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Music
has always been an important feature of life at St Mary's Church,
Wivenhoe. People are always welcome to come, whether or not part of
the regular attendees at Church services. We are always looking for
people to join the choir, either to sing regularly, or just for the
special occasions with St Mary's Singers.
St Mary’s Singers has grown to a group
numbering over 40 regular singers, mainly from Wivenhoe, but with
members also coming from
Colchester
and around the area. The group has also grown in musical
experience and in 2007 performed the Requiem and a Missa Brevis by
Mozart and also the Gloria by Vivaldi.
We welcome any singers for all voice parts
who may like to join us. We would particularly encourage any
tenors and basses who would like to come along. Like most
singing groups these days, men are in great demand for St Mary’s
Singers and are particularly welcome.
For more
information, contact Graham Wadley, Director of Music, Church of St
Mary the Virgin, Wivenhoe on tel: 01206 824036
or by e-mail: |
| Special
Events - 2008: |
Click
here for details of events in previous years |
| Music
for Good Friday |
Our
main work for Good Friday, 21st March, will be the Mass in D
Major by Dvorak. 7.30pm [Note: Rehearsals will be as usual on Thursdays at
7.30pm starting on Thursday 24th January at St Mary’s.]
St Mary's Singers will be joined by St Peter's Singers. Other choral
items will be Palestrina, Gounod and Maurice Greene. Organist John
Rippin and Musical Director, Graham Wadley. |
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| Summer
Canticles
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Performance
on Sunday
6th July
Rehearsals start Thursday 15th May. Click here
for more details. |
| Music
for Remembrance Sunday
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Sunday
9th November
- The main work will be Mass in B flat by Johann Hummel.
Rehearsals start Thursday 18th September. |
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| Recollections: |
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REMEMBRANCE
SUNDAY - November 2004
The day
ended with a performance of the Thieressenne Mass by Haydn by St
Mary's Singers.
The
concert opened with a short anthem Panis Angelicus by Camille Saint
Saens, to be followed by a superb offering of 'My soul there is a
country' by Parry - sung by a small group of singers from the choir
- the Wivenhoe 8?
The
main work showed the group's enjoyment of music by Haydn which has
featured in their programmes over the last few years. The
spontaneous applause at the end after Don Nobis Pacem was an
indication that the large audience had appreciated the work.
Extensive solo parts in the mass were sung by Hilary Cook, Lucy
Wadley, Graham Bell and Jonathan Lowe. Very sensitive
accompaniment from the organ was again by Brian Swallow, and Graham
Wadley directed the Singers.
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SUMMER
CANTICLES AT ST. MARY’S - 11th July, 2004
St. Mary’s Singers changed their formal black
and white for summer colours at their concert in July; however they
didn’t drop their usual standards and a good audience enjoyed a
musical treat.
There were canticles for both morning and
evening with a Jubilate by
Mozart, a Te Deum by Haydn
and a Magnificat by
Vivaldi, together with an organ interlude.
The choir was directed by Graham Wadley and the soloists were
Lucy Wadley, Hilary Brunning and Graham Bell.
The organist was Brian Swallow.
If the Haydn Te
Deum is any indicator then we should look forward to St.
Mary’s Singers’ performance of his Maria
Theresa Mass in November. Austin Baines
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MOZART
VESPERS for REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
- SUNDAY EVENING, 9TH NOVEMBER 2003
St Mary’s
Singers achieved one of their most difficult challenges so far with
a worthy performance of the Mozart Solemn Vespers (Vesperae solennes
de confessore K339). This was written around 1780 when Mozart was serving as court
organist to the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg.
Our group
of regular soloists made major contributions to the music,
particularly Hilary Brunning for the Laudate Dominum in the Vespers.
Other soloists were Lucy Wadley, David Wood, Graham Bell and
Jonathan Lowe.
There were other smaller pieces, also by Mozart,
including the very attractive Kyrie from the Missa Brevis in B and the
anthem 'Unto Thee O Lord do I lift up my soul’. The choir was
directed by Graham Wadley.
Last minute panic set in as Brian
Swallow, the regular accompanist who had planned to play for this
event, was called to hospital for a major back operation just two
weeks before the concert. We were very pleased to have Nigel
Brown from Cavendish who stood in for Brian at short notice and
really supported the choir from the organ most effectively.
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SUMMER
MUSIC AT ST MARY'S - SUNDAY 6TH JULY 2003
St Mary’s Church was filled with grand choral music on this
summer evening as St Mary’s Singers gave their offering of
celebratory music from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
The evening opened with the Jubilate Deo by William Boyce.
The next two pieces had a ‘bell’ connection. 'Rejoice in
the Lord alway' by Henry Purcell is known as the ‘Bell Anthem’
due to the bell effect during the organ introduction. Brian
Swallow then played the Prelude and Bell Allegro for Organ by John
Stanley with the fugue having a bell like effect.
The main work of the evening was the setting of the ‘Te Deum’
by Marc Antoine Charpentier. The Te Deum is a long hymn of
rejoicing – ‘We praise Thee O God’. ‘The heavens are
telling’ from The Creation by Haydn brought the evening to a
joyous ending.
St Mary's Singers were again accompanied by Brian Swallow and
conducted by Graham Wadley. The many solo parts were sung by
Hilary Brunning, Lucy Wadley, David Wood, Graham Bell, Malcolm Lench
and Jonathan Lowe.
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| Good Friday, 18th April, 2003. The joint
choirs of St Mary's and St Peters Singers Sudbury chose as their
special Good Friday Easter Music the Requiem in C minor by
Luigi Cherubini. This
was written in 1816 for the memorial service of Louis XVI and is
often known as the Royal Requiem.
