The History of the ChoirThe
Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir (RLSBC) was founded in November 1939 by
Dr Stanley Vann, who conducted its first concert, a performance of
Bach's St
Matthew Passion
in the spring of 1940. Stanley Vann, whose distinguished
career continued through to his death in 2010, was succeeded by a distinguished array
of conductors and the Choir's repertoire has covered a wide selection of
choral works, ranging from the classical, baroque and romantic period to
music of the twentieth century. For a biography
of our founder go to
stanleyvannmusic.org.uk
Stanley Vann
- centre (arms folded) and his wife Frances (on his left)
In March 2000, the
RLSBC celebrated its Diamond Jubilee with a triumphant concert that
included one of the great English choral works, A Sea Symphony, composed
by Ralph Vaughan Williams, who was appointed the first Patron and
President of the Choir in 1940.
In recent years,
under the batons of Malcolm Goldring and Janet Lincé and more recently
under the musical leadership of the current musical director and
conductor, Nigel Stark, the Choir has continued to expand its repertoire
with a variety of works. These include compositions by Bach, Beethoven,
Brahms, Britten, Cherubini, Duruflé, Dvorak, Elgar, Fauré, Handel,
Haydn, Holst, Janacek, Kodaly, Lauridsen, Monteverdi, Mozart, Orff, Rachmaninov,
Rossini, Rutter, Tippett, Vaughan Williams, Verdi and Walton.
The Choir has also
benefited from working with a number of local orchestras and has
frequently been accompanied in concerts by one or more
exciting soloists who may be drawn from the Birmingham Conservatoire or
further afield.
In 2007, a highlight for the Choir was to share a stage with
the world-famous opera star Sir John Tomlinson in the Mayor's Charity
Concert at the Royal Spa Centre in Leamington Spa. The programme
included a number of popular opera choruses and some lesser known
arias performed impeccably by one of the world's foremost Wagnerian
soloists.
As a tribute to the choir's founder, the summer
concert of "Contemporary international Classics" in 2010 was dedicated
to the memory of Dr Stanley Vann.
The Choir usually
performs four concerts a year at a variety of local venues,
but in recent years concerts have also been staged in Tewkesbury Abbey,
Southwell Minster, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Gloucester Cathedral and
Portsmouth Guildhall.
In Europe the Choir was enthusiastically received in Bruges, Ghent, and
Paris.
It is with great
pleasure that the Choir continued this record by commencing our
2009-2010 season with a special event - a
spectacular
joint performance of
Giuseppe Verdi's
Requiem in
conjunction with the Portsmouth Choral Union, led in Portsmouth by
Jonathan Willcocks and at Leamington Spa by Nigel Stark.
The Choir aims to give performances of a high musical standard, but also
believes that music-making should be fun and a good way to make new
friends. New members are always welcome. Follow the link below to
contact us for further information
