Making Music on The Full Works

In 2009, amateur choirs from across the UK submitted their recordings to Classic FM in the hope that they would be played out to the nation during John Brunning's Full Works show...

The project, which came about through Classic FM's partnership with Making Music , attracted many outstanding entries and since then John Brunning has showcased a number of these recordings on-air.

On Christmas Day, John Brunning rounds off our year-long series with a special show of performances of British carols from members of Making Music.

Making Music choirs featured on Classic FM....

Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir

Founded in Wakefield in 1953 The Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir is now established as one of the premier choirs in the North and has over one hundred members. In recent years the choir has appeared on BBC Television’s Songs of Praise, and has performed with internationally known artists such as Dame Emma Kirkby and Sir Willard White. The choir performs mainly in Wakefield Cathedral and Dewsbury Town Hall, but has also sung in many parts of Yorkshire as well as in Germany, Belgium, France and the Irish Republic.

The Choir recorded its latest CD with the Amici Ensemble in St. Edmund's Church Roundhay, Leeds on April 17th and 18th this year. The conductor is Dr. Andrew Padmore and the recording was made by Regent Records of Wolverhampton. The CD is now available to buy online.

More about the Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir

The Farrant Singers

The Farrant Singers is the longest-established chamber choir in Salisbury, with close links to the medieval city, the surrounding Wiltshire villages and the Cathedral, where the choir often sings the services in place of the Cathedral Choir.  The group was founded in 1958 by the composer Richard Lloyd, and conductors since then have included Mark Deller, Richard Shephard, David Halls and Colin Howard. Daniel Cook took up the baton as the current conductor in January 2009.

In 2008 the choir celebrated its Golden Anniversary with the commissioning of The Farrant Singers Collection, seven pieces by composers associated with the choir: Barry Ferguson, David Halls, Sam Hanson, Philip Lawson, Richard Lloyd, Howard Moody and Richard Shephard.  The Collection has now been recorded, and is available to buy on CD from The Farrant Singers official website along with other favourites from the choir's repertoire. 

More about The Farrant Singers

Chantage

Chantage was formed in 1999 by its Musical Director James Davey, and quickly established itself in London as a stylish and energetic young chamber choir. It draws singers from all over the country and from all walks of life, encouraging self-improvement and vocal development through regular workshops. Strong commitment from its members has helped forge a national reputation as an outstanding and versatile amateur choir.

Frequently appearing on TV and Radio, Chantage entertain audiences throughout the United Kingdom and internationally with an astonishingly diverse array of repertoire. The choir also supports emerging composers, regularly premiering new compositions and arrangements, many being written by its members.

Find out more about Chantage

St Albans Chamber Choir

St Albans Chamber Choir was founded in 1958 by John Rose and June Pepin (nee Clark) with the aim of achieving the highest standards of performance in programmes of both familiar and less well-known music.

During its existence the Choir has commissioned works from, among others, Nicola le Fanu, John Joubert, John Tavener, and Malcolm Singer, whose Mask of Esther - a setting of an extended poem by Michelene Wandor, was given its world première in St Albans Abbey in May 2001 and its first London performance in January 2002.

The Choir has recently commissioned a work from Tarik O’Regan, to be first performed at its fiftieth anniversary concert (24 January 2009).

Find out more about St Albans Chamber Choir

Jubilo

Jubilo (meaning shout for joy) evolved from a group of 40 friends who had been members of the Edinburgh University Savoy Group and wanted to continue to sing together. It is appropriate that Jubilo's first commercial recording is 'Jubilo at Christmas' and contains many of their Christmas favourites including a signature tune 'In Dulci Jubilo' which has been performed at every Christmas concert since their inception.
 
Now a mixed choir of about 70 voices Jubilo have undertaken a number of major works such as Haydn's Creation, the Requiem Masses of Brahms, Mozart and Faure, and Mendelssohn's Elijah. Jubilo also do regular charity concerts which allow us to perform shorter unaccompanied pieces - sacred and secular, light and serious.

Find out more about Jubilo

Cappella Novocastriensis

Cappella Novocastriensis was founded in 1960 by Dr Frederick Hudson to specialise in singing music for worship. It has about 40 members, and often sings unaccompanied.

Cappella sings in churches throughout the North East, as well as giving several major concerts each year. These concerts frequently promote unjustly neglected music: programmes have ranged through works from the Eton Choirbook to specially commissioned works by John Joubert, whose Hymne of the Nativity received its première at the concert given in December 2000 in Holy Trinity, Jesmond. The choir also sings unaccompanied works by other modern composers such as Tavener and Gorecki.

Cappella has produced two CDs of Christmas music, in 2002 and 2005.

Find out more about Cappella Novocastriensis

Farnham Youth Choir

It was success in the 1992 Sainsbury's 'Choir of the Year' competition that first brought the young people of Farnham Youth Choir to the public's attention. Since then Farnham Youth Choir have continued to win choral contests both in the UK and internationally. These public demonstrations of consistent quality lead Howard Goodall to describe its director David Victor-Smith, as 'legendary' in youth choral music making.

The choir has worked regularly with John Rutter and the RPO at Christmas, including our recent 'CD of the Week' A Christmas Festival and also commissions pieces from composers such as Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Jonathan Dove to showcase in their concerts.

Find out more about Farnham Youth Choir

Leeds Philharmonic Society

The Chorus of the Leeds Philharmonic Society is a leading choir in Europe, where it regularly tours, singing to professional standards with internationally renowned soloists, orchestras and conductors. The Chorus is delighted to have the privilege of working with Conductor David Hill as its Choral Director and with Mark Hindley as its Chorus Master.

