WANTED URGENTLY – ECA Hon Secretary

At the Annual General Meeting our Honorary Secretary, Maureen Adams, stepped down after five years loyal and valuable service to the Association. There were no nominations for the advertised vacancy and therefore we need a full member to volunteer as soon as possible – it is open to any member but they must have internet access.

The job is not onerous, the main responsibilities being:

  • Attend ECA Committee Meetings (2 per year) and General Meetings (1 per year) and take the minutes of the meetings
  • Assist in the compilation of the monthly newsletter, Alban Notes, and liaise with the IT Manager for postal communications to members
  • Review documentation produced by the chairman – e.g. Members’ Year Book, Annual Reports to the FCOCA – All ECA documentation being distributed to members and externally is submitted to the Chairman for review and approval.
  • Attend ECA events

The position of Honorary Secretary is specified on our constitution and must therefore be filled as soon as possible. If you are prepared to take on this role, please contact the Chairman, Malcolm Bury on malcolm.bury@stalbanseca.org.

Thank you

Barry Rose’ 80th Birthday Celebrations

From the Chairman –

Saturday 14th June 2014 is an important date for your diary

Dr Barry Rose

Former Master of the Music and ECA Vice-President Dr Barry Rose OBE celebrates his 80th birthday on 24th May and to mark this occasion there will be a Service of Choral Evensong in the Cathedral on Saturday 14th June at which Barry will conduct the canticles and anthem. ECA members who sang in the Cathedral Choir or Abbey Girls Choir during Barry’s era (1988 to December 1997) are invited to attend this service and sing along side the Cathedral Choir.

There will be a post-Evensong reception in the North Transept and plans are being developed for a dinner at the Cafe Rouge after the reception.

Some of Barry’s friends and colleagues from Guildford and St Paul’s Cathedrals will also be participating in the celebrations.  Specific invitations will be sent out shortly but if you wish to attend these celebrations then please register your interest with the Chairman either by email or via the website contact address as soon as possible.

This promises to be a memorable and enjoyable occasion.

UK premiere – Telemann St Lukes Passion

LUKAS-PASSION 1744 by George Philipp TELEMANN

The Passion of Christ according to St. Luke, sung in English

* THE UK PREMIERE *

SATURDAY MARCH 1ST 2014, 7.30 pm
ST. ALBANS CATHEDRAL

DAME EMMA KIRKBY
soprano

PHILIP SALMON
Conductor and singing Evangelist

with
Mosaic Chamber Choir
The Abbey Singers
The Lowes Baroque Players

Tom Winpenny continuo organ

In support of Grove House and The Friends of the Abbey

Download the flyer..

More details from  www.telemanninstalbans.co.uk

St Albans Bach Choir Christmas Oratorio

St Albans Bach Choir’s next concert, in the run-up to Advent and the festive season, is the Christmas Oratorio by J S Bach. This great masterpiece was written by the spiritual Johann Sebastian to celebrate the episodes of the Nativity, from birth to the arrival of the Magi. The work has always been a popular favourite with both concert audiences and church-goers alike. Featuring some of Bach’s most spectacular orchestration, it uses traditional passages from the Gospels interspersed with arias and choruses to tell the story of Christ’s birth. The choir will perform four of the six self-contained but linked cantatas which were first heard in Leipzig in 1734 to celebrate the feast days of the Christmas season.

Soloists joining us on the night include tenor Sean Clayton who will sing the narrative role of the Evangelist; Sean has previously appeared at Glyndebourne and the BBC Proms and also performs regularly with Les Arts Florissants. Soprano Elizabeth Cragg also makes a welcome return to the Cathedral; featuring at the Proms this summer, she has previously appeared at the Royal Opera House and is a regular performer with The Sixteen, as is countertenor Richard Wyn Roberts, a founder member of I Fagiolini. With a first class line-up of soloists, our regular orchestra Sinfonia Verdi on baroque instruments conducted by our Music Director, Andrew Lucas, this is a concert not to be missed.

We hope you will be able to join us at 7.30pm on Saturday 16 November in St Albans Cathedral. Tickets are available online, by phone or from the Cathedral Information Desk – see the flyer below for details.

St Albans Bach Choir Christmas Oratorio 16-Nov-2013

Peter Knapp presents… Opera!

Peter Knapp was a chorister and lay clerk between 1958 and 1970 and went on to a successful career in opera.

Peter says:
“I’ve recently revived my show –  All you ever wanted to know about Opera!  – which takes a light hearted look at my life in opera.  I present with a cast of three young star singers and a 15-piece orchestra and perform a selection of opera’s loveliest moments. I give a brief overview of the genre, a delight to opera buffs and newcomers alike, tell a lot of funny stories and invite the audience to take part, training them to join in with half-a-dozen rousing opera choruses.

I wonder if you would forward this information to the ex-choristers: it would be good to have some classy singers joining in with the opera choruses!”

Here are some clips from the show: on Youtube.

The next performance is:

Friday 11th October 2013 at 7.30 pm
at Rothamsted Manor Conference Centre, Harpenden, Herts

Download a poster – All-You-Ever-Wanted-To-Know-About-OPERA