Writtle

Mixed Doubles

2011-07-10T20:12:00.004Z

We would like to invite you to our enchanting summer concert "Mixed Doubles". This sumptuous and exciting programme features both music for double choir and double hands, piano duets played by Christine Gwynn and Caroline Finlay. There could be no better way to enjoy a glorious summer's evening than to listen to this superb choir in a beautiful setting.

Saturday 16th July, 7.30pm, All Saints' Church, Writtle

Mixed Doubles

Writtle Singers

Music for double choir including

Martin - Mass for double choir

Harris - Faire is the heaven

Stanford - Coelos ascendit hodie

Purcell - Hear my prayer & Chilcott - My prayer

Naylor - Vox dicentis: clama

plus piano duets by Warlock and Ravel

Tickets:

Only £10 if purchased before 16 July (£12 on the door);

Full-time students only £3 if purchased before 16 July (£5 on the door)

free admission for children under 16.

·book online at www.writtlesingers.org

·purchase tickets in person at James Dace in Chelmsford,

·phone the box office on 01277 658183

Support Writtle Singers when purchasing from Amazon. Just click on the link to Amazon on the homepage of www.writtlesingers.org and then make your purchases as usual.

Writtle Singers perform at London's Southbank Centre again

2011-07-10T20:08:00.002Z

Writtle singers gave a 20 minute recital at the Clore Ballroom this afternoon. The programme included Gustav Holst's beautiful Five Partsongs that appears on their Wroving CD. See the main website for information on how to own this CD.

Writtle Singers in Stondon Massey churchyard

2011-05-15T19:38:00.000Z

A nice message from two audience members.....

We really enjoyed the Byrd Concert last night - the Writtle Singers were excellent in every way and a delight to listen to. It showed just how uplifting people in the 17th C found singing in Church. The reader was also very clear and informative and it was good to connect the events of Byrd's life with the music.

Writtle Singers at Stondon Massey

2011-05-15T19:33:00.001Z

Writtle Singers were privilged to sing in Stondon Massey church yesterday as part of the Byrd festival.

Here is the final festival press release....

Successful Stondon Byrd Festival Gains International Reputation

Stondon Massey’s tribute to the Elizabethan composer, William Byrd, culminated last weekend with a concert by the Writtle Singers at St Peter and St Paul Church (Saturday) and service of favourite hymns (Sunday).

The William Byrd Festival was organised by members of the congregation in order to raise money in support of the building of a new Garden of Remembrance in the churchyard where Byrd is believed to have been buried in an unmarked grave in 1623.

Last week one of the congregation visited the church in order to set up the space for a choir rehearsal to find affixed to the door a bunch of flowers with a request to place them on the grave of the ‘English composer’. The flowers were sent by well-wishers from ‘Tom Garrison and the Trinity Choir’ which following a little Internet research turned out to be the Episcopal Cathedral in Kansas City over in the United States of America.

Festival Organiser, Andrew Smith, said, “This was a lovely surprise. We were not able to place the flowers on an unmarked grave so instead decided to arrange them on the Memorial Tablet to the great composer inside the church. Our Festival website (www.williambyrdfestival.blogspot.com) shows that William Byrd is very popular in America with over a third of the hits coming from that country. We have received goodwill messages from many and some lovely comments on the singers who appeared at the Festival”.

“The William Byrd Festival has been a tremendous success, both in raising Byrd’s profile and financially. We have raised around £2000 toward the Garden of Remembrance project”.

A letter to Friends of Writtle Singers.

2011-04-22T07:51:00.003Z

If you are not a member find out what advantages there are to membership here

We've just returned from a short tour to Zurich, and are now busy rehearsing for a our next concert.

Sat 14th May concert: On this occasion we've been invited to take part in the William Byrd Festival at the church of St Peter and St Paul in Stondon Massey, CM15 0LD. The concert is entitled 'William Byrd: Loyal Heart or Traitor?' and it will explore in words and music the composer’s life as a recusant Catholic, at odds with the law of the time proscribed by Queen Elizabeth I yet regarded by her as a master of his craft. Poor Parson Nobbs, the Rector of Stondon Massey, was required to present before the Archdeaconry Court a list of non-attenders. Byrd never crossed the threshold of the parish church and was fined time and again.

The evening will include Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices, composed for private and illegal worship for the Petre family and their friends at nearby Ingatestone Hall.

