Newcastle Sings is a youth choir project for secondary-school aged young people at the heart of the activity programme. Running initially on a pilot basis, the choir came together for the first time in April 2022 and then participated in workshops and weekly rehearsals which led to this showcase event at Kings Hall at Newcastle University.The concert featured the premiere of a new work by Joanna Ward (directed by Thomas Edney) and a performance of The Dream of the River by Will Todd. This was originally commissioned by Newcastle Choral Society for their Jubilee Concert in Sage Gateshead in 2014.Newcastle Choral Society with their Musical Director Mark Anyan were delighted to collaborate with NYCP, part of Newcastle Sings, in their Showcase Concert.Mark Anyan in his role as General Manager of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain provided support in the setting up of this youth choir project.‘The Newcastle Youth Choir Project (NYCP) is designed to be open-access and inclusive, with the central aim of offering high quality opportunities to young singers across the city and beyond. With Covid-recovery in mind, our aim is to get young people back to singing and making music together and to give them the opportunity to work with exciting and vibrant choral practitioners.‘Members of the youth choir will be invited to work with Music Partnership North to shape the future direction of choral and vocal activities for children and young people in Newcastle.Newcastle Sings has been created by Music Partnership North, Newcastlein collaboration with Newcastle University Music Department.Supported with Arts Council...
Newcastle Choral Society, Conductor Mark Anyan, and Hertfordshire Chorus, with their Conductor David Temple, joined forces for an epic performance at Sage Gateshead on Sunday 1st May 2022 at 3pm. Postponed twice due to the pandemic, this was 3rd time lucky! The concert featured Vaughan Williams ‘A Sea Symphony’ conducted by David Temple, which we were delighted to perform in the year celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the composers birth. The concert also featured the northern premiere of the critically acclaimed ‘Codebreaker’ written by James McCarthy and commissioned by Hertfordshire Chorus and conducted by Mark Anyan. This charts the life of Alan Turing famous for breaking the German Enigma code during WW2 Soloists were Ruth Jenkins-Róbertsson sopranoDominic Sedgwick baritoneOrchestra North East James McCarthy takes a bow as composer of Codebreaker alongside Mark Anyan and Soprano Ruth Jenkins-Róbertsson with Orchestra North EastHertfordshire Chorus and Newcastle Choral SocietyPhotography Steve...
Newcastle Choral Society, Conductor Mark Anyan, and Hertfordshire Chorus, with their Conductor David Temple, are joining forces for an epic performance at Sage Gateshead on Sunday 1st May 2022 at 3pm. Postponed twice due to the pandemic, this is 3rd time lucky! The concert features Vaughan Williams ‘A Sea Symphony’ which we are delighted to perform in the year celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the composers birth. The concert also features the northern premiere of the critically acclaimed ‘Codebreaker’ written by James McCarthy and commissioned by Hertfordshire Chorus. This charts the life of Alan Turing famous for breaking the German Enigma code during WW2 Ruth Jenkins-Robertsson soprano Dominic Sedgwick bass Orchestra North East Tickets £25, £20, £5 (under 18s and students) Box Office 0191 4434661 boxoffice@gateshead.com If you are a friend or supporter of Newcastle Choral Society, please choose the tickets with the NCS prefix when ordering online or mention NCS at the Box Office We are grateful from support from Sir James Knott Trust and Hadrian...
#Bring back my Choir #Bring back my Band This is a major campaign launched by Making Music. Working on behalf of amateur musicians in the UK, they are extremely proactive in representations to Government for a route back to performance. ‘Government guidance on reopening the performing arts published on 9 July has caused widespread disappointment, prohibiting amateur groups or groups with amateur participants – unlike professionals – to play or sing together, except in the numbers of people currently allowed to meet in public. It goes further to say that singing and playing wind and brass instruments isn’t even allowed in those numbers. The guidance (England only) will only be reviewed when the results of just commissioned research into droplet and aerosol transmission of Covid-19 are available. The devolved administrations are expected to issue similar guidance shortly (Wales: this week, Scotland: next two weeks, NI: n/a). Many groups, before the guidance came out, were looking forward to meeting again, even with strict risk management measures, and were already hard at work creating a new normal, just as pubs, hairdressers and gyms are doing – considering small sectionals outside, inventing new ways of making music together in socially distanced ways, planning some sort of future. Now, not even groups of 6 outside are permitted if you are singers or wind or brass players; and still only groups of 6 outside if you play anything else. There is no explanation why amateurs are being treated differently to professionals in this guidance.’ Extract from Making Music’s campaign. The music industry is currently being significantly supported by amateur musicians. Newcastle Choral Society along with many other local choirs, employs freelance professional music teachers, many professional singers, pays rent and purchases performance materials, as well as hiring concert halls and other venues. So until things change significantly, we must rely on our Zoom sessions on Monday nights. We had a surprise guest recently! Will Todd popped into give us a quick run through of Benedictus from his Mass In Blue. What a treat! Our great achievement this year while in Lockdown was our 2 videos released on YouTube https://youtu.be/BWrFwA-0dEs and https://youtu.be/TxbOUeBSiGs Views exceeded 3000 over the 2 clips. Members of NCS and the Hertfordshire Chorus sang excerpts from James McCarthy’s Codebreaker which we would have sung in Sage Gateshead on 3.5.20 but now rescheduled for 16.5.21. All fingers crossed for that performance. The second video released on the day of VE75, featured footage of the ‘Forces sweetheart’ Vera Lynn who died recently aged 103! Poignant wartime images as a backdrop to the hauntingly beautiful ‘Sing me at Morn’. Both videos featured recently on Star & Shadow Radio(https://www.starandshadow.org.uk) Star & Shadow Cinema is an entirely volunteer run community arts organisation supporting local artists, minority groups and...
