Oldham Choir Summer Concert to span 800 years of music at St Chads

st chads
St Chads Church, Uppermill

A SPECIAL Summer Concert by Oldham Choir will have a unique twist when it is performed at an ancient church in Uppermill on Sunday, July 12 ay 7.30pm.

Because the concert at St Chads will be an integral part of celebrating 800 years of worship on the site of the present church.

The audience will hear music spanning the centuries including early church music, secular music and madrigals from 14th and 15th century.

There will be pieces from the Baroque and Classical periods, moving through the Romantic period to 20th century and music written in the past twenty years.

Gail Randall, a local composer, has written a special “Psalm for St Chad” scored for choir, organ and handbells, which was first performed in March at a Eucharist to launch the 800th celebrations.

The guest soloist is Saddleworth-born flautist Clare Jefferis, who studied at the Royal College of Music graduating with first class honours.

She has worked with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Halle Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra, Opera North and Manchester Camerata.

Her awards have included the Malcolm Arnold Concerto Competition Prize, the Solti Foundation Award and the Ian Fleming Award.

Her concert programme will be Sonata for Flute (Poulenc), Fujiko (Andy Scott), Sunstreams (Ian Clarke) and Danny Boy (arr. Gareth McLearnon).

And there will be songs from the Oldham Choir, which was formed in the 1960s by James Wild the first Music Advisor for Oldham as the Oldham Youth Choir.

Over the years the choir continued to meet on a weekly basis and there are currently 48 members conducted by Eileen Bentley.

Concert tickets are priced at £7.50 (£5 senior citizens; free admission to children under 16) available from Diggle Post Office; Uppermill Post Office; St Chad’s Parish Centre, Lee Street Uppermill; members of  the Oldham Choir; members of St Chad’s PCC. Ticket requests can also be emailed to the Team Office at: office@saddleworthteam-cofe.org.uk

 

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