:
The Macmillan
Carol Concert
Thursday 7 December | St John's Smith Square
The Macmillan Carol Concert
Thursday 7 December 2023
Welcome from Gemma Peters, Chief Executive
Page 3
How your support makes a difference
Page 6
Concert Programme
Page 10
Tonight's Readers
Page 20
Our Performers
Page 24
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated members of
our volunteer committee whose contribution and commitment
have been instrumental in making this event a success.
Michelle Curran
Susan Hammond
Adam Johnson
Marjorie Simonds-Gooding
Carolyn Ware
Isabella Woods
Chief Executive Officer
Gemma Peters
Welcome to this evening's
Macmillan Carol Concert. It's
great to be here in the beautiful
surroundings of St John's Smith
Square, to celebrate the 35th
anniversary of this festive event.
Thank you for joining us to help
raise vital funds for services for
people affected with cancer.
Having the support ofa dedicated
specialist cancer nurse is the
single thing people with cancer
consistently identify as making
the biggest difference to their
cancer experience. Having a
compassionate expert by your side
A huge thank you to the Macmillan
to support, fight and advocate for
Carol Concert Committee for
you can relieve some of the burden
their passion and commitment to
a cancer diagnosis brings and help
creating this spectacular event.
The festive season brings with it
the opportunity for loved ones
to come together. But for many
people with cancer, it can be
tough. That's why Macmillan is
doing whatever it takes to make
sure that everyone affected by
cancer gets the help they need.
Getting a cancer diagnosis can
be devastating - it can turn a
person's world upside down in
a moment. Sadly, we know one
each person live life to the full,
whatever that means for them.
By being here this evening and
donating to Macmillan, you are
helping us provide a lifeline to
those who are struggling the most.
| know that all those who have
been supported by Macmillan
will want to join me in thanking
everyone involved with this
evening's event. Enjoy the
festivities and thank you so much
for your most valued support.
Macmillan Emergency Grants Appeal
The cost of living with cancer is in crisis
Living with cancer can cost people
their health, their savings and even
their job. Our calculations show
that people living with cancer
are, on average, £891 worse off
a month financially. This, along
with high inflation, rising interest
rates and the risk of a recession,
means people living with cancer
are facing a financial emergency.
We provide Macmillan Grants to
the most financially vulnerable to
help alleviate the pressures they
face. Macmillan Grants are oneoff, means-tested payments of
£300 to support people with the
extra costs that cancer can bring.
By helping to meet an urgent
need, a Macmillan Grant can
Macmillan Grants provide the
lifeline that people with cancer
need - a rapid payment of
£300 to meet their immediate
needs and relieve some of the
intense pressure on their lives.
Today, we are the biggest provider
of financial support services to
people living with cancer in the
UK. However, we are reliant on
donations for 98% of our income,
meaning we cannot be there
for people with cancer without
the help of people like you.
We know that many people living
with cancer will continue to face
significant challenges over the
coming months, and with the
winter approaching - the worst
allow recipients to concentrate
is yet to come. Your support
on other issues and concerns.
The Grants also help people
emotionally by reducing stress
and enabling them to focus on
their health and wellbeing.
could help more people with
cancer to weather this crisis.
Debbie's story
Debbie was diagnosed wit
'3 ovarian cancer in August
=
"I know a Macmillan grant is ar
absolute lifeline. Because tha
exactly what is was for me."
When Debbie was going through
intensive cancer treatment,
the last thing she needed was
additional money worries.
“The doctor who did the
ultrasound was so lovely," Debbie
remembers. "But the words he
spoke left me cold and numb."
The scan had revealed dark
clouds over Debbie's ovaries and
the words the doctors spoke
were, "I'm afraid that's cancer".
Almost immediately Debbie had
to begin an intensive course of
chemotherapy. “A day or two
after each treatment | would feel
like | was dying. | had so many
horrible side effects - nausea,
fares. The relief was incredible. Like
loss of taste, loss of appetite, my
eyesight deteriorated and | lost
the feeling in my feet and hands.