Newcastle Choral Society Musical Director Mark Anyan Mozart Requiem and Vivaldi Beatus Vir Bethany Partridge: Soprano Sarah Lucy Penny: Alto Richard Pinkstone: Tenor Greg Link: Bass Orchestra North East Saturday 1 February 2020, 7.30pm BANQUETING SUITE, NEWCASTLE CIVIC CENTRE We were very proud of this (almost) sell out concert! Super soloists, powerful Orchestra North East and masterful Mark Anyan driving us on to give a really exhilarating performance. Lots of great comments from the orchestra ‘brilliant’, our regular audience members ‘world class singing’, and those new to NCS. ...
Newcastle Choral Society, Conductor Mark Anyan, and Hertfordshire Chorus, with their Conductor David Temple, joined forces for an epic performance at Sage Gateshead on Sunday 1st May 2022 at 3pm. Postponed twice due to the pandemic, this was 3rd time lucky! The concert featured Vaughan Williams ‘A Sea Symphony’ conducted by David Temple, which we were delighted to perform in the year celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the composers birth. The concert also featured the northern premiere of the critically acclaimed ‘Codebreaker’ written by James McCarthy and commissioned by Hertfordshire Chorus and conducted by Mark Anyan. This charts the life of Alan Turing famous for breaking the German Enigma code during WW2
Soloists were
Ruth Jenkins-Róbertsson soprano
Dominic Sedgwick baritone
Orchestra North East
Newcastle Choral Society, Conductor Mark Anyan, and Hertfordshire Chorus, with their Conductor David Temple, are joining forces for an epic performance at Sage Gateshead on Sunday 1st May 2022 at 3pm. Postponed twice due to the pandemic, this is 3rd time lucky! The concert features Vaughan Williams ‘A Sea Symphony’ which we are delighted to perform in the year celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the composers birth. The concert also features the northern premiere of the critically acclaimed ‘Codebreaker’ written by James McCarthy and commissioned by Hertfordshire Chorus. This charts the life of Alan Turing famous for breaking the German Enigma code during WW2
Ruth Jenkins-Robertsson soprano
Dominic Sedgwick bass
Tickets £25, £20, £5 (under 18s and students)
Box Office 0191 4434661
boxoffice@gateshead.com
If you are a friend or supporter of Newcastle Choral Society, please choose the tickets with the NCS prefix when ordering online or mention NCS at the Box Office
We are grateful from support from Sir James Knott Trust and Hadrian Trust
Our compilation of seasonal images and happier times singing together replaces what would usually flag up our upcoming concert. Not so, at least not in person, a YouTube virtual offering is in hand and Live streaming is on the cards for 2021.
What a year for NCS and so many other choirs! We were thrilled to resume live rehearsals in September and managed 7 sessions in accordance with the Government guidance, before restrictions set in and we reverted to weekly Zoom sessions. Nothing can compare to singing alongside others, even whilst wearing a face covering, so we hope for better things in 2021.
In the meantime NCS wishes our supporters as good a Festive time as is possible. Keep safe and we hope to see you in 2021.
#Bring back my Choir #Bring back my Band
This is a major campaign launched by Making Music. Working on behalf of amateur musicians in the UK, they are extremely proactive in representations to Government for a route back to performance.
