e
_—J
Financially assisted by
GUILDFORD BOROUGH
Family Concert
(in aid of the Mayor’s Christmas Distress Fund)
www.VivaceChorus.org
Registered Charity No 1026337
A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR OF GUILDFORD
Councillor Tamsy Baker
| am so pleased that the Rotary Club
of Guildford is once again supporting
the Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas
and
Local
Distress
Fund
by
organising this evening’s traditional
Christmas Concert.
The purpose of
this wonderful Concert (apart from
enjoying
yourselves!)
is
to
help
residents of Guildford Borough who
are experiencing hardship.
Guildford is a very lovely place to
live and widely accepted to be a
wealthy Borough.
However there
are
who
many
people
are
not
fortunate enough to enjoy it to the
full, due to either ill health or financial difficulties.
The Mayor's
Fund aims to help people get through these times of genuine crisis
by providing small grants for items such as furniture, clothing or
essential white goods.
As a trustee of the Fund | can assure you that we receive many
applications from people who are genuinely suffering and therefore
every donation is vital.
Therefore, | hope that you will feel able to
spare a small donation at this very expensive time of year for the
Mayor’s Distress Fund.
| would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for being here
tonight and supporting this evening’s Concert and wish you a very
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
7
B.M
Mayor of Guildford
Councillor Tamsy Baker
The Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas Family Concert — Page 2
About the Mayor’s Distress Fund
The Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas & Local Distress Fund was
formally established as a Trust in August 1971.
The Mayor’s Distress Fund (as it 1s more commonly known) is a
registered Charity with a clearly defined purpose:
“To provide financial assistance to the needy within
Guildford Borough, particularly at or around Christmas
time”
Over the years, the fund has had requests from all sections of the
community and has been able to assist both individuals and
groups with a wide variety of needs. Each request for assistance
is assessed individually against comprehensive guidelines before
funding is granted.
This helps to ensure that donations are
spent wisely and that assistance is given only to deserving cases.
In the past, money has been provided from the Fund towards:
e Buying shoes and clothing for children in very poor families
e Installing a telephone for very elderly and/or very sick
people
e Modest holidays for families, following a trauma in their
lives
e Playgroup Fees for needy children
¢ Basic equipment such as washing machines and cookers for
those who cannot afford such necessities.
With your help, we really can make a difference
Registered Charity No. 258388
The Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas Family Concert — Page 3
This Evening’s Programme
Audience Carol
Solo
(H.J. Gauntlett arr. David Willcocks)
Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild
Jesus Christ her little child.
Choir
He came down to earth from heaven
Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable
And his cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and meek, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savour Holy.
And our eyes at last shall see him,
Through his own redeeming love,
For that child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above;
And he leads his children on
To the place where he is gone.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by
We shall see him; but in heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
When like stars his children crowned
All in white shall wait around.
Choir & Organ
In dulci Jubilo (German, arr. Pearsall)
[a cappella’]
Still, still, still (German, arr. Ledger)
The Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas Family Concert — Page 4
Audience Carol
(English Trad. arr. David Willcocks)
God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our Saviour
Was born on Christmas Day,
To save us all from Satan’s power,
When we were gone astray;
O tidings of comfort andjoy, comjfort andjoy;
O tidings of comfort andjoy.
From God our Heavenly Father,
A Blessed angel came;
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same;
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by name.
O tidings of comfort........
The shepherds at these tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flock a feeding,
In tempest, storm and wind:
And went to Bethlehem straightway,
The blessed babe to find.
O tidings of comfort... ...
Choir only
But when they came to Bethlehem
Where our dear Saviour lay,
They found him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His Mother Mary kneeling down,
Unto the Lord did pray.
O tidings of comfort......
The Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas Family Concert — Page 5
Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All others doth deface.
O tidings of comfort...
Choir
Nova! Nova! (Bob Chilcott)
[a cappella]
O magnum mysterium (Morten Lauridsen)
[a cappella]
(J.F.Wade arr. Willcocks)
Audience Carol
O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord
God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo, He abhors not the Virgin’'s Womb;
Very God,
Begotten, not created;
O come, let us adore him. ..
Sing, choirs of Angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above,
Glory to God
In the highest:
O come, let us adore ham. ..
The Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas Concert — Page 6
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning,
Jesu, to Thee be glory given:
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing:
O come, let us adore him. ..
Choir & Organ
The Messiah (extracts)
(Handel)
~ For unto us a Child is born ~ Pastoral Symphony ~
~ There were shepherds ~ Glory to God ~ Hallelujah!