It was the worst time of my life."
faced a new crisis. "The chemo
having a weight lifted off of me".
But as winter set in and energy
prices started to rise, Debbie
left me feeling so cold. But with
prices going up and up, my
By easing her money worries,
partner Dan and | hardly dared
Debbie's Macmillan grant meant
turn on the heating. Once again, it
she could focus on what really
was Macmillan who came to the
mattered. Her own wellbeing.
rescue. They gave us additional
"With no car and feeling too
weak for the bus, | didn't even
know how I'd get to my hospital
help to manage our utilities bill.
| am so thankful to Macmillan
and all their supporters.”
appointments. But that was where
Macmillan stepped in. They gave
Your donation today could help
fund an emergency Macmillan
me a grant to help pay for taxi
grant for someone like Debbie.
Every pledge
will be a lifeline
We will move mountains to help people
with cancer live life as fully as they can.
But we can't do it without you. Help
us do whatever it takes, because
we've never been needed more.
£19
£34
£163
could fund a place
where no one has to
be 'strong' thanks
could fund an hour
of support from a
Macmillan Nurse.
emotional support
to our helpline.
could provide
to someone living
with cancer for
around eight weeks,
through regular
support sessions
with one of our
Macmillan Buddies.
Scan the QR code to
pledge your support.
Please dig deep and
1in 4 people living with
cancer in the UK feel that
they just 'can't afford life'
at the moment.
£285
£1,000
£1,500
could pay for a
could enable a
could pay for five
Macmillan Nurse for
Macmillan Support
Macmillan grants
one day, helping
Line Welfare Rights
that can be used
people living with
Adviser to help
to help ease some
cancer and their
someone affected
of the additional
families receive
by cancer claim the
financial pressures
essential medical,
vital benefits they
caused by a cancer
practical and
are entitled to.
diagnosis, such as
emotional support.
increased energy
and water bills, cost
of travel to and from
hospital and making
home adaptations.
Scan this code to make
an online donation
Please note online pledge donations will be unrestricted and will support
vital Macmillan services helping people living with cancer.
oblix
Located in The Shard, Oblix is a sophisticated &
contemporary restaurant and bar, split across
two different spaces offering views across
-
central London from East to West.
Proud to support The Macmillan Carol Concert 2023
@oblixrestaurant | oblixrestaurant.com
Grand Prize draw
Enter the Macmillan Carol Concert grand prize draw for only
£10 for your chance to win one of our spectacular prizes!
1** Prize Dinner for four at Zuma, London
2" Prize Champagne Afternoon Tea for four at Oblix, the Shard
3 Prize Dinner for four at Roka, London
Please find a member of the Macmillan events team to
purchase your raffle tickets this evening, or scan the QR to buy
your tickets online. Tickets can be bought online until Sunday
10 December at 23:59. The winners will be picked on Monday
11 December and will contacted by a member of the team.
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Concert Programme
Processional Organ
Welcome
Nick Knowles
Opening Prayer
Fr Grant Bolton-Debbage
Carol
O Come all ye faithful
Arranged by Trad./Willcocks/Johnson
ALLTO STAND
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
All glory in the highest
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord!
Ae
for kindly donating
the music to this
year's Macmillan
Carol Concert.
10
A Boy Was Born
By Benjamin Britten
Vivace Chorus conducted by Jeremy Backhouse
'Santa’s Christmas Eve Prayer' by Warren D. Jennings
Read by HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO
Christmas Holly
"To get in the house
The sleigh was all packed,
Is the difficult part,
The reindeer were fed,
So I'll slide down the chimney
But Santa still knelt
Of each child's heart."
By the side of the bed.
"My sack will hold toys
"Dear Father," he prayed,
To grant all their wishes,
"Be with me tonight,
The supply will be endless,
There's much work to do,
Like the loaves and the fishes."
And my schedule is tight."
"I will fill all the stockings
"I
must jump in my sleigh
And not leave a track,
And streak through the sky,
I'll eat every cookie
Knowing full well
That is left for my snack.”
