PT-
HE MAYOR OF GUILDFORD’S
CHRISTMAS
CONCERT
“Conductor: Jeremy Backhouse
3
in aid of the
" Mayor;s Local Distress Fund
‘and Fufldford Young
Carers charity
g
”~
»
-
A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR OF GUILDFORD
Councillor Mike Parsons
I am honoured and delighted to be joining
you tonight for this very special concert and
[ am sure you are looking forward to it as
much as [ am.
As we settle back to enjoy tonight’s concert
and
our
thoughts
inevitably
turn
to
Christmas, we should also remember that
for
many
people
Christmas
is
a
very
challenging time of year.
By attending tonight’s
concert, you
are
helpmg the Mayor of Guildford’s Local Distress Fund, which provides
small sums of money to help residents of Guildford who are struggling
to make ends meet and at this time of year the demand is even greater,
so thank you all for being here!
I would like to pay tribute to the Vivace Chorus for presenting this
fabulous programme and of course, The Rotary Club of Guildford. This
annual concert would simply not be possible without the continued
support of both groups and on behalf of my charitable causes; I
sincerely thank you.
As you leave tonight, there will be a collection for the newly formed
Guildford Young Carers Fund.
I have formed the fund to support the
huge number of young carers that we have in Guildford. Young people
who find their normal young lives being replaced by caring for a relative
within the family unit. The effect on these children is huge. Some fail to
realise their academic potential, and they often suffer mental health
issues, bullying and social media abuse.
I am working hard to build up the Guildford Young Carers Fund so that
long after my Mayoral year the fund will support costs linked to their
educational and respite needs and provide them with opportunities to
meet other young carers, so please give what you can.
It only remains for me to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and
Peaceful New Year!
T
TONIGHT'S CHARITY
THE MAYOR OF GUILDFORD'S
LOCAL DISTRESS FUND
Established in 1971, the fund was originally known
as the Mayor of Guildford's Christmas and Local
Distress Fund.
It is a registered charity with a clearly-defined
purpose : to provide financial assistance to the
needy within Guildford Borough, particularly at
Christmas time.
The fund receives requests from all areas of the community and has
helped individuals and groups with a wide variety of needs.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY HELPING THOSE WHO
CANNOT AFFORD THE BASICS.......... such as..........
e
Buying shoes and clothing for children from very poor families
e
Washing machines, Fridges, Cookers, and Kettles
for those unable to afford such necessities
e
Playgroup fees for less advantaged children
e
Modest holidays for families, following a trauma
Requests for assistance should come from a third party, such as a
Borough Councillor, Housing Officer or an official agency, like the
Citizen's Advice, Community Health or Social Services.
This helps
to ensure that your donations are spent wisely and that assistance is
given only to deserving cases.
WITH YOUR HELP, WE REALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Registered Charity number : 258388
THE MAYOR OF GUILDFORD'S CHRISTMAS CONCERT
featuring THE VIVACE CHORUS
Conductor : Jeremy Backhouse
Organist : William Nicholson
THIS EVENING'S PROGRAMME
Audience Carol
(arr. H.J.Gauntlett, arr.David Willcocks)
Solo
Once in Royal David's city
Choir
He came down to earth from heaven
Who is God and Lord of all,
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.
And his shelter was a stable
And his cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and meek, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour Holy.
All
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.
Up! good Christian folk, and listen
(Piae Cantiones, arr. GR Woodward))
I wonder as | wander
(Appalachian, arr. John Rutter)
A maiden most gentle (French trad. arr :Andrew Carter)
Audience Carol
(English Trad. arr.Vaughan Williams/Willcocks)
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.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the Holy birth,
And praises sing to God the King,
And 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.
How silently, how silently,
The wondrous 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 to 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 to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel.
il
~
Reading
'The Barn' by Elizabeth Coastsworth
read by Valerie Adams
Choir
Shepherd's Pipe Carol
(arr. John Rutter)
Myn lyking
(R R Terry)
Ding Dong! merrily on high (arr.David Willcocks)
Audience Carol
(J.F.Wade
arr. David Willcocks)
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
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord
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 him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord
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,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.