INTERVAL OF TWENTY MINUTES
(Wine, Fruit Juice and Mince Pies will be available)
(arr. David
Audience Carol
Willcocks)
See amid the winter’s snow,
Born for us on earth below,
See the tender Lamb appears,
Promised for eternal years
Hail! Thou ever blessed morn!
Hail, redemption’s happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.
Lo, within a manger lies
He who built the starry skies;
He, who throned in height sublime,
Sits amid the Cherubim!
Hail, thou ever blessed morn... ...
The Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas Family Concert — Page 7
Say, ye holy Shepherds, say
What your joyful news today;
Wherefore have ye left your sheep
On the lonely mountain steep?
Hail, thou ever blessed morn... ...
As we watched at dead of night
Lo, we saw a wondrous light;
Angels singing peace on earth,
Told us of the Saviour’s Birth
Hail thou ever blessed morn... ...
Sacred Infant, all Divine,
What a tender love was Thine;
Thus to come from highest bliss
Down to such a world as this!
Hail, thou ever blessed morn... ...
Teach, O teach us, Holy Child,
By Thy face so meek and mild,
Teach us to resemble Thee,
In Thy sweet humility!
Hail thou ever blessed morn... ...
Choir & Organ
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree (Elizabeth Poston)
Sir Christemas
Audience Carol
[a cappella]
(Walter Mathias)
(English traditional arr.Vaughan
Williams)
O Little Town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight
The Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas Family Concert — Page 8
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth,
All praises sing to God the King,
All peace to men on earth;
For Christ is born of Mary
And, gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
Choir only
How silently, how silently,
The wonderous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heaven,
No ear may hear his coming;
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend on us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter In,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas Angels,
The great glad tidings tell:
O come with us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel.
Choir & Organ
Tomorrow shall be my dancing day (arr.Willcocks) [a cappella]
(arr. John Rutter)
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Address by the Mayor of Guildford
Councillor Tamsy Baker
Introduced by Michael Wills
President of the Rotary Club of Guildford
The Mayor’s Christmas Family Concert — Page 9
Audience Carol
(Charles Wesley arr.Mendelssohn)
Hark! the herald-angels sing
Glory to the new-born King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled:
Joyful all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies,
With the angelic host proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.
Hark! the herald-angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Christ by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold him come
Offspring of a virgin's womb:
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate deity!
Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald-angels sing......
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings;
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald-angels sing
Encore
We wish you a Merry Christmas !
[a cappella]
The Mavor of Guildford’s Christmas Family Concert — Page 10
~ Vivace
Chorus/,,«
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FIRST SOPRANOS
FIRST ALTOS
FIRST TENORS
Joanna Andrews
Marion Adderley
Adam Boniface
Noreen Ayton
Penny Baxter
Bob Cowell
Helen Beevers
Monika Boothby
Tim Hardyment
Mary Broughton
Jane Brooks
Chris Robinson
Miranda Champion
Celia Embleton
John Trigg
Elaine Chapman
Ingrid Hardiman
Rachel Edmondson
Susan Hinton
Calli Hayes
Kay McManus
Bob Bromham
Mo Kfouri
Christine Medlow
Tony Cousins
Hilary Minor
Mary Moon
Stephen Linton
Susan Norton
Penny Muray
Robin Onslow
Jacqueline Norman
FIRST BASSES
Rachel Owen
Penny Overton
John Britten
Margaret Parry
Marjorie Rollo
Jonathan Draper
Margaret Perkins
Lesley Scordellis
Michael Dudley
Gillian Rix
Jane Sweaney
Geoffrey Forster
Carol Terry
Hillary Trigg
Keith Hester
Nikki Vale
Pamela Woodroffe
Chris Newbery
SECOND SOPRANOS
SECOND ALTOS
Jacqueline Alderton
Valerie Adam
Philip Stanford
Josephine Field
Sally Bailey
Kieron Walsh
Lucy Foster
Evelyn Beastall
SECOND TENORS
Chris Peters
David Ross
Mandy Freeman
Mary Clayton
SECOND BASSES
Jane Kenney
Carolyn Edis
Dan Adderley
Krystyna Marsden
Valerie Garrow
Peter Andrews
Lois McCabe
Barbara Hilder
Roger Barrett
Alison Newbery
Carol Hobbs
Alan Batterbury
Alison Palmer
Sheila Hodson
Norman Carpenter
Kate Peters
Yvonne Hungerford
James Garrow
Susannah Priede
Brenda Moore
Nick Gough
Alison Rawlinson
Jean Munro
Michael Jeffery
Ann Sheppard
Kate New
Stephen Jepson
Kathy Stickland
Prue Smith
Neil Martin
Christine Wilks
Alex Stevens
Maxwell New
Rosey Storey
John Parry
Elizabeth Yates
Michael Taylor
The Mayor’s Chistmas Family Concert — Page 11
The Guildford Philharmonic Choir was founded in 1947 by the Borough
of Guildford to perform major works from the choral repertoire with the
Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra. During this time, the Choir grew in
stature and reputation to become one of the foremost Choruses in the
country.