It was also highly regarded by Beethoven and was used at his
funeral service. The organist was Brian Swallow, from St
Peters Singers Sudbury. St Mary's Church was filled with nearly 200
people to hear the Requiem which was beautifully performed by the
joint choirs of some 50 people. The Rev David Thomas provided a
bible reading and prayers fitting for a Good Friday. See
Headline Report - click here |
| Christmas 2002 - After the tremendous
success of the Choir, joined by other singers who took part in St
Mary's Christmas Music, Graham Wadley said
"I have received very many appreciative comments about the
Carol Service. It seems
that a lot of people were quite taken by ' Down in yon forest' - and
it went really well. Thanks
to John Dowden for playing, and all of those who sang solos. "
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| Special
Events - 2007: |
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| Music
for Good Friday |
Requiem
Mass by Mozart and choral music by John Rutter. St.
Mary's Singers and St. Peter's Singers, Sudbury. Organist - Richard
Reed; Soloist - Karen Emms; Directed by Brian Swallow and Graham
Wadley. |
| Summer
Canticles
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This year the summer work for St Mary’s
Singers will be the Gloria by Vivaldi on
Sunday 1st July
at 7.30pm.
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| Music for Remembrance Sunday
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Missa Brevis in B flat KV275 by Mozart
in St Mary's Church and performed by St Mary's Singers. There
will be other choral music by Faure and Elgar too. Organist
John Rippin, and directed by Graham Wadley. All welcome. Starts
7.30pm
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| Special
Events - 2006: |
DAY: |
TIME: |
EVENT: |
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| MARCH |
18th |
Saturday |
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Mayor of
Colchester Charity concert with other churches in Colchester
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| APRIL |
14th |
Good
Friday |
7.30pm |
Faure's Requiem |
| MAY |
13th |
Sunday |
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Choral Evensong at Hornchurch |
| JULY |
2nd |
Sunday |
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SUMMER CANTICLES:
UTRECHT TE DEUM by Handel with other
music by Purcell and Stanford
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| NOVEMBER |
12th |
Sunday |
7.30pm |
The
main work will be the 'Sparrow' Mass in C major by Mozart with other
choral music by John Rutter and Mendelssohn. The singers will
be directed by Graham Wadley with John Rippin, organ and Amanda
Arthur, clarinet. Do come along. |
| DECEMBER |
17th |
Sunday |
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Carol
Service |
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| Special
Events - 2005: |
DAY: |
TIME: |
EVENT: |
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FEBRUARY
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6th |
Sunday |
3.00pm |
ORGAN RECITAL - RICHARD BRASIER -
Richard Brasier will play a varied programme of organ works,
including music
by J S Bach, Louis Vierne, Theodore Dubois and Leon Boellmann, on
the Walker
organ at St Mary's.
Richard is studying music at the Colchester Institute and is organ
scholar at Witham Parish Church. He will be taking his grade 8
organ examination this year as well as taking his grade 8 exam for
solo piano. Richard has been playing the organ for just over one and
a half years. He has also played organs in a number of cathedrals
including Truro and has been invited to play the organ at
Kings college Cambridge later this year.
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| MARCH |
25th |
Friday |
7.30pm |
MUSIC FOR GOOD FRIDAY - Part 2 of Handel's Messiah along with the Stabat Mater by Schubert.
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| JULY |
10th |
Sunday |
7.30pm |
SUMMER CANTICLES 2005. Following
the popularity of the Messiah on Good Friday, St Mary’s Singers
will continue with more choruses and solos from the Messiah for their
Summer Canticles Event on Sunday 10th July.
These will include the Hallelujah Chorus and there will also
be other music by Parry, Franck and John Rutter.
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| NOVEMBER |
13th |
Sunday |
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The St
Cecilia Mass by Charles Gounod,
which will be sung on Remembrance Sunday evening, 13th November. |
| Special
Events - 2004: |
DAY: |
TIME: |
EVENT: |
| JANUARY |
29th |
Thursday |
7.30pm |
Preliminary listening / social evening for present and potential new
members of St Mary's Singers in Church for a glass of wine and
nibbles and a brief listen to a recording of the music for Good
Friday. |
| APRIL |
9th |
Good Friday |
7.30pm |
Messe Solennelle by Louis Vierne (1870 – 1937) with other French
choral music from a similar period by Vierne (Tantum Ergo) and Saint
Saens (Ave verum). |
| SUMMER EVENT |
11th July |
Sunday |
7.30pm |
‘Summer Canticles’
with the Magnificat by Vivaldi, Te Deum by Haydn and Jubilate by
Mozart. |
| NOVEMBER |
14th |
Remembrance Sunday |
7.30pm |
Maria Theresa Mass by Haydn.
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| Special
Events - 2003: |
DAY: |
TIME: |
EVENT: |
| JULY |
6th |
Sunday |
7.30pm |
St Mary's Singers - Charpentier Te Deum and other music by Haydn and
Purcell. |
| SEPTEMBER |
28th |
Sunday |
10.30am |
Civic
Service |
| OCTOBER |
5th |
Sunday |
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Harvest
Festival at St Mary's |
| NOVEMBER |
9th |
Sunday |
2.30pm |
British
Legion Service for Remembrance Sunday |
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9th |
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7.30pm |
St
Mary's Singers - Mozart Vespers |
| DECEMBER |
21st |
Sunday |
6.00pm |
Carol
Service |
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23rd |
Tuesday |
8.00pm |
Carols
on the Quay |
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