Kings of Orient
(J.H. Hopkins, arr. David Willcocks)
Infant holy, infant lowly
| saw three ships
(Polish, arr. David Willcocks)
(English Trad. arr. John Rutter)
INTERVAL
Wine, Soft Drinks & Mince Pies available
Personent hodie
(German, arr. Gustav Holst)
Still, still, still
(German trad. arr. Bob Chilcott)
Christmas Lullaby
Audience Carol
(John Rutter)
(Piae Cantiones, arr. David Willcocks)
Unto us is born a Son,
King of quires supernal:
See on earth his life begun,
Of lords the Lord eternal,
Of lords the Lord eternal.
Christ, from heav'n descending low,
Comes on earth a stranger:
Ox and ass their owner know,
Be-cradled in a manger
Be-cradled in a manger.
G
This did Herod sore af-fray,
And grievously bewilder,
So he gave the word to slay
And slew the little childer,
And slew the little childer.
Of his love and mercy mild
This the Christmas story;
And O that Mary's gentle child
Might lead us up to glory,
Might lead us up to glory!
Oand A, and
Aand O,
Cum cantibus in choro,
Let our merry organ go,
Benedicamus Domino,
Benedicamus Domino.
Reading
'Fear Not' from St Luke's Gospel
read by Robin Privett
Choir
The Christ-child
(Will Todd)
The Holy and the Ivy
Audience Carol
(John Gardiner)
(English Trad. arr. David Willcocks)
God rest you merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our Saviour
Was born upon this day;
To save us all from Satan's power,
When we were gone astray;
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
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 and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
The Shepherds at these tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a feeding,
In tempest, storm and wind:
And went to Bethlehem straightway,
This blessed babe to find
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Choir only
But when to Bethlehem they came
Whereat this infant lay,
They found him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;,
His mother Mary kneeling,
Unto the Lord did pray.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
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 and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Silent Night
(F. Gruber, arr. W. Swingle)
A merry little Christmas
(Goff Richards)
Address by the Mayor of Guildford
Councillor Mike Parsons
Introduced by the President of the Rotary Club of Guildford
Mr. Oliver McGeachy
Audience Carol
(Charles Wesley : arr. Felix 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
Glory to the newborn King.
Encore
We wish you a Merry Christmas (arr. Bob Chilcott)
THE VIVACE CHORUS
FIRST SOPRANOS :
Sel Adamu, Jane Barnes, Helen Beevers, Mary Broughton, Rebecca Kirby,
Fran MacKay, Susan Norton, Robin Onslow, Gillian Rix, Sarah Smithies,
Joan Thomas, Hilary Vaill
SECOND SOPRANOS :
Jacqueline Alderton, Isobel Humphries, Harriet Lavis, Krystyna Marsden,
Isobel Mealor, Michelle Mumford, Alex Nash, Alison Newbery,
Alison Palmer, Gill Perkins, Kate Peters, Valerie Thompson,
Hilary Trigg, Christine Wilks, Fiona Wimblett, Frances Worpe
FIRST ALTOS :
Barbara Barklem, Jackie Bearman, Jane Brooks, Elaine Harris,
Jean Leston, Christine Medlow, Rosalind Milton, Liz Martin,
Carol Sheppard, Marjory Stewart, Julia Stubbs,
Sue Thomas, Maggie Woolcock
SECOND ALTOS :
Evelyn Beastall, Sylvia Chantler, Sheena Ewen, Jo Glover, Pauline Higgins,
Beth Jones, Kay McManus, Catherine Middleton, Sonia Nagle, Prue Smith,
Rosey Storey, Anne Whitley, June Windle
FIRST TENORS :
Bob Bromham, Owen Gibbons, Rosie Jeffery, Chris Robinson, John Trigg
SECOND TENORS :
Tony Chantler, Simon Dillon, Stephen Linton, Peter Norman, Jon Scott
FIRST BASSES :
Paul Barnes, Richard Broughton, Michael Dudley, Jon Long,
Chris Newbery, Peter Pearce, Chris Peters, Robin Privett,
David Ross, Philip Stanford, Kieron Walsh
SECOND BASSES :
Geoffrey Forster, James Garrow, Stuart Gooch, Richard Wood
~10
~
ABOUT THE VIVACE CHORUS
The choir has come a long way since it began in
1946 as the
Guildford Philharmonic Choir, and now has an enviable reputation for
performing
first-class
repertoire.
