Do you love singing? Come and try a choir practice with Birmingham Festival Choral Society! (No obligation). Chat to our singers over coffee and cake in the interval.
We are a friendly mixed choir who sing a wide variety of the world’s best classical choral music. We’ll be learning Carmina Burana and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms this term, in preparation for concerts with the Liverpool Welsh Choral.
As well as concerts in Birmingham and the Midlands, we tour abroad every 3 years – great for singing experiences, as well as strengthening choir friendships.
We look forward to meeting you!
OPEN REHEARSAL
Wednesday 26th April, 7.00 for 7.15pm. Finishing time 9.30pm
It was a great concert on Saturday, attended by Birmingham’s Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress. A full audience heard beautiful Chopin Nocturnes played on the piano by Kevin Gill, and many lovely choral items fitting in with the theme of night. It was a challenging and full repertoire, prepared and directed by our talented new music director, David Wynne.
Open up these links to see the pictures and comments.
Tim Davis and David Wynne were guests on Radio WMs Sonny and Shay programme this afternoon, talking about Birmingham Festival Choral Society, David’s new appointment as Music Director, and the forthcoming ‘Nocturne’ concert.
David was challenged to give Sonny some singing exercises and decide what voice part he was – the conclusion was 1st Bass! Tim managed to get in every last detail about the choir, history, website and rehearsals – well done!
A selection of choral gems, familiar and unfamiliar, with a “nocturnal” theme, interspersed with popular piano music by Chopin, feature in the concert by Birmingham Festival Choral Society on April 1st.
Among the best-known of these fine vocal works are John Tavener’s “Song to Athene”, which rose to fame in 1997 when performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales; a setting of the “Londonderry Air” by Bob Chilcott; and “Water Night” by the prolific American choral composer Eric Whitacre.
BFCS patron John Joubert, who celebrates his 90th birthday this March, and whose latest opera Jane Eyre received its premier performance last autumn, is represented by two part-songs, “There is no rose of such virtue” and “O Lorde, the maker of al thing”, the words of the latter being attributed to King Henry VIII.
Part songs by three British composers from an earlier era – Robert Lucas Pearsall, Hubert Parry and Edward Elgar – will also be heard, including Parry’s moving “Songs of Farewell”, well-known in the choral repertoire. Brahms’ sacred song “Geistliches Lied” and his secular “Vier Quartette”, together with Faure’s popular “Cantique de Jean Racine” also feature in the programme.
Many of these items will be performed a capella; for the remaining numbers the choir will be joined by regular accompanist Kevin Gill, who also provides an interlude with three of Chopin’s famous Nocturnes.
The concert marks a departure from the more typical repertoire of large-scale works, such as oratorios and masses, by the Society, which has been in existence since the 1840s. (Their next concert in June includes two hugely popular 20th Century works: Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana”.)
More importantly, it introduces the Society’s newly appointed Music Director, David Wynne, a graduate of the Birmingham Conservatoire who has been active in teaching and conducting with both adult and junior choirs in the West Midlands and beyond.
David Wynne, Music Director, Birmingham Festival Choral Society
The concert by Birmingham Festival Choral Society will take place on Saturday April 1st, commencing at 7.30pm, in the fine setting of St John’s and St Peter’s Church (Ladywood ARC), Darnley Road, Birmingham B16 8TF. Tickets (£14, students/under 16s £7) are available on the door before the concert, or beforehand from Ticket Source.
Tom Dance
Post script: David Wynne and Tim Davis have been offered a slot on Radio WMs ‘Sunny & Shay’ programme between 3.30 and 4pm on Monday 20th March! They will be talking about David’s appointment as BFCS Music Director and the forthcoming concert.
Our concert on 1st April contains a wide variety of popular choral music, in keeping with our ‘Nocturne’ theme. This will be the first BFCS concert conducted by our new Music Director, David Wynne! We hope that you will be able to share it with us.
Frederic Chopin Three Nocturnes (Kevin Gill, piano)
Charles H.H.Parry Songs of Farewell (unaccompanied)
Have you made a New Year Resolution to join a choir? Come along to our free Open Rehearsal next Wednesday, 4th January and give us a try, with no obligation! We recommend arriving at 7pm, in order to find your way around and meet some singers before the rehearsal starts at 7.15pm. Please pass the message on to any prospective singers you know.
More information about the choir can be found here: Join our choir
Next Wednesday is also special because we will be welcoming our new Music Director, David Wynne. There will be an extra long coffee break (with cake!) to give us time to get to know each other.
Sylvie Dattas introduces the work by her father, Jean Dattas.
BFCS sing Dattas.
Andrew Randall, baritone.
The soloists take the applause.
Elouise Waterhouse, Mezzo soprano.
BFCS ladies.
A full church to hear the ‘In Paradisum’ concert.
Many thanks to Alfred Whhite for these pictures of our concert last Saturday. The beautiful music by Fauré, Duruflé and Dattas was enjoyed by both the choir and the capacity audience.
One member of the audience sent the following message to our Birmingham Festival Choral Society Facebook page:
Thank you for a lovely evening of music. The Faure pieces were sublime!
We are delighted to announce that David Wynne is to be our new Music Director.
David will take up his new post in January. It promises to be an exciting future!
David has been Music Director of the Ryton Chorale since 2013 and Arrow Vale Singers since 2012. He graduated from Birmingham Conservatoire with a Masters degree in Vocal and Operatic Performance (studying as a bass-baritone) and has been a soloist in both oratorio and opera. While at the Conservatoire he was awarded a scholarship to study choral conducting with the influential conductor Paul Spicer.
In addition to his conducting posts David is closely involved in educational work: he is co-founder of the St Chad’s Choral Outreach Programme in Birmingham, and teaches and conducts at the Birmingham Junior Conservatoire.
Further information will be found on the link below.
If you’d like to receive our Newsletters in your Email In box, you can subscribe via the link in the left column of this website. Make sure that you don’t miss any of our news!
If you’d like to give us a try but missed the Open Rehearsal last week, it’s not too late! New singers would still be welcome this Wednesday.
Ten new singers came for the first time last week – here are some of their comments:
I can hardly wait for next week! The choir sounded brilliant and I heard wonderful reports of the tour. Everyone I spoke to does seem full of excitement about everything to come!
I really enjoyed the sing last evening and am looking forward to coming again next week.
It was lovely to have such a warm reception from everyone.
It was a lovely evening last Wednesday
I did enjoy the evening, and was most impressed with the standard of singing, sight reading and the general organisation.
I will be back for more next week!
The friendly Birmingham choir singing the world's best choral music.
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David has been Music Director of the Ryton Chorale since 2013 and Arrow Vale Singers since 2012. He graduated from Birmingham Conservatoire with a Masters degree in Vocal and Operatic Performance (studying as a bass-baritone) and has been a soloist in both oratorio and opera. While at the Conservatoire he was awarded a scholarship to study choral conducting with the influential conductor Paul Spicer.
