SINGERS

Very many thanks to all of you who took part in last July’s performance of the B Minor Mass.
In 2010 we shall perform C.H.H.Parry’s Blest Pair of Sirens and the complete version of Felix Mendelsohn’s Hymn of Praise (Lobgesang) sung in English (both available in Novello editions) in Guildford Cathedral on Saturday 10th July.

Rehearsals will be held in St.Nicolas Church, Guildford at 7.45 pm on Thursday 20th, 27th May, 10th, 17th, 24th June, 1st, 8th July (n.b. no rehearsal on Corpus Christi 3rd June) and at 2.00 pm in the Cathedral on the day of the concert. For those who have not sung there St.Nicolas has an excellent concert acoustic and should prove an effective rehearsal venue.
As last year, the singing fee is £20 and the vocal scores (Novello) will be available on loan at no additional charge. There are no auditions for singers and all voices are welcome.Please use downloadable form on the next page for your enrolment. We look forward to seeing old friends and of course new singers in May. With best wishes for 2010.
Yours sincerely Pat Ives
(Choir Sec. SFC)

Hilary Davan Wetton has been appointed as our Music Director, taking up his role in Autumn 2009. Hilary has enjoyed a distinguished musical career as both conductor and teacher. He was a pupil of Sir Adrian Boult at the Royal College of Music and was awarded the Ricordi Conducting Prize in 1967. He is Musical Director of three major choirs: the City of London Choir, the Hastings Philharmonic Choir and now the Surrey Festival Choir. He is Conductor Emeritus of the Milton Keynes City Orchestra (of which he was Founder Conductor) and of the Guildford Choral Society which he conducted from 1968 - 2008. He has made a number of acclaimed recordings with the Guildford Choral Society, the Holst Singers, the London Philharmonic and the Milton Keynes Orchestras. He appears frequently as a guest conductor with choirs and orchestras both in Britain and overseas, and performs regularly on BBC Radio 3. He has a real commitment to young people, both through work with youth orchestras and audience building. We all look forward to this exciting new partnership with the Surrey Festival Choir.