Particular successes include a sell-out performance in
concerts
across
a wide
May 2011
of Mahler’'s Symphony
No.
8,
range
of
musical
the ‘Symphony of a
Thousand’, at the Royal Albert Hall, a highly acclaimed performance
in November 2012 of Britten’s War Requiem and another Royal
Albert
Hall
success
in
May
2014
when
we
performed
the
Verdi Requiem. In 2017 we celebrated our 70th birthday with the
Philharmonia Orchestra in the Royal Festival Hall.
Since 1995, the Vivace Chorus has thrived under the exceptional
leadership of this evening’s conductor, Jeremy Backhouse. Jeremy’s
passion for choral works and his sheer enthusiasm for music-making
are evident at every rehearsal and performance. He is supported by
Francis Pott, who is not just a very fine rehearsal accompanist, but is
also an academic and
composer of international
accomplished concert pianist.
-
repute and an
In addition to our own concerts in Guildford and London, we also sing
in various charity concerts and, with our regular orchestra, the
Brandenburg Sinfonia, take part in the Brandenburg Choral Festival
each year in St Martin-in-the-Fields.
This year, to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War,
Vivace staged its 'Concert for Peace' in aid of the Royal British
Legion at G-Live during the Armistice weekend. And for the past 14
years, the Choir have also taken part in the Mayor of Guildford's
Christmas Concert at Holy Trinity Church raising much needed
money for the Mayor's Local Distress Fund.
We're a friendly and sociable choir that enjoys singing traditional
choral classics alongside the challenge of contemporary and newlycommissioned music. We are always happy to welcome new
members, so if you would like to try us out, do come along to any of
our regular rehearsals on Monday evenings at 7.15 in the Millmead
Centre, Millmead, Guildford. Just contact our membership secretary
Jane Brooks at membership@vivacechorus.org and for more
information, visit our website, vivacechorus.org, and follow us on
Facebook and Twitter - @VivaceChorus.
o
4D
A
JEREMY BACKHOUSE
Jeremy is one of Britain’s leading
choral conductors.. He began his
musical
career
in
Canterbury
Cathedral where he was Senior
Chorister.
In
1980
he
was
appointed Music Editor at the
RNIB, where he was responsible
for the transcription of print music
into Braille. He has worked for
both
EMI
Classics
and
later
o
Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers as a Literary Editor, but now pursues
his career as a freelance conductor.
Jeremy has been the sole conductor of the internationally-renowned
chamber choir Vasari Singers since its inception in 1980. Since winning the
prestigious Sainsbury’s Choir of the Year competition in 1988, the Vasari
Singers has performed regularly at concert venues and cathedrals
throughout the UK and abroad. Jeremy and Vasari have broadcast
frequently on BBC Radio and Classic FM, and have a discography of over
25 CDs on the EMI, Guild, Signum and Naxos labels; they have recently
launched their own Vasari Media label with a recording of Jonathan
Rathbone’s Under the shadow of His wing, which they premiered in 2014. A
recent recording of Rachmaninov's 'All-Night Vigil' was released in October
2017.
In January 1995, Jeremy was appointed Music Director of the Vivace
Chorus. Alongside the standard classical works, Jeremy has conducted the
Vivace Chorus in some ambitious programmes, including Howells’ Hymnus
Paradisi and Szymanowski's Stabat Mater, Mahlers ‘Resurrection’
Symphony (No. 2), Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible,
Mahler's ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ (No. 8) and Verdi's Requiem in the
Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
In January 2009, Jeremy took up the post of Music Director of the Salisbury
Community Choir. In 2013 the choir celebrated its 21st Anniversary with a
major concert in Salisbury Cathedral in October, featuring the world
premiere of a specially-commissioned community work by Will Todd
'The City Garden', which they subsequently performed in Lincoln in 2014
and in Guildford in 2015. A commission for a major new work from
Alexander L'Estrange is planned for November 2018.