There will be one performance at 7.30pm. http://williambyrdfestival.blogspot.com/

As we're not organising this concert, we are unable to give complimentary tickets to Friends of Writtle Singers. However if you'd like to attend the event and want to buy tickets, again priced £12.50 (or £6 for under 16s), you can get them from the Church Office - Tel: 01277 821464, or email at:blackmorevicarage@btinternet.com

Sun 22nd May lunchtime 'Buffet in the Barn': We'd be delighted if you'd like to join us for our next social and fundraising event. We have been fortunate enough to secure the services of well known, local vegetarian chef Leon Lewis who will provide what we expect to be a wonderful meal for us (and tell us about it), and it's going to be in the lovely setting of the Barn at Elm Farm in West Hanningfield, CM2 8UE. We'd love you to join us, perhaps with family or friends, and for more details please contact Liz at liz.saward@btinternet.com

Donations to Writtle Singers from Amazon: If any of you buy things on line from Amazon from time to time, we've got an arrangement with the company that if people go into their site from the Writtle Singers' website (http://www.writtlesingers.org/), then they will donate a small proportion of the cost to us. This obviously helps with our funds, and all choir members are now trying to get into the habit of going shopping via our website, and it would be great if you could do the same to help swelll the choir's funds.

Donations to Writtle Singers from the Writtle Co-op: For any of you living in and around Writtle, it is possible to have a Community Card which can be used instead of a co-op card, and all purchases made with them lead to quarterly donations to the choir. If you'd like to know more, I can organise one for you, so just let me know.

Early note for the diary - 16th July: We hope that you'll be able to keep this evening clear in your diary, as it will be when we next perform in Writtle in a concert entitled 'Mixed Doubles'.

I hope that we will see you at one of these two events in May,
Nanette Wright
On behalf of Writtle Singers

Radiance

2011-04-18T13:17:00.003Z

Music of Light – The Writtle Singers at All Saints' Church12.03.11

This satisfyingly ambitious programme was one of the Singers' best. It began with plainsong – a form older than the building in which we were listening – with the choir processing to the four corners of the nave. Here they gave an impressive performance, from memory, of the challenging twenty-first century motet O lux beata Trinitas, a setting of words by St Ambrose.James McMillan's Missa Brevis was the central work. Again, beautifully delivered, especially in the closing Agnus Dei, with its finely grained Miserere and its movingly humble Dona Nobis Pacem.There was Bach, too, Brewer and Bairstow, whose I Sat Down Under His Shadow had a lovely diminuendo at the end.Simon Harvey was at the organ – as soloist he gave Fireworks by Handel, and joined the Singers' inspirational director at the piano for a light-hearted duet from Fauré's Dolly Suite.Secular music to finish, though in the lovely Saint-Saens Calme des Nuits it was really only the words that were secular. Not so in the delicious luminescent lollipops - On the Sunny Side of the Street and I'm Beginning to See the Light - sung with the same passion, the same precision, as the Holst, the Wood or the Rutter.

Michael Gray

Quiz night

2011-02-13T13:53:00.000Z

Many thanks to everyone who contrtibuted to last night's super quiz event. Much fun was had.....

Writtle Christmas Market

2010-12-05T10:48:00.006Z

Writtle Singers' glorious table of goodies all ready for the Writtle Christmas Market Tombola

...and the sale is underway

Well done everyone for selling out and making a lovely profit for the Singers

Remember?

2010-11-13T02:27:00.000Z

Here is Michael Gray's Review of our Gunpowder,Treason and Plot concert

GUNPOWDER TREASON AND PLOT
Writtle Singers at All Saints' Church
06.11.10

As the nation celebrated Diwali – festival of lights – and the thwarting of the 5/11 terrorist plot, Writtle Singers presented a typically thought-provoking programme of choral music centred around that first Guy Fawkes Night.
Hundreds of flames burned in the church, which boasts a real chandelier, and more candles lit the way from the lych gate.
The music, structured around the perfect 4 part mass of William Byrd, Catholic survivor and protégé of the Petre family, also included Dowland and Peter Philips – a song of rejoicing for the accession of James I.
The mass, first sung by the Petre household in Ingatestone Hall, was sensitively interpreted here by the Writtle Singers under Christine Gwynn; I particularly admired the Credo, the carefully crafted power of the Benedictus, and the final Agnus Dei, sung in darkness before the altar rail.
Other of Byrd's works included here were Rejoice, Rejoice, with a fine solo alto, and Why Do I Use My Paper, Ink and Pen, inspired by the martyrdom of Thomas Campion.
The historical background, including Fawkes's own verbatim confession, was read by Martyn Richards. He reminded us that we do well to reflect, as the barrage of explosives echoes around us, how quickly the fear of difference turns into oppression and terror …

Remember, remember...........

2010-10-15T22:53:00.002Z

the sixth of November!!

GUNPOWDER, TREASON & PLOT

Do come and join Writtle Singers with Martyn Richards narrator

Saturday 6 November 7.30pm

All Saints’ Church, Writtle near Chelmsford CM1 3DT

In the later 1500s Essex was home to a leading branch of the recusant Catholic community, including composer William Byrd and the Petre family of Ingatestone, who maintained their faith in secrecy and at risk of death.

