CHORUS ANGELORUM'S FIFTH BIENNIAL CHORAL WORKSHOP

David Trendell has been College Organist and Lecturer in Music at King's since 1992. In that time he has established the chapel choir as one of the finest mixed-voice university choirs in the country. They have made several recordings in recent years of sixteenth-century music, thus tying in with Trendell's research interests. Their disc of Taverner's Missa Corona spinea was nominated for a Gramophone award in the Early Music category and their disc of music by Alonso Lobo was chosen by Gramphone reviewer, Tess Knighton, as one of her two favourite CDs of the year. More recently, they have continued their relationship with Sanctuary's Gaudeamus label by recording music by Sebastian de Vivanco and they have also recorded a disc of music for Advent with the renowned viol consort Phantasm on the Herald label. Trendell was educated as an organ scholar at Exeter College, Oxford, and, prior to his arrival at King's was Lecturer at St Hilda's, St Hugh's and Oriel Colleges. He is much in demand as a choral conductor and frequently directs choral workshops in the USA. In recent years the choir has toured the USA, France, Ireland and Italy.

 

Rupert Charlesworth was educated on a music scholarship at Blundell’s School, Devon, Rupert, aged 22, completed his BMus Honours Degree at King’s College, London, in 2008. During his time at King’s he was a choral scholar in the Chapel Choir and was accepted onto the third year auditioned advanced performance course. He received voice tuition with Professor David Lowe at the Royal Academy of Music for two years and begun tuition with Professor Philip Doghan in September 2007. He was offered a place at the Royal Academy of Music and will be starting there in September to study for a MA in Vocal Performance. To date Rupert has sung tenor solo in performances of Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in C minor, Schubert’s Mass in G, Bach’s Magnificat in D and St John Passion, Handel’s Messiah, Gounod’s St. Cecelia Mass, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, Stainer’s, Crucifixion and Beethoven’s Mass in C. In May of last year Rupert made his operatic debut as a founder member of the King’s College Opera Company, playing the role of Prince Philippe in their production of Lennox Berkeley’s A Dinner Engagement. In July 2008 he performed the UK premiere of The Sealed Angel by Rodion Shchedrin with the choir of King’s London in collaboration with the chapel choir of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge as part of the Spitalfields music festival. This was followed by a recording of The Sealed Angel which is now commercially available. Other recordings include Convocation, disc of music by Giles Swayne and new Hyperion recording of works by Philippe Rogier. Rupert is currently based in London holds a choral scholarship at All Saint Church Fulham. He is also a member of the up and coming close harmony group Six Tricks and Siglo de Oro, a chamber choir specializing in 16th century polyphony from the continent. Rupert is currently looking for sponsorship to help fund his studies.

Abi Smetham studied singing with Anne Howells at the Royal Academy of Music while working for an academic music degree at King’s College, London between 1995 and 1998. She sings for several professional vocal ensembles including Polyphony conducted by Stephen Layton, The Cambridge Singers conducted by John Rutter and the King’s Consort conducted by Robert King and appeared with them in 2006 on the soundtrack for the film ‘The Da Vinci Code’. More recently she has toured with Clare College Choir to Japan as the mezzo soprano soloist in the Mozart Requiem and was one of the soloists in a performance of the Verdi Requiem in Trinity College Chapel in Cambridge. In 2003 she began training for ordained ministry at Westcott House in Cambridge, was ordained priest of the Church of England in 2007 and is now Assistant Curate on the Manor Estates in Sheffield. In the last few years she has become the duet partner of the Bishop of Sheffield in a series of fundraising concerts!

Eloise Irving is a soprano who has recently graduated from Central School of Speech and Drama having been a choral scholar at Kings College, London. She is currently studying singing with Julie Kennard from the Royal Academy of Music and trained in voice and harp at the Guildhall School of Music. Career highlights include winning the 1998 BBC Radio 2 Choirgirl of the Year competition. This led to her appearing as a soloist in Sunday Half Hour, Good Morning Sunday, Friday Night is Music Night, Daily Service and Songs of Praise. In December, 1999, she released a CD with the BBC Concert Orchestra: “A Christmas Celebration” including her composition: “The Little Messiah” which was released as a single and performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, Fairfield Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall. In March 2001, she was soloist in a performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Requiem” with the Scottish Opera Orchestra at Caird Hall, Dundee. Most recently, she reached the final 20 in the BBC “How do you Solve a Problem like Maria?” competition, which led to her performing on BBC 1 at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sydmonton Festival. More recent engagements include performing Handel’s “Messiah” and Berlioz “L’Enfance du Christ” with Tenebrae at the Barbican Hall with the LSO, conducted by Sir Colin Davis on BBC 3. She has also appeared with Howard Goodall’s “Enchanted Voices” in a series of Sky concerts in the Westcountry and also with the Oxford Camerata at a Naxos Concert at St Johns Smith Square, the Edington Festival and at Malmesbury Abbey . She regularly performs as a soprano soloist throughout London and Sussex and her solo performances have included Purcell’s “The Faerie Queene”, Handel’s “Messiah”, Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio”, Gabriel in Haydn’s “Creation” and as a soloist in the Monteverdi Vespers with Neil Jenkins and the Sussex Chorus. She regularly sings as a soprano at St Bartholomews Smithfield, All Saints Margaret Street, St James Spanish Place and Guards Chapel. Recent recordings include 2 CDS with Oxford Camerata, 1 CD with Voces Cantabiles and 1 CD with the Chapel choir at Kings College, London. She has also recorded a variety of big band numbers for SingLive UK. Eloise also enjoys singing whilst playing the harp and has performed extensively as a singer/harpist at various weddings, corporate events and orchestral concerts, featuring a range of works including her own compositions and arrangements. She most recently appeared as an actress/harpist in Holby City.