That a reindeer can't fly."
"I can do all these things Lord,
"I will visit each household,
Only through You,
Before the first light,
| just need your blessing,
I'll cover the world,
Then it's easy to do."
And all in one night."
"All this is to honor
"With sleigh bells a-ringing,
The birth of the One,
I'll land on each roof,
That was sent to redeem us ...
Amid the soft clatter
Your most Holy Son."
Of each little hoof."
"So to all of my friends,
Least Your glory | rob,
Please Lord, remind them
Who gave me this job."
Shepherds Carols
By Bob Chilcott (world premiére)
Dame Sarah Connolly and Orchestra
O Holy Night
By Adolphe Adam
Dame Sarah Connolly and Orchestra
n
o
Carol of the Bells
By David Foster and arranged by Adam Johnson
Orchestra
'Christmas at Fezziwig's Warehouse' by Charles Dickens
Read by Angela Rippon CBE
substantial smile. In came the three
Misses Fezziwig, beaming and
lovable. In came the six followers
whose hearts they broke. In came
"Yo Ho! my boys," said Fezziwig.
"No more work to-night! Christmas
Eve, Dick! Christmas, Ebenezer!
Let's have the shutters up!" cried
old Fezziwig with a sharp clap
of his hands, "before a man
can say Jack Robinson..."
all the young men and women
"Hilli-ho!" cried old Fezziwig,
employed in the business. In came
the housemaid with her cousin
the baker. In came the cook with
her brother's particular friend the
skipping down from the high
desk with wonderful agility.
"Clear away, my lads, and let's
have lots of room here! Hilli-ho,
Dick! Cheer-up, Ebenezer!"
milkman. In came the boy from
over the way, who was suspected
of not having board enough from
his master, trying to hide himself
behind the girl from next door but
one who was proved to have had
her ears pulled by her mistress; in
they all came, any-how and everyhow. Away they all went, twenty
couple at once; hands half round
and back again the other way;
down the middle and up again;
round and round in various stages
of affectionate grouping, old top
couple always turning up in the
wrong place; new top couple
starting off again, as soon as they
got there; all top couples at last,
and not a bottom one to help them.
Clear away! There was nothing
they wouldn't have cleared away,
or couldn't have cleared away
with old Fezziwig looking on. It
was done in a minute. Every
movable was packed off, as if it
were dismissed from public life
forevermore; the floor was swept
and watered, the lamps were
trimmed, fuel was heaped upon
the fire; and the warehouse was
as snug, and warm, and dry, and
bright a ballroom as you would
desire to see on a winter's night.
When this result was brought
about the fiddler struck up "Sir
Roger de Coverley." Then old
Fezziwig stood out to dance with
In came a fiddler with a music
book, and went up to the lofty
desk and made an orchestra of it
and tuned like fifty stomach aches.
In came Mrs. Fezziwig, one vast
Mrs. Fezziwig. Top couple, too,
12
with a good stiff piece of work
what would become of them next.
cut out for them; three or four
And when old Fezziwig and Mrs.
and twenty pairs of partners;
Fezziwig had gone all through
people who were not to be trifled
the dance, advance and retire;
with; people who would dance
both hands to your partner, bow
and had no notion of walking.
and courtesy, corkscrew, thread
the needle, and back again
But if they had been thrice as
to your place; Fezziwig cut so
many, oh, four times as many,
deftly that he appeared to wink
old Fezziwig would have been a
with his legs, and came upon
match for them, and so would
his feet again with a stagger.
Mrs. Fezziwig. As to her, she was
worthy to be his partner in every
When the clock struck eleven
sense of the term. If that's not
the domestic ball broke up. Mr.
high praise, tell me higher and I'll
and Mrs. Fezziwig took their
use it. A positive light appeared
stations, one on either side of
to issue from Fezziwig's calves.
the door, and shaking hands
They shone in every part of the
with every person individually,
dance like moons. You couldn't
as he or she went out, wished
have predicted at any given time
him or her a Merry Christmas!
