Yorkshire hopes to hit a high note with giant choral showcase

ANYONE who belongs to a choir will tell you what a life-affirming experience it is to sing in unison for an appreciative audience.

And it seems that choirs are all the rage at the minute, no doubt helped by the irrepressible Gareth Malone who, having turned sometimes off-key soldiers’ wives into a heavenly choir, is attempting to do the same for some of Britain’s busiest workplaces in the latest incarnation of his TV series, The Choir.

Yorkshire, of course, has its own great choral tradition and next month the Ryedale Festival leads a new project that brings together singers from all over Yorkshire to take part in a special one-off performance of Verdi’s great choral masterpiece Requiem at the York Barbican.

The performance, which features 250 singers, is the culmination of two years of planning and also brings together the combined talents of the orchestra of Opera North with a string of choral groups including the Leeds Festival Chorus, Chanticleer Singers, York Cantores, North Yorkshire Chorus and the York University Choir, among many others.

Conductor Simon Wright is leading the performance, which also features renowned soloists Katherine Broderick (soprano) and Louise Winter (mezzo soprano), as well as tenor Barry Banks and Matthew Best (bass).

Robin Andrews, chairman of the Ryedale Festival, says it should be a night to remember. “What we’re trying to do is give local amateur singers the chance to perform alongside professionals. Everyone is rehearsing like mad at the moment and I think it’s going to be one of those not to be missed events.”

Simon Wright has worked with some of the country’s finest orchestras, as well as global stars such as Plácido Domingo, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Bryn Terfel and Andrea Bocelli.

“The artistic director asked whether I could help do something to help get a chorus going using local people and with the Leeds Festival Chorus as the backbone, and I was happy to be involved,” he says.

“My choir is used to singing Verdi’s Requiem but we have a hundred singers, whereas a lot of the others are smaller chamber choirs who haven’t had the chance to sing this piece. The challenge is getting everyone singing from the same hymn sheet and getting the pronunciations right. We’ve got singers from all over so hopefully we will make a joyful sound, I think we will.”

He believes it’s great opportunity to showcase Yorkshire’s wealth of singing talent. “There has long been a strong tradition of singing in places like Huddersfield and Leeds and now we’re seeing more people joining smaller choirs. We’re also seeing more young people getting involved which is good news because it means there’s young blood coming through.”

So what is the appeal of a choir? “It’s social, you make new friends, and it’s a challenge, but one you can meet. It’s also exciting and you can make music without playing an instrument.

“It’s also inexpensive because it doesn’t cost you anything to sing and you get a real sense of achievement.

“I would say we make more amateur music in Britain than most other places in the world, so we’re very lucky.”

The performance of Verdi’s Requiem takes place at the York Barbican on October 6. Tickets: Ryedale Festival box office 01751 475 777 or www.yorkbarbican.com

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