the Vivace Chorus present W
R
{AYOR OF GUILDFORD’S
*
C , RISTMAS
—CONCERT
Conductor:
Jeremy Backhouse
. /in aid of the
“ , MAYOR'S LOCAL
~ + DASTRESS FUND
Mf\?li}g%
GUILDFORD
Syrrey Aduertiser
A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR OF GUILDFORD
Councillor Gordon Jackson
| am honoured to be here tonight as
Mayor of Guildford and | hope you
are looking forward to tonight's
Concert as much as | am.
As we enjoy tonight's programme
and the lead up to Christmas, we
should also remember that there are
many
people
in
our
local
community, who will not find it easy
to celebrate Christmas, due to
financial
and
other
difficult
circumstances.
We are therefore very fortunate that
in Guildford there are a number of
},
charities working hard to meet the |
needs of these individuals and families,
who might otherwise struggle to enjoy such special times of the year.
By attending tonight you are supporting one such charity, ‘The Mayor
of Guildford’s Local Distress Fund’, which provides small sums of
money to ease the strain of providing essential items during times of
genuine financial difficulty.
| should like to thank all of you for attending tonight and my special
thanks go to the Rotary Club of Guildford and The Vivace Chorus for
once again presenting ‘The Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas Concert’
and by doing so, ensuring that the Mayor's Distress Fund can
continue to help many more local people.
| wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New
Year.
|
e
ng r\?s-e-v gfi.r.L_.;__
(Councillor Gordon Jackson)
(Mayor of Guildford)
TONIGHT'S CHARITY
THE MAYOR OF GUILDFORD'S
LOCAL DISTRESS FUND
Established in 1971, the fund was originally known
as the Mayor of Guildford's Christmas and Local
Distress Fund.
It is a registered charity with a clearly-defined
purpose : to provide financial assistance to the
needy within Guildford Borough, particularly at
Christmas time.
The fund receives requests from all areas of the community and has
helped individuals and groups with a wide variety of needs.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY HELPING THOSE WHO
CANNOT AFFORD THE BASICS.......... such as..........
e
Buying shoes and clothing for children from very poor families
e
Washing machines, Fridges, Cookers, and Kettles
e
Playgroup fees for less advantaged children
e
Modest holidays for families, following a trauma
for those unable to afford such necessities
Requests for assistance should come from a third party, such as a
Borough Councillor, Housing Officer or an official agency, like the
This helps
Citizen's Advice, Community Health or Social Services.
e is
assistanc
that
to ensure that your donations are spent wisely and
given only to deserving cases.
WITH YOUR HELP, WE REALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Registered Charity number : 258388
o
o
THE MAYOR OF GUILDFORD'S CHRISTMAS CONCERT
featuring THE VIVACE CHORUS
Conductor : Jeremy Backhouse
Organist : William Nicholson
THIS EVENING'S PROGRAMME
Welcome by Canon Robert Cotton
Audience Carol
Solo
(arr. H.J.Gauntlett, arr.David Willcocks)
Once in Royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild
Jesus Christ her little child.
Choir
He came down to earth from heaven
Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable
And his cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and meek, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour Holy.
>
And through all His wondrous childhood,
He would honour and obey,
Love, and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms he lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as he.
And our eyes at last shall see him
Through his own redeeming love,
For that child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above;
And he leads his children on
To the place where he is gone.
Not in that poor lowly stable
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see him; but in heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high;
When like stars his children crowned
All in white shall wait around.
Gaudete
(arr. Bob Chilcott)
A New Year Carol
(Benjamin Britten)
Rise up, shepherd, and follow
(arr.John Rutter)
Audience Carol
(Este's Psalter 1592 : arr David Willcocks)
While shepherds watched their flocks by night
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down
And glory shone around.
'Fear not', said he, for mighty dread,
Had seized their troubled mind;
Glad tidings of great joy | bring
To you and all mankind
To you in David's town this day
Is born of David's line
A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
And this shall be a sign.
The heav'nly Babe you there will find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swathing bands
And in a manger laid.
Thus spake the seraph, and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God, who thus
Addressed their joyful song.
sl
All glory be to God on high,
And to the earth be peace;
Goodwill henceforth from heav'n to men,
Begin and never cease.
