Blog Posts

Go West: Choral Music from Britain and America

11/5/2016

On Thursday 26th May at 7.30pm the Choir of Somerville College will give a concert of British and American choral music in Somerville’s Chapel.

The concert is eclectic, paying tribute to the diversity of the choral repertoire to have emerged from these two countries. The programme begins with music from the English Renaissance and ends with brand new music from some of America’s most exciting contemporary composers. All proceeds will count towards the choir’s fundraising efforts for their upcoming concert tour to New York and Washington in September 2016.

Please join us!

Thursday 26th May, 7:30pm
Somerville College Chapel

Tickets from carys.miller@some.ox.ac.uk

Bach: St John Passion

19/2/2016

We are delighted to announce a very special concert in the college chapel at 7pm on Tuesday 8th March 2016 followed by a drinks reception.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750):
Johannes-Passion, BWV 245

The Choir of Somerville College, Oxford
Soloists: Nick Pritchard (Evangelist/tenor), Giles Underwood (Jesus/bass), Robyn Allegra Parton (soprano), Katie Jeffries-Harris (alto)
Orchestra led by Bojan Čičić
Conductor: Benjamin Goodson

The concert features some of the best Baroque players in the country, who play in the Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and others. We have a professional line up of soloists, and also one of the college’s most talented young singers Katie Jeffries-Harris, who will sing the alto arias.

There will be no charge for the evening but there will be a retiring collection.
Tickets will not be required, but if you definitely plan to come it would help us very much with numbers if you could let us know by emailing carys.miller@some.ox.ac.uk.

New Director of Chapel Music appointed

1/10/2015

A message from the Principal:

I am delighted to announce that Benjamin Goodson is joining Somerville as our new Director of Chapel Music, in succession to David Crown who has moved on after eight very successful years at Somerville.

Ben is a gifted musician and experienced choir conductor. He studied originally at Hertford College and quickly built up an impressive career, as – among other posts – music director of the Bath Camerata and (his most recent appointment) chorus master at the Dorset Opera Festival. His biography can be found here. Ben will be spending a few days each week in college. He has already carried out the auditions for choral scholars, and will be sending out a notice very shortly to invite people to audition for the college choir. I know he has exciting plans, and I look forward very much to hearing the choir go on from strength to strength under his leadership.

Please join me in welcoming Benjamin Goodson to Somerville.

With all best wishes,

Alice Prochaska

Benjamin Goodson (Director of Chapel Music)

David Crown's Farewell Service

7/5/2015

A message from David Crown (outgoing Director of Chapel Music):

Calling all singers (and organists!) who have been part of the choir in the last eight years! My last service is going to be on June 14th and I am hoping as many of you as possible will be able to come and join us in singing, among other things, I was glad. 4pm for a 6pm service (smart attire!). I am sure there will be drinks (at least!) after. It is an almighty wrench to be leaving and I feel very sad. But I hope that I can celebrate with many friends a fantastic period in my working life. Thanks.

David

Former organ scholar releases debut CD

30/3/2015

This week sees the release of Robert Smith's first commercial solo CD, a portrait of the newly built Franz Liszt Memorial Organ in Weimar (Germany). The CD was co-produced by Somerville's former choir manager Stefan Schwarz and released by the well-known classical music label JUBAL.

Based on the programme of Robert's 2014 summer tour to Germany, the album features works music by Bach, Liszt, Reger, Howells and Elgar as well as the premier recording of a piece by young composer Bertie Baigent, himself another former member of Somerville Choir. Baigent wrote this piece specifically for the tour and dedicated it to Robert and Stefan. The work even attracted the attention of the BBC and will be published in print later this year.

Robert is probably the first Oxbridge organ scholar to have released a professional solo CD immediately upon completing his undergraduate degree.

Advance copies of the album are already available for purchase from Amazon UK, Amazon USA and through Robert's website. Click here to see a promotional video. A more detailed article about the CD can be found on the college website.

Live at Washington National Cathedral

1/9/2014

The first video recording of our concerts and services in America has now been uploaded to YouTube:

The Choir of Somerville College (conducted by David Crown and accompanied by organist Robert Smith) sings Charles Wood's Expectans expectavi at Washington National Cathedral.

UPDATE

More live recordings from our US tour:

Charles Wood: Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D
(Washington National Cathedral, 1 July 2014)

Arthur Somervell: O Saviour of the World
Andrew Carter: Go before us, O Lord
(St. John's Episcopal Church, Northampton/Massachusetts, 5 July 2014)

John Joubert: O Lorde, the maker of al thing
Paul Simon: Bridge over troubled water (arr. Sechler)
(Christ Church Christiana Hundred, Wilmington/Delaware, 3 July 2014)

Matt Kerr, Robert Smith, Christoph Schnedermann, Oliver Johnston-Watt, Stefan Schwarz, Nathan Mattock

Recital Tour

1/8/2014

Organ Scholar Robert Smith will be undertaking an extensive solo recital tour of Germany starting this week. He will be playing a recital at the Auenkirche in Berlin to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Royal College of Organists followed by six additional recitals in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia including an evening recital on the famous 1735 Silbermann organ of the St.-Petri-Kirche in Freiberg.

The programmes will feature works by Bach, Reger, Howells, Elgar, Gowers and Pärt as well as the first performance of Bright spark, shot from a brighter place, a newly commissioned piece written by Bertie Baigent, a former member of Somerville Choir. Please see Robert's concert diary for full details of all upcoming recitals.

UPDATE

A live recording of Robert's recital on the Liszt Memorial Organ in Weimar will be released by the German CD label JUBAL in spring 2015. The CD will be available for purchase from Amazon, the CD label and Robert's website.

Tour Programmes Announced

23/6/2014

Full programmes of all our six concerts and services in America are now available for download from the tour page.

The Choir of Somerville College at the National City Christian Church, Washington DC

Recital at Merton College Chapel

16/6/2014

On Thursday at 1:15pm Robert Smith (Organ Scholar) will be playing a recital on the brand-new Dobson organ at Merton Chapel. His programme will feature works by Bach, Duruflé, Vierne, Pärt and Sousa. See the Facebook event page for further details.

One day later (Friday at 1:15pm) he will be playing a piano recital at Somerville College Chapel as part of Somerville Music Society's lunchtime recital series.

Robert Smith (Organ Scholar) at Coventry Cathedral

Leavers' Service

15/6/2014

Today's service at 6pm will be the last chapel service of term and a chance for all members of the college community to come together to celebrate the end of another year at Somerville and say goodbye to those who are leaving (including Chapel Director Fiona Gatty and several members of the choir).

The service will feature the usual mix of speeches, readings and music. The choir will be singing works by Hassler, Wood, Händel, Guest and Rutter. The service will also include two hymns: the college song (Omnes laetae nunc sodales) and Jerusalem. The organ voluntary will be Robert Smith's arrangement of Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever, a preview of the choir's upcoming US tour.