As well as “home” concerts in Leeds Town Hall, the Chorus has toured and performed in many other prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall (London), Bridgewater Hall (Manchester), the Liszt Academy (Budapest) and Stephansdom (Vienna). Plans are well under way for a tour of Poland in 2009 including the Polish premiere of Karl Jenkins' Armed Man with the Capella Cracoviensis Chamber Orchestra.

Find out more about the Leeds Philharmonic Society here

Avebury Vocal Ensemble

Avebury Vocal Ensemble (AVE) was founded in 2000 and has been conducted by Sir Peter Beale throughout.  The choir has between 25 and 30 members, drawn from Swindon, Marlborough and surrounding areas.  They give eight concerts per year, performing both sacred and secular works.

Conductor Sir Peter Beale also sings tenor.  Following six years as a chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral, he became a Choral Scholar at Cambridge University.  He trained as a medical doctor, later serving in the British Armed Forces.  He was awarded a knighthood for this work in 1992.  Wherever he served he formed, conducted and took part in choirs in any spare time.

Find out more about Avebury Vocal Ensemble here

Plaxtol Scholars

The Plaxtol Scholars is a chamber choir of 25 singers.  They regularly sing services in cathedrals around the country, and also give a number of concerts each year, either a cappella or with their sister ensemble, the Plaxtol Chamber Players.

The members come from London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex.  Their director is Marius Carboni.

The choir made its first recording for UH Recordings in September 2008, a Christmas CD.  Since then, they have made a CD of anthems and recently released another Christmas CD, Noël. 

Find out more about the Plaxtol Scholars here

Amabile Girls' Choir

Amabile Girls' Choir, for 13 to 19-year-olds, was formed by Musical Director Charlotte Jackson in 1996.  It has enjoyed national and international success, including in international competitions. 

The choir's first foreign tour was to Belgium in 2000.  Subsequently, it has performed in France, Belgium, the USA and Canada. 

A Training Choir for girls aged 8-12 was established in 2000, followed in 2002 by a Pre-Training Choir for girls aged 4-7.

Find out more about Amabile Girls' Choir here

Harrogate Choral Society

Harrogate Choral Society (HCS) was formed in 1948 and currently has about 160 members, who are conducted by Music Director Dr Andrew Padmore and President Brian Kay.

HCS performs a wide variety of works from Bach and Monteverdi to Karl Jenkins and David Fanshawe.  It is accompanied for most concerts by professional orchestras.

Find out more about Harrogate Choral Society here

Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir

The 30-strong Choir was founded in 1972.  Its members are drawn from across Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire and they perform repertoire from the 16th to 21st centuries.

The Choir has performed with several distinguished conductors, including Volker Wangenheim, Rudolph Schwarz and Simon Rattle.  David Gostick became Musical Director in 2003 and follows in the footsteps of previous conductors Howard Ionascu, Rupert Jeffcote, Nigel Carver and Barry Ferguson.  It has given concerts in Italy, Austria and Hungary and regularly sings across the South of England.

The choir's latest CD Noël! Noël! includes a world première recording of Cantate Astra by Cecilia McDowall.

Read more about Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir here

Whitehall Choir

The Choir was formed as a lunchtime madrigal group at the Board of Trade during the Second World War.  Its members now include lawyers, doctors, journalists, teachers and civil servants.  With their conductor, Paul Spicer, they perform regularly at major central London concert venues, alongside professional orchestras and soloists.

The Choir has made a number or tours, including to Latvia and France.  For many years it has been commissioned by the Ritz Hotel, Piccadilly, to sing carols in the palm Court lounge on several evenings running up to Christmas.

Its second CD features little-known Christmas music from across the centuries, as well as a work by the Choir's conductor, Paul Spicer.

Read more about Whitehall Choir here

Barbara Walton Singers

The choir was formed in Stoke-on-Trent in 1993 in honour of musician Barbara Walton, a great friend of many of the members.  It now has about 40 members.

In the last few years the choir has performed internationally renowned artists including Rita Cullis, James Bowman and Crispian Steel-Perkins.

Read more about Barbara Walton Singers here

The Aire Valley Singers

The Aire Valley Singers were founded in 1970 by David Bryan, who conducted the choir for 33 years.  Originally composed of about 16 members, the Singers' numbers have now doubled, but they remain a chamber choir, singing mainly a capella music and occasionally pieces accompanied by organ or small orchestra. 

The choir has developed a close relationship with musicians in Hamm, Germany.  It has also performed in Belgium, Holland, Norway, France, Spain and Italy.

Read more about Aire Valley Singers here

Goldsmiths Choral Union

Founded in 1932 at Goldsmiths' College, South London, Goldsmiths Choral Union (GCU) is today a thriving independent 130-strong central London choir.  It performs at major venues in the capital, including the Barbican and Royal Albert Hall, under Music Director Brian Wright.

British premières given by the choir over the years include Stravinsky's Les Noces and Mahler's Das Klagende Lied, and the first UK broadcast of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Recently GCU has given the London premières of Neil Jenkins' English translations of classic German oratorios, including Bach's Passion settings and Haydn's Creation and Seasons.

Find out more about Goldsmiths Choral Union here

Making Music

Making Music is the voice of voluntary music and has been for over seventy years! As the largest umbrella arts organisation in the UK, the group supports over 2,600 music groups, including choirs, orchestras, jazz bands, concert promoters, festivals, samba groups, steel pan bands and everything in between.

From instrument and staging loans to training and development events, Making Music has something to offer every music group in the UK.

Find out more about Making Music here