In November 1605 a group of young Catholic men responded to this persecution by plotting an explosion designed to kill the king and his family plus the entire nobility, senior clergy and judiciary of England.

Through music by Byrd and his contemporaries, both protestant and catholic - including de Monte, Philips, Dering and Dowland - and narration read by Martyn Richards we venture behind the scenes of 5.11......

Tickets:

£12 [£10 only if purchased before 6 Nov] ;

£5 full-time students [£3 only if purchased before 6 Nov]

free admission for children under 16.

· book online at www.writtlesingers.org
· purchase tickets in person at James Dace in Chelmsford,
· phone the box office on 01277 658183

Venue and other info at www.writtlesingers.org

Chelmsford Cathedral Friday lunchtime concerts - free!

2010-10-03T22:41:00.000Z

From the cathedral website:
On Fridays from 12.30pm to 1.15pm there is a regular programme of lunchtime concerts in the Cathedral. These range in variety from organ recitals to chamber and school music concerts. The organ recitals are regularly on the first Friday of the month and full details of concerts can be found below.

Admission is free, but we welcome your contribution towards our expenses. Light refreshments are available in the Cathedral from 12 noon, or you are welcome to bring your own if you wish.

Autumn programme

Remember, remember......

2010-09-29T11:43:00.000Z

underhand?

2010-09-15T01:09:00.002Z

Just in case any of you stayed awake whilst I was mentioning stuff about viol bowing and varieties of modern double bass bowing (wrt renaissance singing - see, there was a conncetion) you might have some fun with the wikipedia double bass article - note the opening bits and the sections on bowing.

Or have more fun here at Drawing your bow

Looking forward to great sounds in Byrd next week :-)

Cx

Wrevealed

2010-07-21T01:23:00.002Z

Wrevealed was a concert with a difference...... Here is Micheal Gray's review

Times review of Writtle Singers singing Mahler 2

2010-05-12T12:00:00.002Z

Here is

Publish Post

the Times review of our performance of Mahler 2 on Sunday!

Writtle Singers at the Royal Festival Hall

2010-05-03T21:20:00.001Z

Writtle Singers at the Royal Festival Hall

2010-05-03T15:05:00.005Z

Members of Writtle Singers under the direction of Christine Gwynn gave a super début performance in the Clore Ballroom of the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday 2nd May, singing many of the items from their latest CD. Jonathan Rathbone looked on appreciatively as they performed his three folk song arrangements.

Phone 01277 651970 to order the CD

Chelmsford Library display goes live

2010-03-15T14:43:00.004Z

New library display about Writtle Singers cathedral concert on 27 March was installed today, and starts to attract interest as soon as it is finished.

Petr Eben Sunday Music

2010-03-10T14:08:00.006Z

Take a peek at this clip of Gillian Weir - as recommended by James! How exciting that we shall hear this live on 27 March at Chelmsford Cathedral!

Czech out Writtle Singers at Chelmsford Cathedral!

2010-02-10T13:33:00.004Z

Saturday 27 March, 7.30pm, Chelmsford Cathedral

Czech composer Janacek's evocative setting of the Lord’s Prayer, Otčenáš is just one of the works that Writtle Singers will be singing this spring as they make their first excursion to sing in Chelmsford Cathedral, for a concert with cathedral organ scholar James Norrey. In addition to the cathedral organ, the Singers will be accompanied for this very varied and colourful programme by Finnish harpist Satu Salo, and Essex percussionist Katy Elman. As well as Otčenáš, the main works will be Roxanna Panufnik’s atmospheric Westminster Mass, written for the 75th birthday of Cardinal Basil Hume in 1998, and Leonard Bernstein’s vibrant and colourful Chichester Psalms, commissioned for the Southern Cathedrals' Festival in 1965.

All tickets £12. You can book by phone on 01277 658183, buy from James Dace & Son, Chelmsford, or book online via www.writtlesingers.org

Writtle Singers Quiz

2010-01-05T20:19:00.003Z

Writtle Singers' annual quiz is on
30th January 2010
7.30pm
Writtle Christian Centre
Teams of up to 8 people
£10 per ticket includes Fish and Chip Supper
Proceeds towards choir funds

Phone 01277 624139 to book

Danbury-on-ice

2009-12-24T11:22:00.009Z

Many members of Writtle Singers braved the elements to sing carols at Danbury Park with a goodly gathering of children and their families. The children lit up the proceedings with the wonderful 'angel' lanterns that they had made during the day.
The organisers have sent this picture with a message of thanks.
"People....thought it was lovely, especially with the snow!"

Writtle Singers in Danbury

2009-12-19T20:36:00.005Z

There is another chance to hear Writtle Singers this Christmas season. They are appearing at the Danbury Country Park Candlelit procession at 4pm in Danbury Country Park. Contact the Park for more details www.visitparks.co.uk

Writtle Singers on BBC Essex

2009-12-11T17:26:00.004Z

Christine and Frances visited the BBC Essex studio this afternoon for a chat about Writtle Singers' forthcoming Double Bill Concert. Two tracks from the Wrejoice CD were played.

