 2. Gloria Glory to God in the highest Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis. Laudamus te; benedicimus te; adoramus te; glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite Jesu Christe Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Glory be to God in the highest. And peace to all people on the earth. We praise you; we bless you; we worship you; we glorify you. We give you thanks for your great glory. O Lord God, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. You take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. 8

9 Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, O miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus Dominus, tu solus altissimus, Jesu Christe. Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. You take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. You are seated at the right hand of God, have mercy upon us. For you alone are the holy one, the most high Jesus Christ. With the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen. 3. Credo I believe in one God Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem cœli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum, Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all worlds. 9

10 Deum de Deo, Lumen de Lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri; per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de cœlis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato passus, et sepultus est, et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas, et ascendit in cælum, sedet ad dexteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, iudicare vivos et mortuos, cuius regni non erit finis; Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, born, not made, of one being with the Father. Through Him all things were made; Who for us and for our salvation came down from Heaven. and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man: And for our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, died and was buried: And on the third day rose again according to the Scriptures: And ascended into Heaven, and sits at God's right hand: And He shall come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead: And His Kingdom will have no end; I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, 10

11 qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per prophetas. Et unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum, et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen. Who proceeds from the Father and the Son. Who, with the Father and the Son, is worshipped and glorified, Who has spoken through the Prophets. And I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of all sin. And I await the Resurrection of the Dead: And the Life of the world to come. Amen. 4. Sanctus Holy, holy Lord Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth! Pleni suni coeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth. Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. 5. Benedictus Blessed is he Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. 11

12 Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest. 6. Agnus Dei O Lamb of God Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace. Credo reprise Credo. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum, et vitam venturi saeculi. Credo. I believe. And I await the Resurrection of the Dead, And the Life of the world to come. I believe. Interval of 20 minutes In the Mood In the Mood is a collection of choral arrangements of popular classic songs from the Great American Songbook. Tonight we are performing the following selection:- 12

13 Ain t misbehavin : Lyrics by Andy Razaf, music by Tomas Fats Waller and Harry Brooks in It was created as a theme song for the musical comedy Connie s Hot Chocolates, first performed at Connie s Inn in Harlem. Autumn Leaves: Lyrics by French poet Jacques Prévert, music by Joseph Kosma in In 1947 Johnny Mercer wrote the English lyrics and it has become a jazz standard in both French and English. Begin the Beguine: Written by Cole Porter in 1935 and made popular by band leader Artie Shaw. The word Beguine refers to a style of music and dance, a combination of French ballroom and Latin folk dance. Let s do it: Written by Cole Porter in 1928 for his first successful Broadway musical Paris. The song was later used in the English production of Wake Up and Dream in 1929 and in the film of Cole Porter s Can-Can in Smoke gets in your eyes: Composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Otto Harbach for the musical Roberta in It was performed in the 1935 film version which co-starred Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Randolph Scott. Night and day: Written by Cole Porter in 1932 for the musical Gay Divorce. A recording by Fred Astaire topped the charts for ten weeks and it went on to be performed by Bing Crosby, Eartha Kitt, Tony Bennett, Shirley Bassey and many others. Blue Moon: Written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in It was created as the title song for the film Manhattan Melodrama but was cut before the film s release. Hart wrote different lyrics, creating the song as we know it today. S wonderful: Composed by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It first appeared in the Broadway musical Funny Face in 1927 and again in the 1951 film An American in Paris. 13

14 I got rhythm: Written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin in It was sung by Ethel Merman in the Broadway production of Girl Crazy and also featured in An American in Paris. Over the rainbow: Music composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg for the film The Wizard of Oz in It was sung by Judy Garland in the starring role and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It was adopted by American Troops sent to Europe in the Second World War as a symbol of the United States. 14

