Handel

Messiah

Old Royal Naval College Chapel, GreenwichSaturday 12 December 2015, 7.30pm

— • Part I • —

1 Sinfony (Overture) 2 Comfort ye, my people 3 Ev’ry valley shall be exalted 4 And the glory of the Lord 5 Thus saith the Lord 6 But who may abide 7 And he shall purify 8 Behold, a virgin shall conceive 9 O thou that tellest 10 For behold, darkness 11 The people that walked 12 For unto us a child is born 13 Pastoral Symphony 14a There were shepherds abiding 14b And lo, the angel of the Lord 15 And the angel said unto them 16 And suddenly there was 17 Glory to God 18 Rejoice greatly 19 Then shall the eyes of the blind 20 Heshallfeedhisflock 21 His yoke is easy

an interval of 20 minutes follows Part I.

Interval refreshments are available in the Undercroft.

— • Part II • —

22 Behold the Lamb of God 23 He was despised 24 Surely he hath borne our griefs 25 And with his stripes we are healed 26 All we like sheep 27 All they that see him 28 He trusted in God 29 Thy rebuke hath broken his heart 30 Behold, and see 31 He was cut off 32 But thou didst not leave 33 Lift up your heads 36 Thou art gone up on high 37 The Lord gave the word 38 How beautiful are the feet 39 Their sound is gone out 40 Why do the nations 41 Let us break their bonds asunder 42 He that dwelleth in heaven 43 Thou shalt break them 44 Hallelujah

there will be a pause of 2 to 3 minutes before Part III. Please remain seated

— • Part III • —

45 I know that my redeemer liveth 46 Since by man came death 47 Behold, I tell you a mystery 48 The trumpet shall sound 53 Worthy is the Lamb

Saturday 12 December 2015, 7.30pmOld Royal Naval College Chapel, Greenwich

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

Messiah (HWV 56)

Dulwich Choral SocietySinfonia Britannica playing on period instruments

Fflur Wyn Sopranotim Mead Counter-tenorGareth treseder Tenor

timothy Dickinson Bass

The story of Handel saving his career and creating a new art form by composing a

towering masterpiece at breakneck speed, and performing it with a scratch choir at a hastily-arranged performance in a musical backwater is the stuff of legend. Like all legends, centuries of embroidery surround a nugget of truth. Handel really was facing ruin in 1740 and the composition of Messiah really did make a major contribution to hisfinancialandprofessionalrecovery.

Handel settles in London and becomes known as a composer of Italian operaHandel was born in Germany in 1685 but established his professional reputation and popularity in Italy. He spent a couple of years working for the Elector of Hanover before settling in London in 1712. Legend has it that he ran away from Hanover and was embarrassed when his former employer became King George I in 1714; recent research suggests that Handel was sent to London as a foretaste of the cultural excellence which would result from the Elector succeeding Queen Anne. A group of wealthy noblemen providedthefinancialbackingforestablishingtheRoyal Academy of Music, an Italian-style opera company. Handel composed the music and recruitedthesingers;theaudienceflockedinandtheprofitsrosesteadily.Handelbuiltupapersonalfortune and everything went swimmingly until the death of George I.

Handel’s career falters as problems arise in London’s opera theatresHandel was naturalised in time to compose the anthems, including Zadoc the Priest, for the coronation of George II in 1727. Things started to unravel in the following year. The King’s eldest son had to settle in London in 1728. Prince Frederick Louis was already 21 and had been acting as his grandfather’s representative leading the court of Hanover. He was a cultivated young man and a keen patron of the arts; his nebulous role as Prince of Wales obviously rankled and so did his father’s open preference for the military-minded Prince William, Duke of Cumberland – later notorious as ‘Butcher Cumberland’.

Frederick set up an alternative court and helped found the Opera of the Nobility in competition with Handel’s company. Support for the two opera companies became a political statement so the available audience split into two incompatible groups. Star singers demanded ever-higher fees inafiercebiddingwar.In1728JohnGayandthecomposer Pepusch created The Beggar’s Opera. This was immediately popular with its story of highwaymen and prostitutes, its singalong popular tunes, its rumtitum doggerel lyrics in English and

George Frederick Handel (1685 – 1759) This print by Faber was published in 1749 and is

based on a portrait by Thomas Hudson. Handel’s fame is reflected in the large number of portraits

that were painted of him and have survived. He was the only living composer to be honoured

with a statue in Vauxhall Gardens.