13
Carol
Away in a Manger
Arranged by Trad./Willcocks/Johnson
Dame Sarah Connolly, Orchestra and Vivace Chorus
ALL TO STAND
Away in a manger
No crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head
The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay
The cattle are lowing
The Baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes
| love You, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side
Until morning is nigh
Be near me, Lord Jesus
| ask You to stay
Close by me forever
And love me | pray
Bless all the dear children
In Your tender care
And fit us for heaven
To live with You there
14
MACMILLAN
CANCER SUPPORT
‘ __’ What does a gift in your will to Macmillan Cancer Support mean to
someone living with cancer? It's physical support, making sure they
"get the best cancer treatment possible. It's financial guidance to
help pay the bills. It's providing a sympathetic ear in a time of need.
It's helping us do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer.
Over a third of our vital services are funded by gifts in wills. We hope
that, after making sure your loved ones are taken care of, you'll consider
leaving a gift in your will to us as well.
This winter, help change a life by leaving a gift to Macmillan in your
will. To order your free Gifts in Wills guide, call 0300 1000 200.
www.macmillan.org.uk/willgifts
@ FUNDRAISING
Registered with
REGULATOR
Macmillan Cancer Support, registéred charity in England and Wales (261017),
Scotland (SC039907), and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland. MAC19343_Ad
The Revd Grant Bolton-Debbage
Seeing the incredible
is Vicar of All Saints in New Cross
advancements in treatment
and previously Assistant Priest
since the time of his late father's
of Holy Trinity Sloane Square.
untimely death he is hopeful
Fr Grant is a keen musician and
for the future of those affected
specialises in Gospel and Blues.
When only three months old, his
father Ralph died of bowel cancer.
by cancer, although recognises
there is still a way to go to lessen
its effects on people’s lives.
This has caused Fr Grant to have a
Fr Grant joyfully continues
great affinity with all those charities
to support Macmillan in
which help patients and families
his role as chaplain of our
through this life changing disease.
annual christmas event.
Host
Nick Knowles
For the last 20 years, Nick has been
the face of BBC DIY SOS, which is
now the channel's most watched
and longest running prime time
factual series. Now in its 22nd year,
DIY SOS continues to recruit friends,
family and local trades to improve
the homes and lives of families
After three series of the hit
across Britain. He is one of the UK's
renovation show Big House Clearout
highest rated TV presenters and an
for Channel 5, over the past year
RTS award-winning writer.
Nick has been busy filming two
Over the past decade, Nick has
more exciting new programmes for
hosted BBC1 prime time Saturday
C5. One is a two-parter called Into
night quiz shows such as Break
the Grand Canyon and Amazing
the Safe, Secret Fortune, and Who
Railway Adventures, both out in
Dares Wins. In 2018, he appeared as
March 2023.
21
Reader
Angela Rippon CBE
Angela Rippon CBE is an awardwinning journalist, TV presenter,
newsreader, and author.
Her career spans over 50 years,
having presented a wide variety
of programmes from hard news
In 2017, Angela championed
Alexander Fleming's discovery of
antibiotics head-to-head with 7
other celebrities on BBC Two's
Britain's Greatest Invention.
Angela then a year later brought
her passion to the front line of
the fight to combat antibiotic
resistance in BBC One's The
Truth About Antibiotics.
and current affairs, to quiz shows
and magazine programmes for a
number of different broadcasters
in Britain, America and Australia.
She currently presents BBC's
Rip-Off Britain and contributes to
Morning Live and The One Show on
BBC One, reporting from various
locations across the UK. Her rich
experience spans all corners of
In 2004 she was awarded an OBE
TV and radio, from presenting
in recognition of her services to
the original Come Dancing to Top
Broadcasting, Charity and the Arts.
Angela was appointed Commander
of the Order of the British Empire
(CBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours
for services to dementia care in
her role as development lead with
Dementia Friendly Communities.
Gear, Antiques Roadshow, The
Holiday Programme, and Crufts.