Reading
Something beautiful and new and strange
by Kate Emerson
Read by Clive Sansom
Choir
A Spotless Rose
(Herbert Howells)
The Holly and the Ivy
Audience Carol
(arr. H. Walford Davies)
(J.F.Wade : arr. David Willcocks)
O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord
God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo, He abhors not the Virgin’s Womb;
Very God,
Begotten, not created;
O come, let us adore him...
Sing, choirs of Angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above,
Glory to God,
In the highest:
O come, let us adore him...
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning,
Jesu, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing:
Choir
Love came down at Christmas
(Humphrey Clucas)
O Holy Night
(Adolphe Adam arr. John E. West)
INTERVAL
Wine, Soft Drinks & Mince Pies available
Choir
Sir Christéemas
In the bleak mid-winter
Audience Carol
(William Mathias)
(Harold Darke)
(English Trad. arr. Arthur Sullivan & David Willcocks)
It came upon a midnight clear
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold;
Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heav'ns all-gracious King!
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled;
And still their heavenly music floats
O're all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing;
And ever o'er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love song which they bring:
Oh hush the noise, ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing.
e £
For lo! The days are hastening on,
By prophet-bards foretold,
When, with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of gold,;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendours fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.
Reading
The Big Day
by St Luke
Read by David Robson
Choir
Il est né, le divin enfant
(French Trad. arr. Bob Chilcott)
| saw three ships
(English Trad. arr. John Rutter)
Audience Carol
(English Trad. arr. David Willcocks)
God rest you merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our Saviour
Was born upon this day;
To save us all from Satan's power,
When we were gone astray;
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
From God our Heavenly Father,
A blessed angel came,
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same,;
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by name;
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
The Shepherds at these tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a feeding,
In tempest, storm and wind:
And went to Bethlehem straightway,
This blessed babe to find
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Choir only
But when to Bethlehem they came
Whereat this infant lay,
They found him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;,
His mother Mary kneeling,
Unto the Lord did pray.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All others doth deface
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
De Virgin Mary (West Indian Spiritual arr. Vaughan Meakins)
Tomorrow shall be my dancing day
(John Gardner)
Address by the Mayor of Guildford
Councillor Gordon Jackson
Introduced by the President of the Rotary Club of Guildford
Mr Terence Patrick
Audience Carol
s
(Charles Wesley : arr. Felix Mendelssohn)
Hark! the herald-angels sing
Glory to the new-born King:
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled:
Joyful all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies,
With the angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Hark! the herald-angels sing
Glory to the newborn King.
Christ by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold him come
Offspring of a virgin’s womb:
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate deity!
Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! the herald-angels sing......
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace !
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings;
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald-angels sing
Glory to the newborn King.
Encore
We wish you a Merry Christmas !
(English trad. arr. Arthur Warrell)
THE VIVACE CHORUS
FIRST SOPRANOS :
Selam Adamu, Pam Alexander, Amelia Atkinson, Helen Beevers,
Joanna Bolam, Mary Broughton, Suzanne Cahalane, Rebecca Kerby,
Alex Nash, Emily Nash, Susan Norton, Robin Onslow, Gillian Rix
SECOND SOPRANOS :
Jacqueline Alderton, Anna Arthur, Ginny Heffernan, Isobel Humphries,
Krystyna Marsden, Annika Mathews, Isabel Mealor, Michelle Mumford,
Alison Newbery, Kate Peters, Katrina Strathearn, Barbara Tansey,
Valerie Thompson, Christine Wilks
FIRST ALTOS :
Barbara Barklem, Monika Boothby, Jane Brooks, Kate Emerson, Valentina
Faedi, Sheila Hodson, Kay McManus, Christine Medlow, Rosalind Milton,
Lilly Nicholson, Gill Perkins, Linda Ross, Lesley Scordellis, Carol Sheppard,
Marjory Stewart, Hilary Trigg
SECOND ALTOS :
Evelyn Beastall, Mary Clayton, Andrea Dombrowe, Sheena Ewen,
Margaret Grisewood, Barbara Hilder, Beth Jones, Christine Lavender,
Roz Marshall, Catherine Middleton, Val Morcom, Pamela Murrell,
Prue Smith, Rosey Storey, Anne Whitley, June Windle
FIRST TENORS :
Bob Bromham, Owen Gibbons, Rosie Jeffery, John Trigg
SECOND TENORS :
Peter Butterworth, Tony Chandler, Simon Dillon, Peter Norman, Jon Scott
FIRST BASSES :
John Bawden, Richard Broughton, Jeremy Johnson, Chris Newbery,
Peter Pearce, Chris Peters, Robin Privett, Allan Rose, David Ross,
Philip Stanford
SECOND BASSES :
Peter Andrews, Geoffery Forster, James Garrow, Eric Kennedy,
Roger Penny, David Robson, Richard Wood
~q0
~
ABOUT THE VIVACE CHORUS
Vivace Chorus is a flourishing and adventurous choir based in
Guildford, Surrey. Our aim is to have fun, making and sharing
great choral music. The choir has come a long way since it
began in 1946 as the Guildford Philharmonic Choir and now
has an enviable reputation for performing first-class concerts
across a wide range of musical repertoire.