© trustees of the British Museum

Handel and Messiah: the creation of a legend

its sustained satire on the mannered conventions of Italian opera. It enjoyed a record-breaking theatrical run and established a fashion for ballad opera which further undermined the foundations of Handel’s reputation and prosperity.

Handel turns to the oratorio formFaced with these challenges, Handel turned to a musical form he had encountered in Rome. Roman opera houses closed during Lent and their musical resources were used to present dramatised but unstaged versions of bible stories as a devotional activity in church. Opera fans had an opportunity to hear their favourite performers during the penitential season. These performances were called ‘oratorio’ after the church which commissioned them.

Handel composed his English oratorio Esther for a private patron in 1718 but then found that opera would be more lucrative. A revised version in 1732 was so successful that he wrote Deborah and Athalia in the same year. When the three oratorios were performed in Oxford in 1733 the undergraduates allegedly sold their furniture to buy tickets. These were essentially operas without the expensive paraphernalia of staging and costumes; singers took the part of characters and the music presented the story with characterisation, dialogue and dramatic interaction all in English. Handel increasingly used English singers as soloists and he developed a more prominent role for the chorus which scarcely featured in opera.

Meanwhile in the opera house things deteriorated. Handel had been subsidising the opera company for some time and it was a crippling drain on his resources. In 1735 he began playing organ concertos between the acts of the operas, attracting larger audiences with his public appearances. In 1737, aged 52, Handel lost the use of his right hand and was unable to play or write. Fortunately that great 18th-century panacea, a cure at a spa, was effective and he was again able to play in public and compose. Then David Garrick burst into prominence, revolutionising acting with naturalistic diction and gestures and emphasising an emotional response to the text. Another nail was hammered intothecoffinofopera seria.

Handel wrote one last opera in 1738 and turned hisattentiontooratorio.CharlesJennensbecameHandel’s regular librettist; he was wealthy and used his private income to take an active interest in the arts, featuring on the subscription lists for all of Handel’s publications after 1725. He worked closely with Handel and they developed a genuine

friendship. In 1739 they experimented with the use of the chorus in Israel in Egypt. Two years later, JennenssentHandelarevolutionarylibrettoformedof scripture verses meditating on Christ as Saviour, envisaging a London performance just before Easter 1742. Handel set the text without any alterations and departed from his established practices: the soloistsdonotrepresentspecificcharacters,thereis no dramatic narrative, the chorus plays an important and independent role. Legend has it that Handel wrote in a rush of religious enthusiasm; he did write it in three weeks but, like most of his contemporaries in the operatic world, he normally set aside the summer for a concentrated burst of composing while the opera houses were closed.

Handel’s visit to DublinMeanwhile, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland formally invited Handel to give two series of subscription concerts in Dublin during the 1741– 1742 season. Dublin was not the musical backwater of legend; Britain’ssecondlargestcityboastedalarge,affluentmiddle class with an insatiable appetite for music. The Lord Lieutenant, as the King’s representative, was active in musical life arranging the popular castle balls and inviting distinguished guests to participate in the concert seasons. Musical taste followed London in preferring the Italian school, musicians from across Europe settled in the city while many others paid extended visits. Charity concerts were a distinctive feature of Dublin’s musical life. At least eight hospitals were supported in this way and court sittings were regularly rearranged to allow lawyers to attend the midday concerts in aid of Mercer’s Hospital. So popular were these events that Dublin, unlike London, was able to support specialised concert halls; Handel’s visit was the high spot of the inaugural season at the large new concert hall in Fishamble Street.

Handel arrived in Dublin on Wednesday 18 November 1741 and stayed for over six months. His firstpublicconcertwason23Decemberalthoughhe was invited to make a guest appearance at the Mercer’sHospitalbenefitconcertonthetenth.Theprogrammes regularly included a large-scale vocal work, instrumental pieces and organ concertos featuring Handel himself as the soloist. The oratorios Esther, Alexander’s Feast, and L’Allegro ed il Penseroso ed il Moderato all had to be repeatedbypublicdemand.Thefirstperformanceof Messiah took place on 13 April 1742, after the end of the second season of subscription concerts, and the proceeds went to a number of charities. A

secondperformanceon3June(‘withconcertosontheorgan’)wasabenefitforHandelhimselfatthe end of his stay. Handel had plenty of time to coach the performers and tweak the music.