Angela presented the highly
acclaimed BBC One programme
How to Stay Young in which
she explored modern research
22
Reader
Kadiff Kirwan
Kadiff Kirwan is an actor and writer,
After graduating from the Central
born in Montserrat and raised in
School of Speech and Drama in
Preston. He is best known for his
2011, he went on to play breakout
roles in Slow Horses (Apple); This
roles on stage in productions
Is Going To Hurt, | May Destroy
such as Home (National Theatre):
You, Fleabag (BBC); The Stranger
City of Angels, The Vote, Teddy
(Netflix); Everyone Else Burns (C4);
Ferrara, Sweet Charity (Donmar
Chewing Gum (E4); My Policeman
Warehouse); Queers (Old Vic);
(Amazon); Mary Queen of Scots
Guys & Dolls (Sheffield Crucible).
(Working Title) among many others.
As a writer, he is currently under
commission with the BBC.
23
Introduction
As always we like to include
more fun musical elements
by Adam Joh nson
to our programme which this
Musical Director
year includes Rocking around a
Myself and all the musicians
on stage welcome you to our
Christmas Tree and | believe in
Father Christmas by Greg Lake.
annual Christmas carol concert!
e
1 e
My original composition From
Beauty to Truth is also featured
We are very excited to share
with you our music choices for
the evening, and it is wonderful
tonight. This piece iS_ taken from
my album "Savage Piano" apd was
distinguished soloists Dame Sarah
battling cancer. The aloum won the
recorded at Abbey Rd Studio 2 in
2019. It is dedicated to musicians
to be joined on stage by the
fantastic Vivace Chorus and our
Ida Carroll Award and was praised
Connolly and Ryan Quigley.
;
The main theme of this year's
music programme is Nativity
on Classic FM and BBC Radio.
"Adam Johnson's debut album
and the Christ child.
is wonderfully diverse and
We start with Benjamin Britten's A
enjoyable from end to end. There
is a touching innocence and
Boy was Born, and through Away
playfulness behind his skill and
in a Manger to Brahms' beautiful
setting of a Cradle-Song for
sophistication, both as composer
and performer.” Bryce Morrison
Mezzo Soprano, Viola and Piano.
Ryan Quigley and | will then
_
We truly thank you for supporting
our concert which helps so much
perform the jazz piece A Child is
with all of our fundraising, and
Born and we close the programme
we look forward to welcoming
with Hark! The Herald Angel's
you in 2024 at Cadogan Hall!
Sing: Glory to the new born King.
24
Conductor
Adam Johnson
Prize 2007. Adam went on to be
the founder and Artistic Director
Multi-prize-winning pianist,
Orchestra in 2007 which went on to
composer and conductor, Adam
Johnson was a Scholar and Junior
Fellow at The Royal Northern
College of Music. He has performed
under the baton of Stephen Bell,
Kent Nagano, Martyn Brabbins,
and George Hurst, making his
Concerto debut aged 15 playing
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 15 in
Pavlovsk Place, St. Petersburg, .
conducting from the piano.
Adam studied piano with Martin
Roscoe and Peter Feuchtwanger
who described him as in
possession of 'an excellent
of the Northern Lights Symphony
enjoy a 14 year span of seasons and
concerts. In 2011 he was elected
as a Freeman of the Worshipful
Company of Musicians, and more
recently was awarded as a Member
of the Royal Society of Musicians.
Adam Johnson holds the
prestigious Freedom of the City
of London, which was awarded to
him in 2019. In the same year, Adam
recorded his debut composition
album 'Savage Piano' in Abbey
Road Studio 2, which went on to
win the Ida Carroll Award and was
released in 2021 on Collaborative
technique and full of fantasy.".
Records to critical acclaim. Adam
Unique among the outstanding
is currently working as Korrepetitor
at Theater an der Wien, Vienna for
artists of his generation, Johnson
is as equally at home conducting
~ opera as he is fulfilling the
role of soloist in concerto
~ repertoire, playing chamber
music, or directing his own
large-scale compositions. Adam
has performed on some of the
world's finest concert platforms
including Wigmore Hall, Royal
Albert Hall, Altes Rathaus Vienna,
Schoenberg Saal Austria, and
continues to teach piano at
Durham University and Newcastle
University where he enjoys giving
masterclasses and performances.
