40th Anniversary Concert

We're celebrating! The City of Oxford Choir was founded in 1977 to host a visiting choir from Leiden, one of Oxford’s twinned towns. The current choir – with half of its members not yet born born in 1977 – has developed strengths in contemporary composition and in English song, and has also explored non-classical singing. For our 40th anniversary concert in The Queen’s College Chapel, we will present a number of works particularly associated with the choir and with its three principal conductors to date: Carolyn Brock, Peter Leech and Duncan Aspden.

A foray into the archives has revealed a couple of pieces often performed in the choir’s early incarnations.  The programme includes music commissioned by the choir from Bryan Kelly, Malcolm Pearce and Richard Pantcheff. There’s music of overt celebration by Henry Purcell and of quiet celebration by Randall Thompson as well as a couple of folksong arrangements which the choir has loved throughout its history.

Join us to raise a glass, or to shed a nostalgic tear… Finzi: Clear and gentle stream Gjeilo: London Sanctus Bryan Kelly: Sing we merrily (Four psalm motets) Richard Pantcheff: Phos hilaron Malcolm Pearce: maggie and milly and molly and may (always it’s Spring) Philips: Cantantibus organis Purcell: I was glad Thompson: Alleluia Vaughan Williams: Valiant-for-truth Vecchi: Canzonetta arr Chilcott: House of the rising sun; Walzing Matilda arr Erb: Shenandoah arr Scott: How can I keep from singing? arr Wilby: Marianne