The Addison Choirs Seek New Members

For the Oratorio and Chamber Choirs

The Addison Singers, a West London-based group of choirs, is seeking new members for two of its choirs, the Oratorio and Chamber Choirs.

The 120 strong Addison Oratorio Choir start rehearsals again on 27 September. Last year proved a busy one for the choir, during which they worked with composers Howard Goodall and Judith Weir on performances of their work. The choir sang a wide range of music, as always including a good deal of music by contemporary composers including Goodall, Weir, Bob Chilcott, Cecilia McDowall and James Macmillan; had the honour of singing Mass in Salzburg Cathedral as part of an enjoyable tour to Austria, and joined with two other Addison choirs (the Jazz Ensemble & the Chamber Choir) in a lighter summer concert.

Plans for 2017/18 include a Christmas concert that will include a number of well-known Carols for both the choir and the audience, as well as Bob Chilcott's version of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'; a Brandenburg Festival concert, a large-scale choral orchestral concert that will include Schubert's monumental Mass in E flat as well as a recent work by the prominent British composer James Francis Brown, and Orff's popular 'Carmina Burana'.

The Addison Chamber Choir will be holding auditions for all parts from mid September (first rehearsal is 20 September). They would particularly like to hear from sopranos and tenors, but all experienced singers are welcome. This past season the Addison Chamber Choir performed twice at St Martin-in-the-Fields with the Brandenburg Sinfonia (singing the Vivaldi 'Gloria' and Haydn's 'Nelson Mass); worked with Judith Weir on a performance of her demanding 'Psalm 148', were asked to sing at a Memorial Service for David Miller (a prominent figure in the world of book publishing), joined members of the Addison Oratorio Choir in a tour to Austria that included singing Mass at Salzburg Cathedral, and joined the OC and the Addison Jazz Ensemble for a light summer concert that included part-songs by Elgar, Stanford, Pearsall and Gershwin.

Plans for the coming months include singing at the wedding of one of members of the sopranos in the choir, an event for which one of the altos has written an anthem; taking part in a 70th birthday concert for the composer Howard Skempton at King's Place and singing at a Carol Service for Action against Hearing Loss.

A further performance at St Martin-in-the-Fields is planned for early 2018, as well the first ever Chamber Choir tour in the summer of 2018.

The Addison Singers have also announced that Master of the Queen's Music, Judith Weir has agreed to become the choir’s first Featured Composer. Both the Oratorio and Chamber Choirs will sing a number of her pieces during the coming season and Judith has agreed to attend rehearsals and concerts when her schedule allows.

She said, “It is an honour for me to be the Addison Singers' first Featured Composer, and I look forward with curiosity as to what will happen! Visiting rehearsals last season (for performances of 'Psalm 148' and 'I love all beauteous things') the choirs made me very welcome in their midst, and it will be a pleasure to return to work with them again. Many thanks to David Wordsworth and the Addison Singers for their gracious invitation.”

August 12, 2017