We had an exciting opportunity to study and rehearse this work in depth, and learn about its background and where it stands in relation to other works by Mendelssohn, plus the option to continue to a full concert performance with orchestra.
Having registered and paid, a downloadable pdf of the music and rehearsal tracks were made available for participants preparations. Printed and bound copies of the music were provided on the day and some professionals joined us.
The day went as follows:
09.30 Registration
10.00 Session 1
11.20 Refreshment break
11.40 Session 2
12.40 Refreshment break
13.00 Session 3
The day was in preparation for the Spring Concert, with Woodford Symphony Orchestra, on 21 March at All Saints Margaret Street Church, 7 Margaret Street, London, W1W 8JG. Those who wished to sing the Concert, registered to attend our regular Wednesday rehearsals on 4, 11, 18th March and the Concert Day for an extra fee.
Our instructor and conductor for the day was Philip Norman and we have had fabulous feedback confirming the success of the day.
We would like to take the
opportunity to thank all those who
came to our concert. It was a sell
out which we really appreciate. The feedback is awesome. We would also like to thank our accompanist on keyboard, the Aurelian Brass Ensemble and our Timpanist. They were excellent.
This was a free event open to all. It took place over the whole weekend.. There were a number of concerts through the afternoon with multiple choirs in each one as well as additional fringe concerts over the weekend.
While it was a very warm night we had a very successful evening with an eclectic
mix of pieces including:
and many more including some ensemble pieces and solo's performed by Fiona Gardner.
Accompanied by Douglas Tang and Richard Wilkins and arranged and conducted by Philip Norman.
There were a number of concerts through the afternoon with multiple choirs in each one as well as additional fringe concerts over the weekend.
There are photographs available on the London Sangerstevne(link is external) and Sangerstevne(link is external) Facebook pages
We had a fantastic night with another sell out Christmas concert with a full and entertaining program set by Philip Norman our Musical Driector.
We were also joined by the Aurelian Brass Ensemble and helping to set the mood everyone was also able to enjoy a complimentary glass or wine\juice and a mince pie during the interval.
Questors Choir sang to an appreciative audience at St Martin’s Church on Saturday evening. The choir, arranged and directed brilliantly by choirmaster Philip Norman, sang Brahms and popular songs, and a lot about beasts – donkeys, dinosaurs, pigs, penguins and more – much to the delight of all. The choir’s harmonies were enhanced by Fiona Gardner’s flute and soprano solos, some lovely ensemble pieces, Mike Gahan and Ellie Marden singing the Hippopotamus song, poetry readings, and of course, Richard Wilkins’ sparkling piano accompaniment.
Here is the press release provided by our Publicity officer Dick Johns:
Questors Choir Spring Concert
Questors Choir sang to an appreciative audience at St Martin’s Church on Saturday evening. The choir, directed by Philip Norman, burst into Spring with two powerful pieces – Missa Choralis by Franz Liszt, the first flowering of musical superstar Liszt’s religious awakening in 1864, and Charles Gounod’s Messe solennelle de Paques (1874) – the best of sacred music in full bloom. The choir’s glorious harmonies were enhanced by Richard Wilkins’ piano accompaniment, and organ pieces played by Gary Sieling.
Questors Choir – Concert of Liszt and Gounod - was held on Saturday 25th March at St Martin's in West Acton. Questors Choir is open to all. Rehearsals are at St Martin’s church hall, Hale Gardens W3 9SQ each Wednesday at 8pm. See www.questorschoir.org.uk
Questors Choir sang to a packed St Martin’s Church on Saturday at their annual Christmas concert.
The choir delighted their audience with a whirl of Christmas music, arranged and conducted by Philip Norman. There were showbiz favourites - ‘Sleigh Ride’ and ‘The most wonderful time of the year’, there was ‘Only a little village’ (quaint Victorian schmaltz!), and there was Gounod’s angelic ‘Gloria’. On top of this, the concert included specially arranged sequences of carols for choir and audience interspersed with bright brass interludes by the Aurelian Brass ensemble. In addition, there were songs for choral trio, quintet and ensemble, and a dazzling solo by soprano Fiona Gardner.
A wonderful and entertaining evening was had by all. A good turn out for a Summer Concert which included a piece written by the accompanist Richard Wilkins which was premiered at the concert. He was extremely happy with the performance.
Pieces arranged by the Musical Director Philip Norman were also very well received, particularly with amusement the way he kept the choir holding one note on his piece Kalinka.
Questors Choir were very pleased to be included in the line up of this Sangerstevne. We will be performing the "Kyrie" and "Gloria" from Missa Choralis by Franz Liszt which we are also performing as part of our Spring Concert.
We had an enjoyable time with a good turn out of the choir.
