Details
St Martin-in-the-Fields
Trafalgar Square
Westminster
London
WC2N 4JJ
England
Programme
Morten Lauridsen – Les Chansons des Roses
Benjamin Britten – Five flower songs, Op.47
Ralph Vaughan Williams – Five English Folk Songs
Performers
London Oriana Choir
Programme Note
The London Oriana Choir is one of Britain’s leading amateur choral groups and one of the most exciting and versatile in London. Founded in 1973, and under the baton of Musical Director Dominic Peckham since 2013, the choir has gone from strength to strength, performing music from classical baroque to classic rock at venues such as the O2 Arena, St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Royal Albert Hall.
Recent highlights include the recording and world premiere performance of Pete Townshend’s Classic Quadrophenia, working with Alfie Boe, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Robert Ziegler, and of course Pete himself; supporting Barbra Streisand in her Barbra Live concert series at the O2; and working with Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant for the BBC Electric Proms at the Round House. In the last few months, the choir has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and Classic FM.
A diverse group of amateur singers aged from 18 to 80, the London Oriana Choir has performed in all of London’s top venues and is regularly invited to sing with major international promoters as well as at corporate events, festivals and private receptions, notably including a Raisa Gorbachev Foundation Summer Gala at Stud House, Hampton Court, attended by Mikhail Gorbachev.
The choir’s repertoire is broad, ranging from the great choral and orchestral works by Verdi, Brahms, Mozart, Handel and Bach to contemporary commissions. A cappella music is sung in many languages and in all styles from early Renaissance to the present day, from secular to sacred, classical to jazz and including popular and folk music from around the world. The choir is often accompanied by professional orchestras and has performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Brandenburg Sinfonia and the London Mozart Players.
The choir is proud to commission and premiere new works from young composers such as Toby Young and has released world premiere recordings of Kenneth Leighton’s Nativitie and Henry Walford Davies’ Everyman, which was picked for an Editor’s Choice by Gramophone magazine and International Record Review.
Each year, the London Oriana Choir embarks on at least one overseas and one UK tour, which are always marked both by fine music and a chance for the choir to enjoy its famous social side. In May 2015, the choir sang in Lisbon, Portugal, and in November visited Scotland to perform with the Edinburgh Singers, the Glasgow University Chapel Choir and Glasgow Youth Choir. The choir has a strong focus on education and collaboration, enjoying engaging with local groups wherever it visits.