Particular successes include a sell-
out performance in May 2011 of
Mahler’s
Symphony
No.
8
(the
‘Symphony of a Thousand’) at the
Royal Albert Hall, a highly acclaimed
performance in November 2012 of
Britten’s War Requiem and another
Royal Albert Hall success in May
2014 when we performed Verdi's
Requiem.
-t~
Since
1995,
Vivace
has
thrived
under
the
exceptional
leadership of this evening’s conductor, Jeremy Backhouse.
Jeremy’s passion for choral works and his sheer enthusiasm
for music-making are evident at every rehearsal and every
performance. He is supported by Francis Pott, who is not just
a very fine rehearsal accompanist, but is also a composer of
international repute and an accomplished concert pianist.
Vivace Chorus performing at the Mayor's Concert 2015
In addition to our own concerts in Guildford and London, we
also sing in various charity concerts and, with our regular
orchestra,
the
Brandenburg
Sinfonia,
take
part
in
the
Brandenburg Choral Festival each year in St Martin-in-the-
Fields. We also like to take our music-making overseas and
have toured in France, Germany and Italy, and, most recently,
in Austria, where we performed in Salzburg and Vienna.
We’re
a
friendly
traditional
choral
and
sociable
classics
choir
alongside
that
the
enjoys
singing
challenge
of
contemporary and newly-commissioned music. If that whets
your appetite, do come and join us! We rehearse on Monday
evenings in the Millmead Centre,
Guildford.
Contact our
membership secretary at membership@vivacechorus.org and
for more information, visit our website, vivacechorus.org, and
follow us on Facebook and Twitter - @VivaceChorus.
~12
~
JEREMY BACKHOUSE
Jeremy is one of Britain’s leading conductors of
amateur choirs. He began his musical career in
Canterbury
Chorister.
Cathedral
In
where
he
was
Senior
1980 he was appointed Music
Editor at the RNIB, where he was responsible
for the transcription of print music into Braille.
He has worked for both EMI Classics and later
Boosey
&
Hawkes Music Publishers as a
Literary Editor, but now pursues his career as a
freelance conductor.
Jeremy has
been
the
sole
conductor
of the
internationally-renowned
chamber choir Vasari Singers since its inception in 1980. Since winning the
prestigious Sainsbury’s Choir of the Year competition in 1988, the Vasari
Singers has performed regularly at concert venues and cathedrals throughout
the UK and abroad. Jeremy and Vasari have broadcast frequently on BBC
Radio and Classic FM, and have a discography of over 25 CDs on the EMI,
Guild, Signum and Naxos labels; they have recently launched their own
VasariMedia
label
with
a
recording
of
Jonathan
Rathbone’s
Under the Shadow of His Wing, which they premiered in 2014.