Handel brought his soprano and contralto soloists with him from London. Signora Avolio arrived on 24 November ‘to perform in Mr Handel’s musical Entertainments’. A German-born soprano, she made her reputation in the opera houses of central and northern Europe before becoming one of Handel’s regular soloists in 1740.

Susannah Cibber ‘the celebrated actress’, who had sung regularly for Handel since 1733, arrived in Dublin on 3rd December. She was the sister of the composer Thomas Arne but was best known as a classical actress who also sang. An unhappy marriage into one of England’s most prestigious acting dynasties left her with a colourful reputation which blighted her career for a time. She was noted for the emotional impact of her singing and went on to become David Garrick’s leading lady. Her performance of ‘He was despised’ marked a major turning point in her professional rehabilitation; Dr Delaney, the Chancellor of St Patrick’s Cathedral, is alleged to have said loudly ‘Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven thee’ at the end of the aria, while the press review praised her in rather less portentous terms.

Uniquely, Dublin has two Anglican cathedrals and Handel was able to call on their professional choirs for his male soloists and chorus. They regularly sang together in concerts, providing a choir of 32 men and boys – somewhat larger than the normal choruses of the time; the festival performances involving huge forces were still in the future. The singers were steeped in the contemporary idiom so this was far from being the scratch chorus of the legends. The Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, JonathanSwift,threatenedtofineanyofhissingingmenwhoperformedfor‘thecluboffiddlersinFishamble Street’ but he relented in time to let the performances go ahead. Handel himself did not share Swift’s rather grumpy assessment of the orchestraandwrotetoJennens:

the Instruments […] are really excellent. Mr Dubourgh [Matthew Dubourg, Chief Composer and Master of the Music attending His Majesty’s State in Ireland] being at the Head of them, and the Musick sounds delightfully in this charming Room’

Handel brings Messiah to London The triumphant success of Messiah was not immediately replicated in London. The Dublin performances had taken place in a dedicated concert hall whereas its London premiere, on 23 March 1743, was in the Covent Garden theatre where the London audience felt that it was blasphemy to present such an overtly religious work. Handel composed his later oratorios in his earlier, dramatised format. Messiah was only able to take its place at the heart of the choral repertoire once the regular charity performances at the Foundling Hospital were established in 1750.

Programme note kindly supplied by Dr Frances Palmer

Susannah Cibber (1714 – 1766)This print by Faber, after a portrait by

Thomas Hudson, was published in 1746. A celebrated singer and actress, she was noted for the emotional

impact of her performances. Although she could not read music, Handel employed her regularly as a

contralto and had to teach her the music note by note.

© trustees of the British Museum

Dulwich Choral Society forthcoming concerts!

Spring 2016Saturday 12 March 2016, 7:30pm

Carl Orff – Carmina Burana

JonathanDove–ArionandtheDolphinTheWorldpremiereofJonathanDove’slatestcomposition

— • Part I • —

OVERTURE

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God; speakyecomfortablytoJerusalem;andcryuntoher,that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord: make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

(Tenor) Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight and the rough places plain.

(Chorus) And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, andallfleshshallseeittogether;forthemouthofthe Lord hath spoken it.

(Bass) Thus saith the Lord of Hosts:-Yet once a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come. The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

(Bass) But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is likearefiner’sfire.

(Chorus) And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

(Alto) Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us.

(Alto and Chorus) O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain: O thou that tellestgoodtidingstoJerusalem,liftupthyvoicewith strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the citiesofJudah,BeholdyouGod!Arise,shine,forthy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

(Bass) For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall rise

upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee, and the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

(Bass) The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

(Chorus) For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

PASTORAL SYMPHONY

(Soprano)Therewereshepherdsabidinginthefield,keepingwatchovertheirflockbynight.

(Soprano)Andlo!TheangeloftheLordcameuponthem, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.

