Over 125 voices in Choral Spectacular

The Choirs of Christ College

 

The Christ College tradition of choral singing showed itself to be thriving in a splendid concert in Brecon Cathedral on Saturday 27th February which brought together all of the school's choral groups. Alway Singers, both the Female and Male Voice Choirs, and the Chapel Choir all sang individually before joining forces with the Choral Society in music by Fauré.

 

A fine orchestra of professional musicians had been assembled to accompany the Chapel Choir under their director Jonathan Cooper in Constant Lambert's Jazz Age classic The Rio Grande. The singers coped admirably with the technically demanding rhythms and harmonies of the work and produced a warm tone in the quieter moments. The percussion section, led by CCB percussion tutor Gareth Hamlin, drove the rhythms forward with a wide range of instruments, and the pyrotechnic piano solo played by Director of Music Richard West was suitably fiery. The rich contralto voice of Flora York Skinner was the finishing touch to a fine performance of this exciting work.

 

In contrast the Female Choir excelled in Schubert's familiar setting of the 23^rd Psalm. The girls sang with control and suitably angelic tone in well-shaped phrases with clear diction, even singing in German. The Alway Singers took us back to jazz, swinging their way through Gershwin's Fascinating Rhythm with a real sense of enjoyment but without losing any musicality or clarity. The first half ended with appropriate hwyl for the approach of St David's Day as the Male Voice Choir gave us arrangements of Kumbayah and We'll keep a welcome. This was an authentic male voice sound with quality as well as volume, and it was hard to recognise that these were still young voices.

 

The second half belonged to the Choral Society. All the choirs joined forces and were augmented by adult members of the school community and local friends for sacred music by Gabriel Faure. Cantique de Jean Racine and the Requiem are two pillars of the choral repertoire which demand sensitive singing and present some musical challenges. Led by Director of Music Richard West with strings and horns and Jonathan Cooper at the organ, the massed voices of almost 130 singers produced a fine performance. In Nicholas Gedge there was an outstanding baritone soloist to inspire the many students in Christ College taking individual singing lessons. One such student, Anna John, sang the famous Pie Jesu with considerable style. As well as the tone of sweet innocence implied in the setting, Anna sang with musical phrasing and accurate intonation, suggesting a talent that will grow as her voice matures. The short Cantique showed that Richard West has his singers producing a full tone and long lines, the lower parts particularly making the most of their melodies. The Requiem gave the female voices chances to shine in the choruses of angels and it was particularly good to hear the tenors, always a difficult part for school choirs, holding their line with such clarity and confidence. Despite a moment of uncertainty in the second movement, this was a confident and assured performance with the singers' enjoyment of singing shining through.

 

A large audience applauded the assembled performers enthusiastically. Messrs West and Cooper had worked tirelessly to produce so much quality music from so many singers; the congratulations were well deserved.

 

Head Emma Taylor paid tribute to all that contributed, especially Director of Music Mr Richard West and Director of Choral Music Mr Jonathan Cooper, saying: "It was an excellent event and greatly appreciated by all the parents and members of the public who attended. Many congratulations to Richard and Jonathan; lots of hard work but what a result!"

 

 

Soloists:

Baritone Nicholas Gedge

 

Nicholas Gedge was born in Brecon and read law at Cambridge before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music to study with Mark Wildman. In opera his roles have included Charon (Batignano Festival Italy), Thesus (BOC Covent Garden Festival) and Narumov (Glyndebourne Festival). His concert work has included Messiah with the Ulster Orchestra, Charon in Haydn's Orfeo with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Elgar's Light of Life under Richard Hickox and performances of Bach's Passions under the direction of his father David Gedge, who was organist at Brecon Cathedral for over forty years. He also sang Christus in Arvo Part's Passion with the Hilliard Ensemble in Austria, Poloand, Germany and the UK. His recitals have included appearances at the Buxton Festival and the Wigmore Hall. In more recent times he has returned to the law and lives near Brecon with his family and an ever expandng collection of animals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anna John is currently studying for her GCSE exams at Christ College; she is a talented linguist with a keen interest in the Sciences. Anna has been singing since the age of seven; her inspiration was her grandfather who was a bass with the Welsh National Opera. In the future, Anna would also like to venture into the world of opera, but dreams of studying Architecture at cambridge. Since joining Christ College, Anna has taken on singing parts in the school productions of Oliver! and Fiddler on the Roof and has been a member of the Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir and Female Choir.

 

 

 

 

 

Alto Flora York Skinner

 

 

Flora York Skinner was born into a musical family and has for most of her life lived in mid Wales. Flora graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music and studied for her postgraduate diploma at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. She was finalist in the Susan Chilcott scholarships and has been the recipient of the Dame Shirley Bassey Scholarship. Her operatic roles include Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Jack's Mother (Into the Woods), and Emelia (Otello). Her concert repertoire includes the Bach Passions, Easter Oratoriao and Magnificat; Brahms Alto Rhapsody: Durufle Requiem; Elgar The Dream of Gerontius; and Handel Messiah. Flora is also well known as a recitalist, having given concerts at home in Wales, on Bermuda and on tour throughout the US.