Hear the interview on listen again ! It is right near the end of the Afternoon Show

The Double Bill concerts are the Family Concert at 3.30 and the Candelit Concert at 5pm on Sunday 13th December at All Saints' Church Writtle. To order tickets please phone 01277 658183

Boaring

2009-11-04T04:13:00.002Z

It's the half-glasses that do it.....

Did you hear this?

2009-09-21T23:15:00.002Z

One afternoon during our Yorkshire tour I slid away to catch up with an old friend whilst many people took the opportunity to visit Harlow Carr RHS gardens. I wonder what you heard???
Anything like this??? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8267151.stm

Writtle Singers visits Cambridge

2009-06-28T09:50:00.013Z

9.30 in Writtle on a lovely sunny Saturday morning and it's all aboard the coach. Truthfully is raining a bit by the time we get to Cambridge but that does not dampen the enthusiasm to get to Gonville and Caius College for our rehearsal

It seems everyone is in Cambridge, all going in the opposite direction and for most it's graduation day!

The chapel is a peaceful haven from the bustle outside

Once the rehearsal is over, the onset of showers does not dampen our day, rather with the offer of "Free and Dry" our concert in the chapel has an extra selling point.

Whether it was that or super advanced publicity but more and more people kept streaming through the doors of the chapel until all the seats were taken.

The concert of excerpts of Vaughan Willams and Byrd masses with folk song arrangements and the beautiful Holst partsongs was greeted by an enthusiastic audience and they were treated to Christine Gwynn's arrangement of the Overture to Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. http://www.cagmus.org.uk/

The generous audience gave over £320 to the Romsey Mill Charity http://bit.ly/4gadIi who we were supporting, thank you very much.

After the concert the sun was shining again and there was more time to take in Cambridge before meeting up again for our evening meal

Fully replete it's back on the coach and returning exhausted to Writtle

Verdict? An altogether brilliant day!

If you missed the concert and would like to hear some of the music that we performed plus some that we didn't then the concert is on 11th July. http://www.writtlesingers.org/

You can buy tickets for Writtle Singers concerts online!

2009-05-27T19:50:00.004Z

Writtle Singers have joined up with OClassical to enable you to buy tickets for the Summer Concert on July 11th online. Save £2 on tickets bought this way (or from members of Writtle Singers in advance of the day). This is going to be a great concert and if you haven't seen the Singers on their new staging this will be a good opportunity.

New staging for Writtle Singers

2009-05-15T16:22:00.002Z

Writtle Singers are thrilled to announce that they have been awarded Lottery funding to purchase new staging. This versatile, easy to errect staging is proving very popular both with the singers and other local groups who can borrow it free of charge.

FREE concert in Cambridge

2009-05-15T16:18:00.003Z

Writtle Singers will be travelling to Cambridge on 27th June to sing in Gonville and Caius College Chapel. The FREE concert entitied "Music for a summer's afternoon" will be performed at 3.15. There will be a retiring collection in aid of the local charity Romsey Mill.

If you are in Cambridge on that day we would love to see you.

More details on the programme here soon

Vaughan Willams and Byrd feature in concert on July 11th

2009-05-15T16:13:00.006Z

Writtle Singers are now preparing for their summer concert on July 11th. This will be Ralph Vaughan Williams' wonderful G minor Mass and the William Byrd 5 part Mass. Both composers have local connections, Vaughan Williams collected his first folk song Bushes and Briars in Ingrave in Essex, not that far from Writtle, and this piece will also be incuded in the ptrogramme on 11th July. William Byrd lived in Stondon Massey and spent some time in Ingatestone Hall where this 5 part mass was almost certainly performed.

Check back here for more details on this concert soon.

2008-06-23T17:52:00.003Z

Christmas 2006

2007-01-07T19:04:00.000Z

On 10th December Writtle Singers once again performed their Christmas Double Bill . The church was full of children for the first concert, with Writtle Junior School Choir, under the direction of Sophie Richards, performing beautifully. The Singers performed Rutter's Brother Henirich with Trisha Stephens creating a wonderful atmosphere with the narration, despite only standing in at the last minute!

On 12th December the Singers entertained at Hylands House in Chelmsford, performing Christmas carols for a delightful reception. The members of the choir quite reasonably thought that this was their last event of the year but I thought differently!

At lunchtime on Thursday 21st December a chance visit home meant that I picked up an email plea from BBC Essex asking if we could perform at 8.20 the following morning. A few emails and frantic phone calls discovered that no one had much in their diary for 8am on the Friday before Christmas! 18 members turned up on that cold foggy morning and sung 4 carols between 8.20 and 9am.