(Soprano) And the angel said unto the, Fear not; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

(Soprano) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:-

(Chorus) Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, goodwill towards men.

(Soprano) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion Shout, OdaughterofJerusalem!Behold,thyKingcomethuntothee!HeistherighteousSaviour,andHeshallspeak peace unto the heathen.

(Alto) Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.

(Alto)HeshallfeedHisflocklikeashepherd:andHe shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

(Soprano) Come unto Him, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and He will give you rest. Take His

Messiah (1742) a Sacred Oratorio

WordsbyCharlesJennens

yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for He is meek andlowlyofheart,andyeshallfindrestuntoyoursouls.

(Chorus) His yoke is easy and His burthen is light.

Interval of 20 minutes.refreshments are available in the Undercroft.

— • Part II • —

(Chorus) Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.

(Alto) He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: He hid not His face from shame and spitting.

(Chorus) Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carriedoursorrows!Hewaswoundedforourtransgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.

(Chorus) And with His stripes we are healed.

(Chorus) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

(Chorus) All they that see him laugh him to scorn: they shoot out their lips and shake their heads, saying:

(Chorus) “He trusted in God that He would deliver Him; let Him deliver Him, if He delight in Him.” (Tenor) Thy rebuke hath broken His heart; He is full of heaviness. He looked for some to have pity on Him, but there was no man, neither found He any to comfort Him.

(Tenor) Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto His sorrow.

(Soprano) He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of Thy people was He stricken.

(Soprano) But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell; nor didst Thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption.

(Chorus) Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.

(Bass) Thou art gone up on high; Thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men, yea, even for Thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them.

(Chorus) The Lord gave the word, great was the company of the preachers.

(Soprano) How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.

(Chorus) Their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the world.And who do the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His Anointed.

(Bass) Why do the nations so furiously rage together, and why do the people imagine a vain thing?The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed.

(Chorus) Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yokes from us.

(Tenor) He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall have them in derision.

(Tenor) Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

(Chorus) Hallelujah: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.Hallelujah!

there will be a pause of 2-3 minutes before Part three

—•Part III•—

(Soprano) I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and thoughwormsdestroythisbodyyet,inmyfleshshall I see God. For now is Christ risen from the dead,thefirs-fruitsofthemthatsleep.

(Chorus) Since by man came death,

(Bass) Behold, I tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

(Bass) The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For

this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

(Chorus) Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory and blessing. Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.

Dulwich Choral SocietyHonorary President Dame Emma Kirkby

Vice PresidentsHisHonourJudgeMichaelGoodman,RogerPage•Musical Director Aidan OliverChairmanDrIainSavilleCBE•accompanist David Elwin

Dulwich Choral Society was founded in 1944. Today it is a thriving, friendly choir that performs at least three concerts a year, including two with professional orchestras and top-class soloists. Since 2006 Aidan Oliver, one of the UK’s leading choral conductors, has been the choir’s Musical Director.

As well as giving concerts in the Dulwich area, the choir has performed more widely in central London and abroad. Since 1998 the choir has undertaken tours to Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Germany and Estonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our most recent overseas tour was to Portugal in 2014, where we performed in some gorgeous venues in Lisbon and Sintra. Closer to home the choir performs in several of the wonderful churches in and around Dulwich, and enjoys a strong local following.

Would you like to join us?Newchoirmembersarealwayswelcome.Ifyouareinterestedinjoiningthechoir,pleasecontactJoMerry, our Membership Secretary, on 020 7737 3169 or membership@dulwichchoralsociety.org.ukfor more details.

Entry is subject to an informal audition by the Musical Director who, besides a reasonable singing voice, will be looking for basic sight-reading ability and general musicality. Membership costs £165 a year and is currently free of charge for those aged under 26 or in full-time education.

Rehearsals take place on Monday evenings from 7.30 to 9.30pm at All Saints Church, Lovelace Road, West Dulwich, London. The church is about ten minutes’ walk from either Tulse Hill or West Dulwich stations and is served by a number of bus routes, including the 3, P13 and 201. For further details, visit: www.dulwichchoralsociety.org.uk – docomeandtryusout!