Press article issued 14th March 2016
"Questors Choir – Beethoven’s Vienna and the crème de la crème
Questors Choir's Spring concert on Saturday night in St Martin’s Church, West Acton echoed to the choral harmonies that Beethoven would have heard in 19th century Vienna. We heard works by Salieri, Mozart, Haydn, Hummel, Schubert and of course Beethoven. The audience also welcomed soloist Anastasiia Golovina. This young Ukranian singer had joined the choir when she lived in Ealing some years ago, and has since gone on to study at the Guildhall College of Music and Drama. As musical director Philip Norman commented, she has now returned to sing with the choir as one of the “crème de la crème” of sopranos, covering the highest of top notes with easy grace. Anastasiia treated the audience to songs by Schubert, and sang solo in the choir’s rendition of ‘Christ on the Mount of Olives’. Choral and solo pieces were deftly accompanied on piano by Richard Wilkinson. And that’s not all – Norwegian touring choir ‘Young Voices’ conducted by Elin Persson, added a further dimension to the programme. They charmed the audience with their close harmonies in two interludes of traditional and modern song from Norway and around the world.
Questors Choir – Beethoven’s Vienna - was held on Saturday 12th March at St Martin's Church, W3 9SQ. Questors Choir is open to all. Rehearsals are at St Martin’s church hall, Hale Gardens W3 9SQ each Wednesday at 8pm. See www.questorschoir.org.uk"
Photographs of the concert are available via our Facebook page. You do NOT need to have an account to view them. There are 2 pages, those taken by Alastair Mitton and those by Simon Bishop. Just click on the links below:
Click here for pictures by Alastair Mitton of our Spring 2016 concert(link is external)
Click here for pictures by Simon Bishop of our Spring 2016 concert
We covered such topics as: standing/sitting, breathing, warm ups, watching, vowels, consonants, diphthongs, starting, ending, not breathing (or seeming not to), finding notes, counting, long notes, balance and leaps, singing in tune, hearing and listening, singing in parts, sight-singing etc.
Apart from looking in detail at various aspects of technique, we sang a number of pieces, to which we applied what we learnt.
There was a full house for Questors Choir's celebration of 200 years of American music at St Martin's Church in West Acton. This Questors Choir Summer Concert coincided with the bicentenary of American President John Quincy Adams time living in Ealing. The programme included spirituals, the first American classical works by John K Payne and Horatio W Parker, and then Jazz, musicals, country and of course rock'n roll. The audience would have known most of the music, but might not have been familiar with the earlier classic and religious pieces. Of course, good old John Quincy Adams would have loved them
The Choir sang: I feel pretty; Kyrie from Mass in D; Come where my love lies dreaming; Joshua fit the battle of Jericho ; My Lord! What a Morning; Listen to the lambs; When I see an elephant fly; Sixteen tons; Hora Novissima; Ain’t misbehavin’; Are you lonesome tonight?; Jailhouse Rock. Questors ensemble offered the shapenote Anthem from Revelation, The Way We Were and Lipstick on Your Collar; and there were solo items from choir members. Pictures: Simon Bishop
Little Ealing History Group – An American President in Ealing – www.littleealinghistorygroup.org.uk(link is external)
The main event of each Sangerstevne is the Festival on the Saturday afternoon and evening. A series of concerts will be held in St Matthew's Church, North Common Road, Ealing W5 2QA. Read more about the Festival at http://www.pnms.co.uk/sangerstevne/english/english_2015.html(link is external)
Following the enormously successful concert in spring 2012, the audience enjoyed another night of great and famous opera choruses from the choir, together with musically exhilarating solo and ensemble pieces from the stars of Hatstand Opera (www.hatstandopera.co.uk(link is external)).
Donizetti : Chorus of the Wedding Guests from Lucia di Lammermoor/ Leoncavallo: Bell Chorus from Pagliacci/ Mussorsky: Coronation Scene from Boris Godunov/ Rossini: Prayer from Moses/ Johann Strauss: Brother Mine from Die Fledermaus/ Tchaikovsky: Waltz Scene from Eugene Onegin/ Verdi: Brindisi from La Traviata/ Verdi: Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves and The Moment Approaches, from Nabucco/ Wagner: Pilgrim’s Chorus from Tannhauser
There was a full house for Questors Choir's well established Christmas concert. The concert started with the Choir processing toward the stage to the sound of a flautist and sopranos singing of the Angel Gabriel. This set the scene for an immensely varied evening of choral music interspersed with pieces by the Aurelian Brass Ensemble and by soloists and small groups of singers. The choir was ably accompanied by Gary Sieling.
The programme ranged from traditional carols like God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen and The First Nowell, to products of Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley such as Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (1944) and Winter Wonderland (1934).
Much of the music was well known, though often with new arrangements by musical director Philip Norman - and certainly the way the carol sequences were woven together is typical of the Questors Choir's accomplished director. He also introduced some rarely heard and classic pieces – Great God in Heaven and In Bethlehem City (traditional), and Somervell’s Glory to God.
The concert was dedicated to the late Mark Tompsett, who had been such an active member of Questors choir and other groups.
The day will offer practical help to learn about choral singing, for experienced singers it will be a great way to kick-start the singing year.
09.45 Registration and coffee: Session runs10.00-11.15 and 11.30-12.30
A morning for the new or hesitant singer, giving you the opportunity to try out your voice, brush-up the basics of choral singing and discover the singer you really are, During this session, clear-cut, known pieces, with a broad sweep of melody and harmony, will be used as the basis for learning confidence-giving techniques.
