About
Whitehall Choir
From its origins as a lunchtime madrigal group in
the Board of Trade during the Second World War,
the Choir has developed into a notable performer
on the London music scene. It has a varied repertoire,
showing a willingness to experiment and an approach
which brings both intelligence and understanding
to its performance. The Choir performs challenging
unaccompanied pieces as well as larger choral works,
and looks to present a selection of more rarely
performed pieces alongside favourite classics. It
performs regularly at major central London concert
venues, alongside professional orchestras and soloists,
and has an extensive repertoire from the Renaissance
to the twenty-first century.
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LONDON PREMIERE OF PAUL SPICER'S LATEST WORK
On 31 March 2006, in St John's, Smith Square, Whitehall Choir and the Brandenburg Sinfonia performed the London premiere of Paul Spicer's work, The Deciduous Cross, a setting of poems by RS Thomas. Paul created a song cycle of five poems, from different collections, setting them to music which emphasised the contradictory and occasionally desolate subject Thomas had chosen. The setting uses wind instruments only, with a beguiling cor anglais solo between vocal movements. The thrilling word painting presented a rare and rewarding challenge to us, and was warmly received by an encouragingly large audience. During his time as the choir’s conductor, Paul has extended the Whitehall Choir’s repertoire from early Renaissance to contemporary works. To view Paul's biography,
please click here  (PDF 14kb) .
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• Visit Paul Spicer's website
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JAMES LONGFORD - ACCOMPANIST
James Longford studied piano and organ at the Royal College of Music where he won the Tagore Gold Medal. Performances with a variety of singers and ensembles have since taken him to many major UK venues, such as the Barbican and Wigmore Hall, whilst abroad he has performed throughout Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, the US and the Baltic States. With New Zealand pianist Lindy Tennent-Brown, James is one half of the longfordbrown piano duo, who are forging a career as one of the UK's foremost piano duos with performances this season in Sicily, the Vendsyssel Festival, Denmark, and a prestigious residency in Banff, Canada, in November. He also works as a repetiteur and orchestral pianist with a number of organizations - Aldeburgh Music, Britten Sinfonia, Gabrieli Consort, Polyphony, Southbank Sinfonia and The Opera Group to name a few.
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• Visit jameslongford.com and longfordbrown.com for more info
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Memorable
concerts of recent years
The Choir performs at least three major concerts
each year. Memorable concerts of recent years include
Verdi’s Requiem at The Royal Albert
Hall and again, in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, to
mark the millennium and Christopher Herrick's farewell
concert after 20 years as our conductor; Handel's
Samson in St John's, Smith Square; and the Rachmaninov Vespers.
In April 2006, the Choir sang to a
large and enthusiastic audience at St Martin-in-the-Fields,
Trafalgar Square. The concert included Fauré’s
beautiful Requiem, and Cantique de
Jean Racine, and was performed alongside The
Brandenburg Sinfonia.
In March 2007, the choir performed Bach's St Mark Passion, recently reconstructed by Professor Andor Gomme:
"…The work seemed to offer something different to the other Passions, something a little cleverer, a little quieter, perhaps even a little more sober – certainly more wordy – and yet something also entirely complimentary.
Much of this was down to Paul Spicer’s clever and sympathetic sculpting, producing a good, clear and balanced tone from the …Choir."
2008 saw the choir make its debut at The Banqueting House, Whitehall, with a delightful programme of Elgar and Vaughan Williams for a summer evening (see photo).
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• Details
of our concerts for our 2007-2008 Season
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The
Choir's 60th anniversary
 As
part of the Choir’s 60th anniversary celebrations,
it visited Riga, Latvia, in May 2003. Here the Choir
gave two concerts in the capital (the second in
partnership with the local Juventus Choir, which
is attached to the University of Riga).
In addition to these concerts, a number of excursions
were arranged within Riga and to other parts of
Latvia. During the first, at the Rundale Palace
on the Lithuanian border, the Choir performed an
impromptu rendition of Parry’s I Was Glad,
to the surprise and delight of other visitors and
staff.
In July of the same year, the Choir, accompanied
by The Brandenburg Sinfonia, held its Diamond Jubilee
Gala Concert at the Royal College of Music, performing
Holst’s The Hymn of Jesus, Vaughan
Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region
and Elgar’s The Music Makers.
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Tours
From 4 to 8 May 2007, the Choir toured the Toulouse region of France.
Two concerts were performed during the
visit, one in central Toulouse, and the other in the town Lisle-sur-Tarn (top photo).
In May 2003, the Choir went on tour to Riga, Latvia
(see above).
Previously, the Choir made a number of other visits
both abroad and in the UK. In partnership (touring
as ‘Choeurs de Londres’) with Twickenham
Choral Society, the Choir made two visits to Dieppe
in France, and gave concerts at the historic church
of St Rémy. In 1999, members of the Choir
travelled to Bournemouth to participate in the nationwide
festival celebrating the life and music of Sir Hubert
Parry. A similar contingent joined other choirs
to perform in the premiere of Paul Spicer’s
Easter Oratorio at the Lichfield Festival in
the summer of 2000.
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Other musical activities
Carols at the Ritz
For many years the Choir has been commissioned by The Ritz Hotel, Piccadilly, to sing carols in the Palm Court lounge on several evenings running up to Christmas. Not only does this provide a welcome source of income but, each night, those singing are able to enjoy some social time over the Ritz ‘high tea’ which is provided for their refreshment.
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Special events
The Whitehall Choir is regularly asked to perform
in special events, often with other choirs. In 2002,
the Choir participated in a recording of Songs
of Praise, to commemorate the first anniversary
of 9/11. It took place in St Giles’, Cripplegate,
a venue chosen because the BBC wanted the programme
to represent people from the City of London.
Other events have included joining a charity performance
of works by Beethoven, including the 9th (Choral)
Symphony at the Royal Albert Hall and, in June
2003 - to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee
- members joined the Parliament Choir for a concert
of Coronation music attended by HRH Prince of Wales
at Westminster Abbey. In the same year members also
joined Twickenham Choral Society to sing Britten’s War Requiem at Guildford Cathedral.
Other performances and workshops
In November 2006 and 2007, the Choir hosted a 'come and sing' event at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Narbonne Ave, Clapham, SW4. These events, conducted by Paul Spicer, explored Mozart's Requiem and Beethoven's Mass in C (respectively), culminating in an informal early evening performance. The choir and guests performed Haydn's Nelson Mass at a 'come and sing' day in November 2008.
In addition to these informal events, the Choir
organises day-long workshops, which provide an opportunity
both to work on vocal technique and to enjoy some
time together over lunch. Vocal work at recent workshops
has been led by Margaret Humphry-Clarke, soprano
and teacher of the Alexander technique.
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•
Find
out about joining us
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