- g~
THE ROTARY CLUB OF GUILDFORD
The Rotary Club of Guildford was
formed in 1922, when only six such
clubs existed in Great Britain. Today,
there are 1,840 Rotary Clubs with over
55,000 members in the UK, and
1.2 million members in 33,000 Clubs
wordwide.
Besides the '1922' Guildford Club, there
are two other Rotary Clubs in the town the Guildford District Club, which was
foundedin 1975 and the Gwldford Chantries Club, foundedin 1991.
One of the Club's earliest fundraising projects in the 1920s was its
'Big Brother' scheme, which was launched to help the town's
youngsters, some of whom had lost their fathers during the First
World War. In 1927, the Club embarked on a project to raise enough
money to install radio sets in the wards of the Royal Surrey County
Hospital, so the patients could 'listen in'.
During
the
Second
World
War, one of the Club's most :
memorable
humanitarian
events was dealing with the
reception of soldiers from
the beaches of Dunkirk,
when
the
special
troop
at
trains
arrived
back
Guildford Station in June
§°
&
[
1940.
In the 1960s, The Rotary Club of Guildford played a significant part in
the fund raising efforts to establish the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in
1965 and played a critical role establishing of the University of Surrey
in Guildford in 1966.
o il
This
year,
the
Club
organised the local heats
of
Rotary's
Musician
the
Our
Young
Competition
at
Guildford
Institute.
photo
shows
the
Rotary
Club's
President
presenting the winners of
the
singing
competition
with their certificates.
During the past year, the
Club raised over £2000
for their chosen charity
Cherry Trees at East Clandon, which provides short breaks for
children and young people with learning, physical and sensory
disabilities, giving their families a much-needed break.
The Club continues to run the heats for local Guildford schools in
their annual Rotary Youth Speaks competition, which is part of a
national contest designed to foster pupils vital public speaking skills.
Other continuing projects include support for the Samson centre in
Guildford for sufferers with Multiple Sclerosis, the Jaipur Limb Project
in India, Rotary International's 'End Polo Now' campaign and the
Club's own Guildford Eye Project, which has established specialist
eye hospitals in India and Africa to cure blindness in the developing
world.
And tonight, the Mayor's Christmas Concert, organised by Guildford
Rotary Club,
is still raising funds for the Mayor of Guildford's Local
Distress Fund - a registered charity that gives small grants of money
to Guildford people in genuine need.
Despite being in one of the most affluent parts of Surrey, Guildford
still has, nonetheless, pockets of deprivation, where people struggle
to make ends meet on a daily basis, needing the most basic items,
that most of the rest of us just take for granted.
The Rotary Club of Guildford has now been established for nearly a
century and continues to welcome new members. The Club can be
contacted through its website at www.rotaryclubquildford.co.uk
~15
~
FORTHCOMING CONCERTS BY
THE VIVACE CHORUS
THE SEA SYMPHONY
YEURLEGRVINIEIGE
FOUR SEA INTERLUDES from Peter Grimes
Benjamin Britten
SIR PATRICK SPENS
Herbert Howells
The Vivace Chorus
Conductor : Jeremy Backhouse
Dorking Halls
REQUIEM & CLARINET CONCERTO
Mozart
ADAGIETTO from SYMPHONY No 5
Mahler
The Vivace Chorus
Conductor : Jeremy Backhouse
Saturday, May 25th 2019 : G-Live : 7.30pm
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Rotary Club of Guildford would like to thank
the following people and organisations
for their help in staging this year's
Mayor of Guildford's Christmas Concert
The Members of the Vivace Chorus
Jeremy Backhouse : William Nicholson
Canon Robert Cotton : Downs Solicitors LLP
The Parish of Holy Trinity and St Marys, Guildford
The Inner Wheel Club of Guildford
o A
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