Blog Posts

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.

US Tour Schedule Announced

14/5/2014

In the first week of July we will be going on our most ambitious foreign tour so far: We will be performing three full-length evening concerts, two services and one organ recital in churches and cathedrals in Washington D.C., Delaware and Massachusetts.

Details of all our performances in the USA are now listed on the tour page. Full programmes and publicity material will be added to the page over the course of the next few weeks.

The concerts and services will feature 20 members of the Choir of Somerville College, David Crown (conductor) and Robert Smith (organist).

This US tour, which we have been organising since last summer, was made possible by the generous support of Somerville College and our friends.

Fundraising Concert

30/4/2014

On Friday at 6pm the Choir of Somerville College and Somerville Music Society will be presenting West End Favourites and Film Music, a gala concert in aid of the choir's US tour.

Members of the Choir of Somerville College, Robert Smith (organ/piano) and special guest star David Crown (baritone) perform a selection of favourite show tunes and film music. The concert features extracts from The Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Cats, Star Wars and Show Boat as well as 'One Day More', the rousing finale from Act I of Les Misérables. See the Facebook event for full details of the programme.

Performers:
Ruth Akinradewo (soprano), Ian Buchanan (tenor), David Crown (baritone/conductor), Katie Jeffries-Harris (mezzo-soprano), Matt Kerr (baritone), Douglas Knight (piano). Christoph Schnedermann (bass), Stefan Schwarz (baritone), Robert Smith (organ/piano), Alexandra Worrell (soprano), Emily Winkler (soprano), Orly Watson (piano)

Admission is free. There will be a retiring collection in aid of the choir's summer tour.

Emily Winkler (soprano), Ian Buchanan (tenor)

Organ/Piano Recital

28/4/2014

Nick Machin (Organ Scholar Elect), will be performing his first solo recital at Somerville Chapel on Friday at 1:15pm.

The programme includes piano works by Turina, Liszt, Debussy and Shostakovich as well as organ music by Berkeley, Stanford and Widor. Please see the Facebook event page for further details.

The recital will be part of the 150 for 150 Recital Challenge in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Royal College of Organists. Somerville will be the only Oxbridge college to contribute two events to this series: Nick Machin's Friday lunchtime recital and an evening recital featuring Robert Smith (Organ Scholar) at the Auenkirche (Berlin) in August.

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