‘Government guidance on reopening the performing arts published on 9 July has caused widespread disappointment, prohibiting amateur groups or groups with amateur participants – unlike professionals – to play or sing together, except in the numbers of people currently allowed to meet in public.
It goes further to say that singing and playing wind and brass instruments isn’t even allowed in those numbers.
The guidance (England only) will only be reviewed when the results of just commissioned research into droplet and aerosol transmission of Covid-19 are available. The devolved administrations are expected to issue similar guidance shortly (Wales: this week, Scotland: next two weeks, NI: n/a).
Many groups, before the guidance came out, were looking forward to meeting again, even with strict risk management measures, and were already hard at work creating a new normal, just as pubs, hairdressers and gyms are doing – considering small sectionals outside, inventing new ways of making music together in socially distanced ways, planning some sort of future. Now, not even groups of 6 outside are permitted if you are singers or wind or brass players; and still only groups of 6 outside if you play anything else.
There is no explanation why amateurs are being treated differently to professionals in this guidance.’ Extract from Making Music’s campaign.
The music industry is currently being significantly supported by amateur musicians. Newcastle Choral Society along with many other local choirs, employs freelance professional music teachers, many professional singers, pays rent and purchases performance materials, as well as hiring concert halls and other venues.
So 
until things change significantly, we must rely on our Zoom sessions on Monday nights. 
We had a surprise guest recently! Will Todd popped into give us a quick run through of Benedictus from his Mass In Blue. What a treat!
Our great achievement this year while in Lockdown was our 2 videos released on YouTube https://youtu.be/BWrFwA-0dEs and https://youtu.be/TxbOUeBSiGs Views exceeded 3000 over the 2 clips. Members of NCS and the Hertfordshire Chorus sang excerpts from James McCarthy’s Codebreaker which we would have sung in Sage Gateshead on 3.5.20 but now rescheduled for 16.5.21. All fingers crossed for that performance.
The second video released on the day of VE75, featured footage of the ‘Forces sweetheart’ Vera Lynn who died recently aged 103! Poignant wartime images as a backdrop to the hauntingly beautiful ‘Sing me at Morn’.
Both videos featured recently on Star & Shadow Radio(https://www.
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Newcastle Choral Society
Musical Director Mark Anyan
Mozart Requiem and Vivaldi Beatus Vir
Bethany Partridge: Soprano
Sarah Lucy Penny: Alto
Richard Pinkstone: Tenor
Greg Link: Bass
Saturday 1 February 2020, 7.30pm
BANQUETING SUITE, NEWCASTLE CIVIC CENTRE
We were very proud of this (almost) sell out concert! Super soloists, powerful Orchestra North East and masterful Mark Anyan driving us on to give a really exhilarating performance. Lots of great comments from the orchestra ‘brilliant’, our regular audience members ‘world class singing’, and those new to NCS.
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Our festive offering this year was in Trinity Church Gosforth on Saturday 7th December 2019:
Christmas at Home and Away
Musical Director Mark Anyan
Special Guests : Mouthful
The exciting 4-piece a Cappella vocal group who gave us 2 sets of really unusual and exciting singing!
Warren Smith accompanied us in style on the magnificent organ and piano. He had his own solo spot playing Toccata by Georgi Mushel
Lucy Anyan, the 8 year old daughter of Musical Director Mark Anyan, sang the treble solo for the first verse of Once in Royal David’s City. Lucy was very confident and sang beautifully!
Mark and Lucy Anyan with Warren Smith
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Roderick Williams Baritone
BRITTEN ‘WAR REQUIEM’
Newcastle Choral Society (NCS) was delighted to be the guest choir of Cleveland Philharmonic Choir (CPC), along with Northern Spirit Singers for this magnificent performance held in Sage One on Saturday 10th November 2018.
We joined the Choristers of Durham Cathedral and St Peter’s Church Stockton, Cleveland Philharmonic Junior Choir, and the Mowbray Orchestra. The acclaimed soloists were the magnificent baritone Roderick Williams, his voice deemed by an audience member to be ‘like melted chocolate’ wonderfully expressive tenor Mark Padmore and thrilling soprano Rachel Nicholls who sat amongst the choir. The Conductors were led by the commanding John Forsyth MBE, Gary Matthewman, and Daniel Cook, Master of the Choristers, Durham Cathedral. The details of the concert can be viewed here
A wonderful evening and a thrill to perform alongside CPC!
We sang to a hugely appreciative audience totalling 1111 and received rapturous applause as well as many post concert plaudits!
…“fantastic, marvellous performance, most impressive, never boring. Well done!
...Astonishing’ ‘Astounding’’ A triumph’ ‘Magnificent’…
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