1.15 Registration and coffee: Session runs 1-30-2.15 and 2.30 - 4.00
An afternoon for the seasoned singer, reminding you of the finer details of choral singing, sharpening your techniques and honing your skills. At this second session, some standard repertoire will be closely and rigorously rehearsed
n Edwardian England, choirs were popular and flourishing. Nevertheless, German journalist Oskar Schmitz argued that England was the only cultured nation without its own music. Well, England may not have had a Mozart or a Beethoven, but people had lots of fun singing the songs made in England. This Edwardian spirit was captured at the Questors Choir concert 'Land without Music' on Saturday night at St John's church in Mattock Lane. Musical director Philip Norman served up choral pieces by Coleridge-Taylor, Sullivan, Parry, Elgar, Stanford, Barnett, Lloyd and Gaul, as well as English part songs for small groups of singers, and songs by guest soloists Danny Standing (baritone) and Inge-Lise Nygaard Parsons. As ever, the singers were superbly accompanied by Richard Wilkins on piano. The audience was carried through themes of love, comedy, adventure, religion and patriotism - and back - and everyone was enchanted.
The choir sang:
You Shall Hear, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (from Haiwatha’s Wedding Feast, 1898)
O’er the Bright Blue Sea, Arthur Sullivan (from HMS Pinafore, 1878)
Hamelin Town, Charles H H Parry (from The Pied Piper of Hamelin, 1905)
Epilogue, Edward Elgar (from The Banner of St George, 1897)
Magnificat, Charles Villiers Stanford ( from Service music in Bb, late 19thC)
And Now the Storm Blast Came, John Barnett (from The Ancient Mariner, 1867)
Up with the Sails, Charles H Lloyd (from Hero and Leander, 1884)
They that Sow in Tears, Alfred Gaul (from The Holy City, 1882)
Programme and Booking: Existing members will find that the sessions are a great way to kick-start the singing year. We also welcome anyone planning to join a/ our choir and members of other choirs.
A morning for the new or hesitant singer, giving you the opportunity to try out your voice, brush-up the basics of choral singing and discover the singer you really are, During this session, clear-cut, known pieces, with a broad sweep of melody and harmony, will be used as the basis for learning confidence-giving techniques.
A morning for the new or hesitant singer, giving you the opportunity to try out your voice, brush-up the basics of choral singing and discover the singer you really are, During this session, clear-cut, known pieces, with a broad sweep of melody and harmony, will be used as the basis for learning confidence-giving techniques.
An afternoon for the seasoned singer, reminding you of the finer details of choral singing, sharpening your techniques and honing your skills. At this second session, some standard repertoire will be closely and rigourously rehearsed.
09.45 Registration and coffee
10.00-11.15 and 11.30-12.30 Session 1 - we will work on some of the following and music will be provided on the day,
Carol - Adam Lay Ybounden: Warlock
Folk Song - Barbara Allen: Traditional
Song - Welcome to my World: Winkler & Hathcock
Song - Where do I Begin?: Francis Lai
Song - Bring Me Sunshine: Dee & Kent
13.15 Registration and coffee
13-30-14.15 and 14.30 - 16.00 Session 2 - working on the following which you can download here Music for afternoon session
Chorale - Wachet Auf: Bach
Motet - Gaudent in Coelis: Victoria
Motet - Ave Maris Stella: Liszt
Song - I Feel Pretty: Bernstein
Book Now by clicking on your session/voice below or contact us by emai
Morning: Soprano |Morning: Alto |Morning: Tenor |Morning: Bass
Afternoon: Soprano|Afternoon: Alto |Afternoon: Tenor |Afternoon: Bass
All day: Soprano |All day: Alto |All day: Tenor |All day: Bass
If you are booking on-line for more than one person:
Same voice - amend the number of tickets and update your Cart. Please type the extra Names and email addresses in 'Order Comments' in the Cart.
Different voices - please select separate tickets for the different voices. Please type the extra Voices; Names and email addresses in 'Order Comments' in the Cart.
Admin details
St Martin’s in Hale Gardens is just off the Uxbridge Rd and easy to get to by public transport. The nearest tube stations are Ealing Common (Piccadilly and District Lines) and West Acton (Central Line). There are also frequent buses along the nearby Uxbridge Road – if you get the 207 or 427, your stop is at Birch Grove. The best thing to do is go to the Transport for London journey planner(link is external). If you do have to drive, there is plenty of parking in the streets around the church.
Lunch is not provided but there are several cafes/ restaurants witin walking distance.
Haydn Maria Therese Te Deum
Beethoven Mass in C
Liszt Missa Choralis
Elgar Te Deum & Benedictus
Howells Psalm Prelude (Organ)
Puccini Messa di Gloria
Schubert Mass in A Flat
Choral workshop
Folk & Pop Songs
Salieri Requiem in C Minor
Mozart Coronation Mass in C
Stanford 3 Motets
Tippett 5 Negro Spirituals
Mozart Requiem (extracts)
Fauré Requiem (extracts)
(exact date unknown)
French songs by Trenet, Durufle, Saint Saens, etc
Poulenc Gloria