Edward Elias started singing when he won a chorister scholarship to King's College Choir, Cambridge, at the age of seven, where he later became Head Chorister. From there he won a music scholarship to Eton College, before returning to Cambridge, first as a choral scholar at Gonville & Caius College, and then at King's College for his final year. Immediately following graduation, he was chosen to sing the Welsh national anthem at the Rugby World Cup in Australia, singing to stadia of up to 70,000 people. Now a freelance singer in London, Edward sings for a number of choirs, including St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the Temple choir. He has also performed solo and oratorio repertoire, including the role of Jesus in Bach's St John Passion in Tewkesbury Abbey. Edward has also worked with opera groups, including the Paris-based Opera Fuoco, as well as English Voices, and has just returned from touring Israel and Palestine with La Boheme. Other secular work includes recordings with the 8:15 vocal ensemble, film scores (including The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), and various close harmony groups.

 

PRESS RELEASE FOR CHORUS ANGELORUM
June 2008

In 1998, in what was to have been a “one time deal” with a Choral Residency at Ripon Cathedral in England, evolved into a remarkable chorus of eager singers whose goal was to promote and foster the most outstanding examples in the Anglican choral tradition. The Ripon Residency planted the seed for the formation of Chorus Angelorum, the name itself coming from the “In paradisum” portion of a Requiem Mass: “may a chorus of angels await you in paradise.” It seemed a most fitting name for a singing group with such high musical ideals and focus.

When one reflects upon these past ten years, the contributions made toward the originally stated goals have been both extraordinary and consistent. The local “agenda” has been to sing Choral Eucharist on the fourth Sunday of every month, offering numerous opportunities to expose the community to one of the richest choral traditions in the world. In a continuum of perhaps the very best of the contributions to choral music, only the German baroque and Italian renaissance can rival the English choral tradition, which is still very much alive and thriving in the cathedral system in England today. During this decade, Chorus Angelorum has accepted four additional residencies in England: Lincoln Cathedral, St. Mary’s Anglican Cathedral, Edinburgh, Durham Cathedral, and in 2008, Canterbury Cathedral.

Allow me to explain what a choral residency entails and how it can benefit an American choir beyond the notion of just another opportunity to vacation in England. As previously mentioned, the cathedral system in the Anglican church in England has a huge impact on choral development and opportunities within the culture. The cathedral choirs traditionally sing Choral Evensong every day of the week, with additional Matins and Holy Communion on Sundays. This spiritual rhythm has been going on in these great places for hundreds of years, well before the English Reformation in the 15th century. Each summer the cathedral choirs take a break from their duties for one-two months, and in their place, visiting choirs are invited to “fill in” while they are away. There is something, which goes beyond definition, that happens when a choir and those individual members of the organization, process down the same aisles and follow the same liturgical functions which have been taking place in the same manner, day after day, for centuries. Their sound becomes part of the layers of sound, the patina, already deposited on the stones and becomes a part of the history of the place. That sort of experience can be life-altering at the least.

In addition to these cyclical escapes to Great Britain, Chorus Angelorum has brought a bit of the English tradition to Houston by way of summer Tudor music workshops. Under the musical direction of David Trendell, music scholar, Senior Lecturer and Chapel Organist at London’s famed King’s College, four workshops have previously been offered: The Music of William Byrd, a celebration of the 500th anniversary of Thomas Tallis, a recognition of the tremendous musical contributions made during the marriage of Queen Mary Tudor and Prince Philip II of Spain, and in 2007, the music of Gibbons and Tomkins. A beneficial part of Trendell’s visit was to have a quartet of professional singers from his choir at St. Bartholomew the Great, London, accompany his, appearing in live performances on KUHF and a public concert during the workshop.

Chorus Angelorum is a 501.c3 organization receiving its operational funding from private donations. The Chorus has a membership of from 18-24 committed singers, offering the most professional experience available anywhere. Under the auspices of the William Byrd Society and in residence at Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Church-Anglican Use in Houston, the Chorus continues to sing Choral Evensong at the Church each month. The final Evensong of the season, just prior to leaving for Canterbury, will be sung on Sunday, June 29, at 4:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Walsingham.