15 Cathal Garvey - Musical Director Since moving from his native Ireland to London in 2009, Cathal Garvey has conducted Southern Sinfonia, London International Orchestra, Covent Garden Chamber Orchestra, I Maestri, London Repertoire Orchestra, London Medical Orchestra, King's College London Symphony Orchestra and Morley College Choir. He was Chorus Master and Assistant Conductor for two seasons at Grange Park Opera. He is currently on the conducting staff of the Royal Academy of Music. Cathal is conductor and Artistic Director of the London-based Ulysses Symphony Orchestra, which he founded in More recently, he took its professional sister-orchestra, the London Ulysses Orchestra, on a six-city tour of China at the end of 2016, which included a performance at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Cathal was appointed Musical Director of Newbury Choral Society in Since 2015 he has been Musical Director of Billingshurst Choral Society. Cathal began violin and piano studies in Cork at an early age, continuing at the Cork School of Music and later reading music at University College Cork. After completing his Masters Degree in Conducting, he studied for two years at the prestigious College of Moscow Conservatory. Cathal began his career as an Opera Chorus Master working for most of Ireland s major opera companies including Opera Ireland, Opera Theatre Company, Anna Livia Opera Festival, Opera South and Lyric Opera. He worked on over fifty productions with these companies and acted as Assistant Conductor for many of them. During his ten years in Dublin, Cathal conducted many orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Dublin Baroque Players, and from 2001 to 2006 was Principal Conductor of the Dublin Orchestral Players. From 2004 to 2009 he was Musical Director of the Dun Laoghaire Choral Society. 15

16 Will Todd - Composer/Pianist Will Todd s music is sung and loved all over the world. A composer of great fluency, his work encompasses choral works large and small, opera, musical theatre and orchestral pieces, as well as jazz compositions and chamber works. His 2003 mass setting Mass in Blue has been performed extensively worldwide; many times with the Will Todd Trio and Will at the piano. He has collaborated with award winning choirs The Sixteen and Tenebrae, as well as with the BBC Singers, BBC Concert Orchestra, The Halle Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, Opera Holland Park, Welsh National Opera, The Bach Choir and The Genesis Foundation. His discography includes best selling choral discs Lux Et Veritas and The Call of Wisdom (Tenebrae; Nigel Short), Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Opera Holland Park) and Mass in Blue, all on the Signum Classic label. His music is regularly broadcast on Classic FM, as well as on BBC Radio 3. Photograph by Andy Holdsworth Will Todd's music is valued for its melodic intensity and harmonic skill, often incorporating jazz colours, and his choral music is much in demand from amateur as well as professional performers. He has worked extensively with community choirs, children's choirs, youth choirs and church choirs, writing a large body of approachable liturgical music and directing regular workshops in the UK and internationally. Notable works include the operas The Blackened Man (2001), Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (2013), Sweetness and Badness (2006), the oratorios Saint Cuthbert (1995), Ode To a Nightingale (2011), Rage Against the Dying of the Light (2014), The City Garden (2013), The Burning Road (1996), the musical The Screams of Kitty Genovese (2010), choral works Mass in Blue (2003), Requiem (2009), Te Deum 16

17 (2008), Jazz Missa Brevis (2015), My Lord Has Come (2012), The Call of Wisdom (2012), and orchestral pieces Concerto For Emma (clarinet concerto 2015), Suite from Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1994) and Violin Concerto (1996). In 2016 he collaborated with the former children's laureate Michael Rosen to create Lights, Stories, Noise, Dreams, Love and Noodles, a work commissioned by The Bach Choir for youth singers, choir and band. Will Todd grew up in the city of Durham in North East England, where his grandfather worked as a coal miner. He now lives in the South East of England with his family. 17

18 Hilary Cronin - Soprano London based soprano Hilary Cronin is in demand as a soloist and ensemble singer. Recent engagements include Poulenc s Gloria with Walton Voices and Mozart s Requiem at St Martin-in-the-Fields where she is a St Martin's Voices Fellow, as well as Handel's Messiah at the Bristol Old Vic with the Erebus Ensemble and Harry Bicket and The English Concert. Hilary currently sings at St Bartholomew the Great and is an alumna of Genesis Sixteen. Hilary has sung with groups including Eo Nomine, Renaissance, Illuminare, Siglo de Oro, Erebus, Reverie and Britten Sinfonia Voices. Hilary covered the roles of Minerva in Monteverdi's Ulysses' Homecoming and Diana in Cavalli's La Calisto in English Touring Opera's 2016 Autumn Season. Hilary trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire where she studied with Teresa Cahill and was a Robinson Hearn and Trinity London Scholar in addition to being the Dame Susan Morden Choral Scholar at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel. Prior to this, Hilary read Music at Royal Holloway University of London where she received the Driver Prize for Excellence in Performance and the Dame Felicity Lott Bursary and was a soloist for Hyperion recordings and live BBC Radio 3 Broadcasts with The Choir of Royal Holloway. Upcoming engagements include recordings with The Choir of St Sepulchre s and Illuminare, Brahms Neue Liebeslieder and Liebeslieder with Seraphim and Handel s Messiah at Cranleigh School. 18

