IMPORTANT NOTICE:
For details of future concerts and other news, please visit our new web site at www.BroomLeysChoralSociety.org.uk
Our first concert of 2006 was "A Mozart Celebration" to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart.
The Society sang the Ave Verum and the Requiem Mass, and were joined, for this concert, by soloists Caroline Palmer (Soprano), Kathryn Cook (Contralto), David Knight (Tenor) and Andrew Ashwin (Bass) and by Glenn Smith (Accompanist) and a large orchestra. The concert was performed at Holy Cross Church, Whitwick on 1st April, and was well supported by a large and enthusiastic audience.
The Society meets every TUESDAY from September to June at Whitwick Methodist Church, Hall Lane, Whitwick, Leicestershire.
The Society performs a number of Choral works each year, as well as entering local and national music festivals, and often sings with well known soloists and orchestras. Our repertoire is extremely varied, ranging from Lloyd-Webber to Wagner, the Beatles to Bach and Beethoven!
Do come along and 'have a go' if you fancy choral singing - you will be made most welcome.
2003
Our first concert of 2003 was 'ELIJAH' at Holy Cross Church, Whitwick. We were joined by 4 professional soloists and a 34-piece orchestra for this work, which was enjoyed by a large audience.
On Friday 29th November 2002, members of Broom Leys Choral Society took part in a 'special' Christmas Concert in Symphony Hall, Birmingham, sponsored by the 'Extra Care' charitable trust, for members of their care facilities.
Aled Jones was the main celebrity guest, and choirs from all parts of the Midlands, as well as other soloists and a pipe band, joined together with a professional orchestra for the event.
Here are a few photos taken at the event (BLCS members can be easily spotted in their colourful coats - the ladies anyway!!!).
Our final concert of 2002, 'Music for Christmas' with our friends Enderby Band was very much appreciated by all.
Keep an eye on the 'what's new' page for our forthcoming concerts in 2003!
Saturday 29th June 2002
This concert was held in King Edward VII Community College, Coalville, on Saturday 29th June 2002, with orchestra and superb soloists:
It was introduced and narrated by John Florance of Radio Leicester, and was attended by our local M.P. The Rt. Hon. David Taylor and the Chairman and Chief Executive of North West Leicestershire District Council, together with a large audience. The music provided by the 28-piece orchestra was terrific, and the choir and soloists were superb. The commentary by John Florance was highly amusing and added the final touch to a great evening.
Thanks must also go to all the many people who helped in many different ways to make this concert a success.
'Merrie England' was first performed on April 2nd, 1902 at the Savoy Theatre, London.
and finally - John Florance (second from left), Brian Humpherson (Musical Director) and (right) David Taylor M.P.
Edward German
Edward German (originally Edward
German Jones) was born in Whitchurch, Shropshire, in 1862, where,
in his teens,
he organised a local band and taught himself the violin. In 1880
he went to the Royal Academy to study the organ and
the violin. After leaving the Academy in 1878 he was briefly an
orchestral violinist before being employed as musical
director at the Globe Theatre.
After Sir Arthur Sullivan's
death in 1901, German was commissioned to complete his unfinished
opera "The Emerald Isle", and he also wrote his own
operetta "Merrie England" (1902), to be followed by
other operettas ("A Princess of Kensington" (1903),
"Tom Jones" (1907), "Fallen Fairies" (1909)).
He thus came to be regarded as Sullivan's legitimate successor.
His music is generally characterised by lightness and grace rather
than depth. He was
knighted in 1928, and died in London in 1936.
We started the 2002 season with a concert 'with a difference' – 'BRASS and VOICES' in Holy Cross Church, Whitwick, on Saturday April 13th.
This consisted of a programme of Tudor Anthems and some of the Bruckner Motets, sung by the choir. The 'brass' part of the programme was given by a brilliant brass ensemble ('Burnished Brass') playing music fitting for the 'Tudor' theme of the evening, but with a couple of contemporary items for good measure. The evening was enjoyed by both choir and audience alike.
Here are a few pictures of 'Burnished Brass':
and (not to leave them out) one of the choir and audience:-
SPRING/SUMMER 2001:
The final concert before our Summer break was our Summer Concert at St. David's Church, Broom Leys, Coalville on June 30th. This concert featured lighter music with solo items, part songs and instrumentals 'for a Summer Evening'.
The Society will meet again on Tuesday August 28th at 7.00pm in Whitwick Methodist Church - new singers would be most welcome!
On Saturday 8th September we held a concert at IBSTOCK PARISH CHURCH. This concert was dedicated to the memory of the late Marjorie and Eric Elton. Marjorie was the BLCS accompanist for many years, and her husband, Eric, was organist at Ibstock Parish Church. The concert was an integral part of the Flower festival held at the church during the weekend.
The Society again performed Coleridge-Taylor's 'HIAWATHA'S WEDDING FEAST' (see below for details).
The pictures show a programme for this work when it was performed at Hugglescote in March 1939. You will note that one of the pianists is a Marjorie Fuller, who became, on marriage, Marjorie Elton. You will see Eric's name as one of the pianists in the 'Piano Quartets'. The conductor was Norah Odell, the first musical director of Broom Leys Choral Society (and its predecessors). It is here that the foundations of the Society were laid!
On Saturday 10th November 2001 we performed Haydn's NELSON MASS and the FAURE REQUIEM at Hugglescote Parish Church.
And on Saturday 22nd December we held our traditional Christmas Concert at Hugglescote Parish Church - with guests Enderby Band and, this year, the Dixie Grammar School Junior Choir. The concert was a 'sell out' again this year; thanks to everyone who took part, and the audience too, in helping to get Christmas 2001 off to a really wonderful start.
On Saturday 31st March we performed, in Hugglescote
Parish Church,
ELGAR'S "MUSIC MAKERS" and
COLERIDGE-TAYLOR'S "HIAWATHA'S WEDDING FEAST"
We were pleased to have with us once again soloist Adrienne Murray (mezzo-soprano) to sing in the 'Music Makers' and, on this occasion, were particularly pleased to welcome for the first time, to sing in 'Hiawatha', a young tenor, Alexander Wall. We hope to see Alex again in the future. (See photos below.)
Some pictures of the choir taken at the concert (the 'panorama' is 'stitched' from two separate photos, and, unfortunately, a couple of choir members got lost at the join) - no they hadn't slipped off to the pub (not at that stage, anyway!!)
Click here to go to BLCS Archive Page, to see details of past concerts and events etc. and click HERE to see dates for future concerts.
If you want to see a listing of BRITISH CHOIRS on the Net, with further links to music and choral resources, click the logos below.
British Choirs on the Net
Also see ChoraLine for a range of rehearsal cassettes.