Friends of Dulwich Choral SocietyDulwichChoralSocietygratefullyacknowledgesthefinancialsupport

it receives from its valued Friends:

Mrs Inge Kelly • June Cleall-Harding • John & Judy Clark Denise & John Lawson • Michael & Pat Goodman • Peter thomas

Carmo Ponte • Iain Saville & Jo Merry • Nick & Kara Lawson Mrs Jennifer tippett • Howard & Helen Moseley • June rice Fenella & Geoff tily • Molly Parrott • Christine Shepherd

Nat Sloane • amanda & andrew Carey

Friends of Dulwich Choral Society is a group of people who enjoy coming to our concerts and social events whenever possible and are interested in ensuring the future stability of the choir. Supporters of the choir (and current choir members) will be warmly welcomed as new Friends.

Benefitsofmembershipoftheschemeinclude:•reservedseatswithticketsboughtthroughthechoir•mailingsofdetailsoffutureprogrammes•afreeintervaldrinkwitheachticketbought(atcertainconcertvenues)•advancebookingfor

concerts

Dulwich Choral Society is a registered charity with number 264764. Donations made under Gift Aid willenabletheincometaxtoberecoveredasanadditionalbenefit.

For more information, please contact: Fenella Maitland-Smith: 5 Rockwell Gardens London SE191HW fenella.maitlandsmith@bankofengland.co.uk 07786 060640

Violins alison BuryDaniel Edgar

Catherine WeissSusanCarpenter-Jacobs

Jill SamuelJeanPatersonStephen RouseCatherine Ford

Violas Jordan BowronColin KitchingKatharine Hart

Cellos Sebastian CombertiJenniferBullock

Bass Carina Cosgrave

Oboes Richard EarleCherry Forbes

Bassoon Frances Eustace

trumpets Russell GilmourGareth Hoddinott

timpani Rosemary Toll

Organ Pawel Siwczak

Sinfonia BritannicaLeader Alison Bury

Dulwich Choral SocietyMusical Director Aidan Oliver

accompanist David Elwin

SopranosNicolaAlexander,AnnBlackburn,MargaretBailey,NicolaBlaney,JackieBowie,SueChandler,

Mary Cooper, Marie Pierre Denaro, Ede Fehrenbach, Sophie Fender, Honor Gay, Rachael Gibson, Didi Edwards Greig, Melissa de Haldevang, Rebecca Harrison, Cecilia Hill, Tamar Howard-Pearce, JulianaKirby,AshaLast,DeniseLawson,HeidiLempp,KatharinaLewis,DeborahLucas,EmilyLodge, Kassy Luto, Morven Main, Roszie Omoregie, Fenella Maitland-Smith, Teresa Marshall, VanessaMitchell,DianePengelly,SusanPerolls,CarmoPonte,HilaryPutt,FleurRead,Jenny

Thomas,JaneTippett,JoWatt,LucyWilford,GracitaWoods

altosBecky Bahar, Melanie Barry, Zina Boykova, Amanda Carey, Helen Chown, Glenda Cornwell, LucyCorrin,AnnCowan,JuliaField,JaneFletcher,JoannaFrench,VivienGambling,Helen

Graham,EllenHanceri,GillHancock,JillHarris,SarahHughes,GemmaHunt,VirginiaJohnson,JulieJones,JennyKay,RosemaryLeonard,JoMerry,JanePalmer,CatherineParkin,NicolaPrior,

RosemaryPublicover,LynneRamsay,RebeccaSloane,FrancesSteele,JosephineTucker

tenorsRoger Atkins, Forbes Bailey, Rowan Barnard, Nick Bolt, Giles Craven, Robert Foster, Peter Frost, JohnGreig,SteveHarrison,AndrewLang,JonLayton,AlexMarshall,JonathanPalmer,Michael

Palmer,JohnQuigley,IainSaville,PeterSwift,NickVaisey,JackWensley

BassesAndrewBlack,JohnBritton,IanChown,GuyCollins,RichardDawson,ChrisDodd,MichaelFaulkner, Malcolm Field, Stephen Frost, Alan Grant, Bruce Gregory, Alex Hamilton, Rupert