In 2008, he completed a master's
degree in Conducting at the
RNCM under the direction of Sir
Mark Elder C.B.E and was awarded
- the Ricordi Operatic Conducting
their production of Wo die wilder
Kerle wohnen by Oliver Knussen.
Knussen previously described
Adam as giving a "performance of
extraordinary detail” (2009). Adam
was also recently shortlisted for
a Grammy for "A Phoenix Rising"
album with tenor
Brian Smith
Walters.
f
Violin 1
Viola
Clarinet
Hannah Perowne
Virginia Slater
Richard Russell
(Leader)
Polly Wiltshire
Massimo di Trolio
Juliet Hughes-Rees
Catarina Silva
Erik Chapman
Wei Wei Tan
Gillon Cameron
Horn
Richard Steggall
Naomi Rump
Cello
Nikki Gleed
Rebecca Jordan
Ruth O'Reilly
Greg Duggan
Trumpet
Celine Barry
Ryan Quigley
Angela Jung
Double Bass
Timpani
Rachel Steadman
Frances Emery
Keith Price
Flute
Percussion
Dan Watts
George English
Violin 2
Suzannah Quirke
Hazel Correa
Charis Sykesud
Mary Owen
Piano & Organ
lan Tindale
26
Performer
Dame Sarah Connolly
Sarah Connolly was made a DBE in
the 2017 Birthday Honours, having
Tippett's A Child of our Time
previously been awarded a CBE
Orchestra/Sir Andrew Davis;
with the Royal Scottish National
in the 2010 New Year Honours. In
Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius
with the Finnish Radio Symphony
2020 she was made an Honorary
Member of the Royal Philharmonic
Society in recognition of her
Orchestra/Nicholas Collon and
orchestral songs by Alma Mahler-
outstanding services to music.
Werfel with the BBC Philharmonic
Orchestra/John Storgards. She
She has sung at the Aldeburgh,
Edinburgh, Lucerne, Salzburg and
gives recitals at London's Wigmore
Hall, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw,
Seville's Espacio Turina, for the
Tanglewood Festivals and the
BBC Proms where, in 2009, she
Fundacid Victoria de los Angeles in
was a soloist at the Last Night.
Barcelona and at the Leeds Lieder
Opera engagements have taken
Festival with Joseph Middleton
and at the Oxford Lieder Festival
her around the world from the
Metropolitan Opera to the Royal
with Dame Imogen Cooper. In
the opera house she returns to
Opera House, the Paris Opera,
La Scala Milan, the Vienna and
Munich State Operas and the
the Dutch National Opera as
Jocaste in Stravinsky's Oedipus
Bayreuth, Glyndebourne and
Aix-en-Provence Festivals.
Rex and creates the role of the
eponymous heroine Zarqa in the
world premiere of Lee Bradshaw's
Highlights in her 2023/24 season
include Mendelssohn's Elijah with
new opera Zarqa al-Yamama for
the Arabia Opera in Riyadh.
the LSO/Sir Antonio Pappano:
27
Performer
Jeremy Backhouse
Vivace Chorus Conductor
Jeremy Backhouse is one of
Britain's leading choral conductors.
He has worked with a number
of the country's leading choirs,
including the BBC Singers, the
London Symphony Chorus, the
Philharmonia Chorus, and the
Brighton Festival Chorus.
Jeremy has been Music Director
of Vivace Chorus since 1995,
where he has conducted both
the traditional repertoire, and
ambitious choral programmes,
including Howells' Hymnus Paradisi,
Szymanowski's Stabat Mater,
Mahler's Resurrection Symphony,
and Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky
and Ivan the Terrible. He has
twice conducted the choir at the
Royal Albert Hall with the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra: first with
Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand
and then Verdi's Requiem.
