Book tickets for 40th anniversary celebratory concert by premier chamber choir at Wakefield Cathedral
The next concert, at Wakefield Cathedral on Saturday 21st October at 7.30pm, is the real celebration of 40 years of St Peter’s Consort!
As Musical Director James Bowstead explains: “The very first rehearsal of the choir, under the direction of John S North, took place at St Peter’s Convent in Horbury on Wednesday 12th October 1983. So we will only be about a week off the true anniversary of the founding of the choir!
“From that very first rehearsal, on what John describes as ‘a typical damp autumnal evening’, Consort has gone from strength to strength, singing a vast array of music in a great variety of styles. It was this versatility and range that I most wanted to capture in the programming for our anniversary concert, so we will be performing an eclectic mixture of music and I hope there really will be something for everyone!”
He adds: “The most substantial work will be John Rutter’s Gloria, a vibrant and exciting work previously performed by Consort in 2014. Alongside this we will be singing Walton’s Coronation Te Deum, composed for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and heard again at the Coronation of King Charles III earlier this year, and Lord, let me know mine end from Parry’s Songs of Farewell.
“There will be other, shorter works by Bruckner and Gabrieli, a selection of lighter repertoire including In the Mood, Let’s do it and much more besides.”
The choir will be joined for the celebratory event by Austonley Brass, one of the premier brass ensembles in the North of England. St Peter’s Consort is very fortunate to have secured their services for this concert.
Consort previously collaborated with them for the 2014 performance of Rutter’s Gloria, and in fact recordings from the performance can be found on their website to give you a flavour of what to expect.
Austonley’s leader Garrath Beckwith says: “We are absolutely delighted to be part of the St Peter’s Consort 40th anniversary celebrations.”
He adds: “We have nothing but happy memories of the performances we have shared in the past – most notably the Spirit of Christmas concert and who can forget the first time we joined forces to perform John Rutter’s magnificent Gloria! Terrific memories of fantastic collaborations – we are really looking forward to performing with you all again.”
St Peter’s Consort is also delighted to have Sewtec Automation of Wakefield as one of the sponsors for the concert. The company is a market leader in bespoke automation for a wide range of complex engineering challenges.
Tickets and details
Tickets for the concert at Wakefield Cathedral on October 21st will be £12 per person payable at the door or available online on Eventbrite via the Consort’s website at £13.70, including a booking fee. Wine and soft drinks will be available during the interval.