Hetherington, Michael Kenny, Paul Kinnear, Adrian Lambourne, Mike Lock, Peter Main, Aziz Panni,DuncanPratt,BarneyRayfield,MikeShepherd,PaulStern,RichardWebb

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Telephone 020 7274 7046 Open 11am-7pm weekdays 10am-6pm Saturday www.brockwellart.co.uk 35 years in Herne Hill

aIDaN OLIVEr conductor

Aidan Oliver pursues a varied career as conductor and chorus master across the full range of operatic, symphonic and choral repertoire. As Director of Philharmonia Voices he is involved in many of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s most ambitious projects, while as conductor he holds positions at St Margaret’s Church Westminster, the St Endellion Festival and Dulwich Choral Society. He also assists regularly on the staff of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Projects for which Aidan has prepared Philharmonia Voices this year have included the choir’s BBC Proms debut and a gala performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for the orchestra’s 70th anniversary. He also regularly acts as Assistant Conductor to Esa-Pekka Salonen and the orchestra’s other leading conductors, most recently to Christoph von Dohnányi

in performances of Ives The Unanswered Question on a European tour.As the Associate Conductor of the St Endellion Festival in Cornwall he has conducted works as varied as

Macmillan Seven Last Words, Tchaikovsky Symphony No 5, and Wagner Wesendonck Lieder. This year he madehisconductingdebutwithOrchestraNorthEastinaconcertfeaturingclarinettistEmmaJohnson,andwas invited back to conduct a subsequent concert in Durham Cathedral featuring Rachmaninov’s Symphony no.2.Healsomadehisdebutin2015withHuddersfieldChoralSociety,conductingRachmaninov’sAll-night vigil, and next year will direct them in a CD recording of British choral music for the Signum label.

As a much sought-after guest chorus master, Aidan has prepared groups including the BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC Singers, New London Chamber Choir, Britten Sinfonia Voices and the chorus of English National Opera for numerous broadcasts and performances, including several BBC Proms.

As Director of Music at St Margaret’s Westminster, Aidan works with organist Thomas Trotter and a professionalchoirtoprovidethemusicformanyhigh-profileParliamentaryoccasions,includingmemorialservicesformanyleadingpublicfigures.

tIMOtHy DICKINSON Bass

Timothy Dickinson was born in Essex and has been singing since a very early age.

Most recently, his operatic engagements have included Zuniga Carmen for Scottish Opera; Nikitich Boris Godunov at the Endellion Festival; Masetto (understudy) Don Giovanni for Glyndebourne and Doctor Grenvil La Traviata for Glyndebourne on Tour.

Notable concert engagements have included Verdi Requiem in Kings College Chapel, Cambridge; Bach Johannes Passion (Christus) for Oxford Bach Choir and various appearances with La Nuova Musica/David Bates, with whom Timothy appears on ‘Sacrifices’(HarmoniaMundi,2014).

In 2013, Timothy was the recipient of the Wessex Glyndebourne Association Award.

GarEtH trESEDEr tenor

After graduating from both the University of Bristol and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Welsh tenor Gareth TresederbecameanApprenticeforSirJohnEliotGardiner’sMonteverdi Choir. Solo engagements during his Apprenticeship included Bach’s Cantata 61 and Cantata 70 in Paris’ Cité de la Musique, Berlin’s Philharmonie and London’s Cadogan Hall. He has since performed as a consort soloist in Soli Deo Gloria recordings of: Live at Milton Court: Handel Bach Scarlatti and JS Bach: Motets. He performed the role of The Shepherd in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex alongside the London Symphony Orchestra at The Barbican and for the LSO’s CD release.

Recent solo performances include Handel’s Dixit Dominus for HRH The Prince of Wales in Buckingham Palace; Monteverdi’s Vespers in New York’s Carnegie Hall, King’s College Cambridge, and Château de Versailles; Mozart’s Requiem in the Royal Albert Hall; Handel’s Messiah in the Colston Hall; Mendelssohn’s ElijahinLondon’sStJohn’sSmithSquare;Schumann’s Paradies und die PeriastheJünglinginLeipzig’sGewandhaus; Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater in Cologne’s Philharmonie

and Vienna’s Konzerthaus; Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius in Trinity College Cambridge; Bach’s Cantata No. 198, Trauerode in Pisa Duomo; Orff’s Carmina Burana in Gloucester Cathedral.