The Choir grew in prominence under the batons of such
eminent British musicians as Sir Charles Groves, Vernon Handley and
Sir David Willcocks, its current President.
For some time, the Choir had been independent from the Borough of
Guildford and to reflect its independent status and its ever-increasing
and varied undertakings, decided to rebrand’ itself by changing its name
to The Vivace Chorus. This change was announced in May 2005 during
our last concert in the 2004/2005 season.
The Mavyor of Guildford’s Christmas Family Concert — Page 12
Vivace Chorus enjoys a challenging and varied concert repertoire,
performing works spanning the last five centuries — some well-known, but
also many rarities deserving to be heard by a wider audience.
By the way of demonstration : the 2002/2003 season included Dvorak’s
rarely heard Requiem, followed by Verdi’s Requiem.
But the climax to
the season was undoubtedly Mahler’s Symphony No.8, where the Choir
combined forces with the Lewisham Choral Society, the South-West Essex
Choir and the Grey Coat Hospital Girls Choir.
The 2003/2004 Season included an evening of Baroque Music,
Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 and a concert of American music, which
included works by Barber, Bernstein, Copland and Stravinsky. The season
concluded with Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances and Prokofiev’s Alexander
Nevsky (both sung in Russian), and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3
performed by the Choir’s outstanding accompanist , Jeremy Filsell.
The 2004/2005 Season began with a glowing performance of Elgar’s The
Dream of Gerontius, followed by the unusual and much-appreciated /talian
Inspirations — non-operatic works by famous composers of Italian opera.
This was followed by the first in our Contemporary Choral Classics Cycle,
a projected 4-year innovative series of choral works from the late 20TM and
21% century — classics of the future paired with established masterpieces.
The chosen pairing was Vaughan Williams Dona nobis pacem (1936) with
Karl Jenkins The Armed Man (2000). The next concert in the cycle will
feature not only Jeremy Backhouse’s outstanding chamber choir, the Vasari
Singers, but also the Philharmonia Orchestra - a new and exciting
undertaking for us.
During last year’s summer break, we were invited to sing (under our new
name for the first time) at a ‘Last Night of the Proms’ concert in aid of
Chase at a packed Fairfield Halls in Croydon.
Vivace Chorus is always searching for new members to maintain its high
standard. For further details on how to join, please contact Noreen Ayton
on 01932-221918.
Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings throughout
term time in central Guildford and prospective members are most welcome
to attend on an informal basis, before committing themselves to an
audition.
For more information, please see our new website at
www.vivacechorus.org
The Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas Family Concert — Page 13
JEREMY BACKHOUSE
@@
He spent five years
|
as Music Editor at
the Royal National
© |
" |
Institute
Blind,
for
the
where
he
was responsible for
|
the transcription of
|
|
Braille.
music
in
In 1986, he joined
EMI Records as its
Literary
Editor
and since 1990 has
combined his work
as a Consultant Editor for EMI Classics with his career as a freelance
conductor and record producer.
In
1995,
Jeremy was
appointed
Chorus
Master
of
the
Guildford
Philharmonic Choir and now conducts the majority of their concerts under
their new name The Vivace Chorus.
other leading choirs
He has also worked with a number of
including the Philharmonia Chorus, the London
Choral Society and the Brighton Festival Chorus.
From September 1998
until the end of last year, Jeremy was also the Music Director of the
Wooburn Singers — only the third conductor to be appointed in the
distinguished 30 year history of this choir.
Also in 1995, he was invited to conduct the BBC Singers in a programme of
music by Lennox Berkeley for BBC Radio
8
and since then, he
has
conducted the same choir in broadcast programmes featuring the music of
Holst (for the BBC's Fairest Isle’ celebrations) Rubbra, Massenet and
Delibes.
The Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas Family Concert — Page 14
THE ROTARY CLUB OF GUILDFORD
The Rotary Club of Guildford was formed in
1921 and was only one of six such Clubs that
existed in Britain at that time.
Today, there
are 1500 Rotary Clubs with one million
members in the UK alone.
Besides the
original 1921 Rotary Club, there are two other
Rotary Clubs in the town — the Guildford
District Club and the Guildford Chantries Club.
of
One
the
earliest
fund-raising
projects
undertaken by the original Club in the 1920s was the ‘Big Brother’ scheme,
which was launched to help youngsters who had lost their fathers during
In 1927, the Club embarked on another scheme to
the First World War.
raise enough money to install several of the new-fangled wireless sets of
the time in local hospitals.
During the Second World War, one of the Club’s most memorable
humanitarian events was dealing with the reception of the survivors from
the beaches of Dunkirk, as they arrived back at Guildford Station in June
1940.
In the 1960s, significant contributions were made by the Rotary Club of
Guildford to establish Guildford’s Yvonne Amaud Theatre and the
University of Surrey.
This year, in the Centenary
§
Year of Rotary International,
§
the Rotary Club of Guildford §8
continues to raise money to [
support the Rotary Club of [
Calcutta’s Eye Hospital with
the
necessary
sight-saving
The Club has
equipment.
&8
&
recently established a similar &=
scheme in Guildford’s new [
twin town of Mukono in £
Uganda.
Centennial Flowerbed in the Castle Grounds
The Mayor of Guildford’s Christmas Family Concert — Page 15
Other recent projects have included funding and building water dams in
Kenya to improve the local people’s access to water and dispatching
everyday necessities for use in disaster zones throughout the World,
including the Tsunami disaster in South East Asia last year.
Here
in
Rotary
the
fundraising
been
UK,
Club’s
Guildford
most
recent
achievement
the purchase
has
of a new
blood testing machine to assist
with
the
early
diagnosis
Prostate Cancer.
state-of-the-art
of
The new
equipment
is
only the second of its type in
|
the UK at present and can give
The New Blood Testing Machine is handed over to
PSA readings in 10 minutes -
the St. Lukes Cancer Centre in June 2005
a great improvement on the
average two weeks wait that has to be endured by patients until now.
The Club also presented the Town with a brand new Centennial Walk to
mark Rotary International’s 100TM. Birthday.
The new two mile walk
around the town centre starts from Tunsgate and was inaugurated by the
Mayor of Guildford in April 2005.
A guide for Guildford Rotary’s
Centennial Walk can be obtained from the Tourist Information Centre in
Tunsgate.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Rotary Club of Guildford would like to thank all the following for
their help in staging this evening’s concert:BBC Southern Counties Radio; County Sound Radio, Eagle 96.4;
The Surrey Advertiser; The Inner Wheel Club;
Jeremy Backhouse; Andrew Earis; The Vivace Chorus;
Kendall’s Van Hire, Ash; Rev. Robert Cotton,
The Staff of Parish of Holy Trinity Church, Guildford.
FORTHCOMING
CONCERTS
Vivace
Chorus
from
PILLARS OF THE BAROQUE
J S Bach and G F Handel are the two mighty pillars of the Baroque. Their
colossal presence is reflected here in a programme of their finest instrumental
and choral music. The first half is dedicated to Handel, the second to Bach.
The Vivace Chorus will be joined by the Brandenburg Sinfonia, specialists at
performing Baroque music.
In the first half of the concert, we will be performing Handel’s coronation
anthem Zadok the Priest; extracts from his Water Music; and Handel’s great
anthem and masterpiece Let God Arise. The second half of the concert opens
with Bach’s Cantata No. 50 : Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft, a choral fanfare;
followed by his Air on a G String; from Suite No.3, and Menuet and
Badinerie from Suite No. 2. The concert will finish with Bach’s Magnificat, a
setting for soloists, chorus and orchestra. All ticket holders are invited to a free
pre-concert talk in the Chapter House at 6.30pm.
The Vivace Chorus : The Vasari Singers : The Philharmonia Orchestra
May 20" 2006 : Guildford Cathedral : 7.30pm
e William Walton ~ Belshazzar’s Feast
e Francis Pott ~ A Song on the End of the World
The Philharmonia Orchestra joins us for the second concert of our ground
breaking Contemporary Choral Classics Cycle.
We are delighted that they
have agreed to play in Guildford for the first time.
For more information, visit their website : www. Philharmonia.co.uk
e
g
We wish you a
Merry
Christmas
www.VivaceChorus.org