The choir also gave the world
premiere performance of its
commission by Francis Pott, Cantus
Maris, at the Royal Festival Hall
with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Vivace Chorus is known for its
imaginative concerts, including
A Night at the Opera, The Best
of Broadway, All the World's a
Stage, Duke Ellington's Sacred
Concert and David Fanshawe's
African Sanctus. The choir regularly
involves actors, dancers and
other artists in its programmes.
Jeremy has also been the sole
conductor of the internationallyrenowned chamber choir, Vasari
Singers, since its inception in
1980. Winners of the prestigious
Choir of the Year competition
in 1988, the choir has since
performed regularly at major
concert venues and cathedrals
throughout the UK and abroad.
Vivace Chorus
Jeremy Backhouse Music Director
Francis Pott Accompanist
Peter Norman Chairman
Vivace Chorus is a flourishing,
ambitious and adventurous choir
based in Guildford, Surrey. They
enjoy singing traditional choral
classics alongside the challenge
of contemporary and newlycommissioned music - there's
something for everyone at Vivace!
The choir began in 1946 as the
Guildford Philharmonic Choir and
was rebranded as Vivace Chorus
in 2005. They have an enviable
reputation for performing first-
class concerts across a wide
range of musical repertoire.
Particular successes include a
sell-out performance in May 2011
of Mahler's Symphony No._8,
“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 they
performed th
In 2017 they celebrated their 70th
birthday with the Philharmonia
Orchestra in the Royal Festival
Hall and 2018 saw a sell-out
performance at G Live Guildford
for their "Concert for Peace".
Just before the first Covid
lockdown, they performed the
incredible African Sanctus by David
Fanshawe, complete with the
dancers of the Mighty Zulu Nation
Theatre Company, enthusiastically
wielding their assegais.
Vivace thrives under the
exceptional leadership of their
conductor, Jeremy Backhouse.
Jeremy's passion for choral
music and his sheer enthusiasm
for music-making are evident at
every rehearsal and performance.
He is supported by Francis
Pott, who is is an academic
and composer of international
repute and an accomplished
concert pianist - who better to
accompany their rehearsals?
They have also enjoyed successful
European and UK tours, including
trips to France, Italy, Germany,
Austria, the Baltic states and,
most recently, northern Spain.
Ryan Quigley is an award-winning
jazz lead trumpet player and
an in-demand studio musician,
composer, arranger and educator.
His recent recording and touring
work includes dates with Quincy
Jones, Ron Carter, Aretha Franklin,
Harry Connick Jr, George Michael,
Gregory Porter, Beverley Knight,
and Sir Tom Jones, and as a lead
and guest principal trumpeter,
he has appeared with the
Grammy-winning Metropole
Orkest, the Halle Orchestra, the
Berlin Staatskapelle, the Royal
Northern Sinfonia, the BBC
Scottish Symphony Orchestra,
the RTE Concert and Symphony
Orchestras, and the BBC Big Band.
On leaving school, Quigley
studied classical trumpet with
John Gracie, the long-time Royal
Scottish National Orchestra
player, at the then Royal Scottish
Academy of Music and Drama
(now the Royal Conservatoire of
Scotland), a period that proved
invaluable when he moved into
the session and orchestral scene.
In 2000, he joined the Scottish
National Jazz Orchestra, playing
concerts and touring over the
next thirteen years with leading
American musicians including
saxophonist Joe Lovano and
guitarist John Scofield and
recording with Norwegian bass
master Arild Andersen, vocalist
Kurt Elling, saxophonists Donny
McCaslin and Dave Liebman
and vibraphone virtuoso Joe
Locke, among others.
Having led his own big band
featuring his own arrangements
of Beatles favourites and his
recreation of the Grammywinning Ella and Louis, Porgy
and Bess recording for the RTE
concert orchestra, Quigley
is currently concentrating
between session work, on writing
string arrangements of Great
American Songbook standards
inspired by his Clifford Brown
with strings experience.
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December 2024 for
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Concert 2024
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