Gareth also composes sacred choral works, which have been performed and recorded across the UK, America and Australia. A Song Was Heard at Christmas and Blessed be that Maid Marie were recently recorded by the BBC Singers, and several works have since been published by Boosey and Hawkes.

tIM MEaD Counter-tenor Counter-tenor Tim Mead is praised for his elegant and warm tone with faultless projection and stylish interpretations. His virtuosic performances have drawn international attention, and he is recognised asoneofthefinestacrossthegenerationsofcounter-tenors.

Engagements in 2014/15 include the world premiere of Theo Loevendie’s Spinoza at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Bach B Minor Mass with the English Concert, Messiah with the Handel & Haydn Society and the Academy of Ancient Music, the title roles in Philip Glass’s Akhnaten at Opera Vlaanderen and Riccardo Primo at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Next season Mead will also make his role debut as Oberon A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Bergen Opera.

Recent operatic highlights include Goffredo Rinaldo at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Endimione La Calisto at Bayerische Staatsoper, Voice of Apollo in Deborah Warner’s production of Death in Venice at ENO and De Nederlandse Opera, Angel 1/Boy in George Benjamin’s Written on Skin at Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse and at the Gulbenkian Lisbon, and Tolomeo Julius Caesar at ENO.

On the concert platform Tim has sung Messiah with the New York Philharmonic, OAE, Le Concert d’Astree, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai, Accademia Bizantina and Concerto Köln; Bach Christmas Oratorio with Les Arts Florissants; BachMagnificatwithLeConcertd’Astree,andStMatthewPassionwithLondonHandelFestivalandDeNederlandseBachvereniging;HandelTheodorawiththeEnglishConcert,SolomonwithAkademiefürAlteMusik,JudasMaccabaeuswiththeOAE,SaulwiththeDresdnerBarockorchester,JosephandhisBrethren

at the International Händel Festspiele Göttingen, and Susanna with the Early Opera Company. Tim has worked with such leading conductors as Ivor Bolton, William Christie, and Laurence Cummings. Mead’s discography includes Bach St Matthew Passion and B Minor Mass, the Handel oratorios Messiah, Saul, Solomon, Israel in Egypt, The Triumph of Time and Truth; and operas Admeto, Flavio, Riccardo Primo and Rinaldo.

FFLUr WyN Soprano

Having already gained wide acclaim for her performances on the operatic stage as well astheconcertplatform,WelshsopranoFflurWyn is quickly establishing herself as one of the country’s foremost young singers. She was recently elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in recognition of her distinguished contribution to the music profession so far. HeroperaticperformancesincludeJemmy

Guillaume Tell, Iphis Jephtha and Blonde Die Entführung aus dem Serail (WNO); Pamina

The Magic Flute and the title role in Lakmé (Opera Holland Park); Barbarina Le nozze di Figaro and La PlusJeuneFilleAu Monde (La Monnaie); Sophie Werther, Marzelline Fidelio, Blue Fairy The Adventures of Pinocchio, Servilia La Clemenza di Tito and Woodbird Siegfried (Opera North); Mimi Vert-Vert (Garsington Opera); Governess The Turn of the Screw (Mexico City); Blonde Woman Thanks to my Eyes (Aix en Provence, La Monnaie, Paris); Daughter The Lion’s Face (The Opera Group, ROH); and Girl How the Whale Became (Royal Opera House). FflurhasworkedwithmanygreatconductorsandorchestrasincludingSirColinDavis,SirCharles

Mackerras, Sir Richard Armstrong, Harry Bicket and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Gabrieli Consort and The English Concert. Recent recitals includeperformancesatKingsPlace,StJohn’sSmithSquare,Wilton’sMusicHallandTheHowardAssembly Room.

Recent and future engagements include Dorinda Orlando (WNO); Giannetta L’elisir d’amore (Opera North); Floriana in Leoncavallo’s Zaza with the BBC Symphony Orchestra; performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble; and a revival of her critically acclaimed performance of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with Opera Holland Park.

Tofindoutmoreaboutourchoirandconcerts, inclucing how to join us, please visit:

www.dulwichchoralsociety.org.uk

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