In January 1995, Jeremy was appointed Music Director of the Vivace
Chorus. Alongside the standard classical works, Jeremy has conducted the
Vivace Chorus in some ambitious programmes, including Howells’ Hymnus
Paradisi
and
Szymanowski’s
Stabat
Mater,
Mahler’s
‘Resurrection’
Symphony (No. 2), Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible,
Mabhler’s ‘Symphony of a Thousand” (No. 8) and Verdi’s Requiem in the
Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
In January 2009, Jeremy took up the post of Music Director of the Salisbury
Community Choir. In 2013 the choir celebrated its 21st Anniversary with a
major concert in Salisbury Cathedral in October,
featuring the world
premiere of a specially-commissioned community work by Will Todd,
The City Garden, which they subsequently toured to Lincoln (2014) and
Guildford (2015).
AL
L.
THE ROTARY CLUB OF GUILDFORD
The Rotary Club of Guildford was formed in
1922, when only six such clubs existed in the
whole of Great Britain.
Today, there are 1,840
Rotary
UK,
Clubs
in
the
with
over
55,000
members and 1.2 million members in 33,000
Clubs wordwide.
Besides the '1922' Guildford Club, there are two
other Rotary Clubs in the town - the Guildford
District Club, founded in
1975
and the Guildford
Chantries Club,
founded in 1991.
One
of
the
Club's
earliest
fundraising
projects
in
1920s
its
Brother'
was
'Big
the
scheme, which was launched
to help the town's youngsters,
who
had
lost
their
fathers
during the First World War. In
1927, the Club embarked on a
project to raise enough money
to
install
wards
County
of
radio
sets
the
Royal
Hospital,
in
the
Surrey
so
the
patients could 'listen in'.
During the Second World War, one of the Club's most memorable
humanitarian events was dealing with the reception of the survivors
from the beaches of Dunkirk, when the special troop trains arrived back
at Guildford Station in June 1940.
In
the
1960s,
the
Rotary Club
of Guildford
played a
fundraising role to establish the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.
significant
In 1965 the
Club successfully lobbied government departments to establish the
University of Surrey in Guildford in 1966.
Formerly the Battersea
College of Technology, the University celebrated its 50th Anniversary in
October this year.
s il
To mark the centenary of the Rotary movement in 2005, Guildford's
three Rotary Clubs established their 'Guildford Historic Trail' and
presented it to the Borough of Guildford.
The trail takes visitors on a
circular tour around the town centre and its famous landmarks.
Last month, the Club
held its annual Bridge
Day and
raised
over
|
£2000 for this year's
chosen charity Cherry
Trees, a respite home
from
home
in
East
Clandon, that provides
short
children
breaks
and
for
|
young
people with learning,
physical
and
sensory
disabilities, giving their families a much-needed break.
The Club continues to run heats for local Guildford schools in their
annual Rotary Youth Speaks competition, which is part of a national
contest designed to foster pupil's vital public speaking skills.
Other
continuing projects include its Global Sight Solutions Eye Project, which
has established specialist eye surgery hospitals in India and Africa to
cure blindness in the developing world; the Jaipur Limb Project and
Rotary International’'s 'End Polio Now!' campaign.
And tonight, the Mayor's Christmas Concert, organised by Guildford
Rotary, is still raising funds for the Mayor of Guildford's Local Distress
Fund - a registered charity that gives small grants of money to Guildford
people in genuine need.
Despite being in one of the most affluent parts
of Surrey, Guildford still has, nonetheless, pockets of deprivation, where
people struggle to make ends meet on a daily basis, needing the most
basic items, that most of the rest of us just take for granted.
The Rotary Club of Guildford has now been established for 95 Years
and always welcomes new members.
We can be contacted through our
website - www.rotaryclubguildford.co.uk
~15
~
FORTHCOMING CONCERTS BY
THE VIVACE CHORUS
BRAHMS Requiem
The Vivace Chorus
The Philharmonia Orchestra
Conductor : Jeremy Backhouse
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Rotary Club of Guildford would like to thank the following people
and organisations for their help in staging this year's
Mayor of Guildford's Christmas Concert
The Members of the Vivace Chorus : Jeremy Backhouse
William Nicholson : Canon Robert Cotton
The Parish of Holy Trinity and St Marys, Guildford
The Guildford Dragon : The Surrey Advertiser
The Inner Wheel Club of Guildford
B~
vivacechorus.org / www.rotaryclubguildford.co.uk
Registered Charity No.1026337