19 The Will Todd Trio Gareth Huw Davies - Bass Gareth Huw Davies is a London-based double and electric bass player. His work includes varied sessions, TV, West End theatre, jazz, big band, and classical crossover. He has performed all over the world in concert halls, theatres and jazz venues, collaborating with and recording for a wide range of musicians including Graham Coxon, Mark Eitzel, Sir Willard White, the Will Todd Trio, Simple Minds, Chrissie Hynde, Charlie Dore and the Tootsie Rollers, and he is the regular bassist for the long running Welsh live music TV show Noson Lawen. He also works professionally as a recording engineer and producer, particularly with composer Will Todd, and as a music theatre keyboard programmer, notably on the West End productions of Cabaret and Scrooge, and Legally Blonde. Gareth does occasional corporate, INSET and workshop education for the Wigmore Hall and others, and is Director of CSSM Summer School of Music at Sherborne School. Jim Fleeman - Drums Jim has led a varied and extensive career, working with artists such as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Mark Eitzel, Kenny Wheeler, Omar, Damon Albarn, Sir Willard White, Mike Figgis and the Halle Orchestra. He has played on several BBC 1 and 2 and Sky television series and has worked on theatre productions including Damon Albarn s Monkey: Journey to the West and the RSC s award-winning Matilda the Musical. Jim has been working with Will Todd since 1999 and has played on the recordings of Mass In Blue, Te Deum, Jazz Evensong and Songs of Peace, also performing those works extensively around the UK and on BBC radio. 19

20 Steve Bowey - Accompanist Steve studied organ and piano from an early age, playing the organ regularly at St Francis and St Andrews churches in Coulsdon. After studying Engineering at Salford University he moved to Newbury to work for Vodafone. In 1991 Steve was appointed as accompanist of the Cromwell Singers and became their musical director in From 1992, he was Director of Music at St Mary's Church, Shaw-cum-Donnington, and regularly accompanies for local choirs, including the Douai Choral Society, the Downland Chorale, the RSCM Southern Cathedral Singers, Berkshire Maestros youth choirs, Worcester College Oxford and Newbury Choral society. In June 1995 an opportunity at work took Steve to live in Holland. On returning to Newbury in 1997 he returned to St Mary's Shaw-cum- Donnington as organist. He is a regular performer in the Newbury and District Organists' Association lunchtime recital series and has also given recitals in Thaxted, Caterham and Manchester and Farnham. In 2001 he was appointed Musical Director of the Sandham Singers. In 2006 Steve joined the Royal College of Organists, and in July the following year took the examination for Associate (ARCO) in which he was awarded the Limpus prize for performance, as well as the Sowerbutts and Samuel Baker prizes. After further study, he was awarded the Fellowship diploma (FRCO) in January

21 NCS members singing in tonight s performance Honorary Life Patron: Lady Knill Chairperson: Liz Wallace Secretary: Nat Smith Treasurer: Tracy Smith Concert Manager: Mike Barthorpe Rehearsal accompanist: Steve Bowey SOPRANOS Rachel Atkinson Rebecca Berger Helen Bomgardner Kat Brandon Marion Croxford Sarah Foley Janet Freer Pat Hayward Gill Hitchcock Rachet Holt Monica Huddie Murrie Jackson Lauraine Leigh Klugman Bev Lewis Penny Lovelock Lynne Moore Debbie Murphy Clare Owen Margaret Owen Laura Rushton Taylor Brigitta Small Sarah South Judeth Stock Fenisia Stopher Heather Yule ALTOS Katharine Andrews Gayle Ashby Hilary Banks Denise Barthorpe Helen Cook Jacquie Cooper Nicola Foster Fiona Friend Lynette Harper Jenny Hayward Mavis Hughesdon Gwenda Hutchinson Mary Lawler Emma Leader Viv Masson Susanne Padel Barbara Riggs Georgina Seaman Sally Sinclair Nat Smith Tracy Smith Ann Turner Ann Vodden Liz Wallace Sally Walsh Penny Webb TENORS Peter Angwin Mike Barthorpe Andy Blake Matthew Evans Russell George Derek Harwood Nick Lampkin Richard Papworth Neil Rendall Andrew Salisbury Angela Whitcomb Nick Yates BASSES Peter Bell David Bomgardner Mike Braide David Craig John Garbutt David Hunt Alexander Jackson Richard Moore Barrie Seaman Jon Trickey 21

22 NCS is delighted to be the featured choir for this event 22

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