NCS is delighted to bring you our 2022 WASSAIL Christmas Concert, free from all the restrictions that Covid brought to bear! The main piece ‘Wassail’ by Alexander L’Estrange was commissioned by United Learning’s Partnership Fund.
The original ‘Wassail’ artwork was completed by Kettering Buccleuch Academy in Northamptonshire, inspired by working with Alexander L’Estrange. Wassail / wassailing itself means many things:a drink, a cup, a dance, a celebration, carol-singing – lots of that on:
Saturday December 10th Trinity Church Gosforth
We also feature selections from Bob Chilcott’s On Christmas Night, with his own settings of familiar carol melodies in an impressive array of styles and moods. Accompaniment from Nick Butters our own talented accompanist, and our guest organist Kris Thomsett Assistant Director of Music at Newcastle Cathedral.
It’s time for Audience participation after the interval – a selection of the season’s favourites where you can join with the choir to swell the sound and be a part of the whole evening!
Adam Bushnell Storyteller adds another dimension to our concert following his first successful appearance with us in June 2018. A qualified teacher, experienced storyteller and published author, he works to inspire a love of reading and creative writing amongst children and adults alike.
Our concert is dedicated to the memory of Hazel Gowdy who died a year ago to the exact date of the concert, not long after enjoying her 80th birthday celebrations with her family. A pivotal member of the Alto section, she joined the choir in 1997, rarely missed concerts, stepping in as an accompanist and a deputy choir leader when needed. We miss her greatly.
Ticket information £15 with free programme. Free to under 18s with a paying adult (£8 for those in full time education or registered unemployed) Available online at
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/newcastle-choral-society
Card payments or cash on the door.
Or email enquiries@newcastlechoralsociety.org.uk
Interval Refreshments: £1: Mince pie and soft drink only. What’s not to like!
DIARY DATE 2023
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
#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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Our summer concert this year was held on Saturday 11 June 2016 in the Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Westgate Road; a new venue for the choir.
We were joined by some North East celebrities in an event featuring music, words, and even some dancing, from the local area and beyond.
Kevin Whately
Kitty Whately
Madelaine Newton
Will Lang and Guests
Pianist Joseph Middleton
Music by Will Todd and Will Lang along with more traditional folk music
REVIEW: The Chronicle and Journal published this fantastic review by David Whetstone: click here for review
Prior to the concert, the Chronicle and Journal also published this article with more information about the Whatelys, and the link which was uncovered between the Tyne Theatre and our Chairman! – Chronicle Live Article
Thank you to everyone involved in making this event a great success, and if you came along we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
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Our concert on Saturday 19 March 2016 featured The Creation by Haydn, and was held in the Banqueting Suite of Newcastle Civic Centre.
These fabulous soloists joined us:
Angela Hicks, Soprano
Ben Thapa, Tenor
Dominic Barberi, Bass
We were supported by our friends Orchestra North East, and our Musical Director Mark Anyan conducted.
This concert was dedicated to the memory of John Parker, loyal member of the choir who died in November 2015. A closing collection was held in aid of the Hadrian Trust, and raised over £730. The Trust is a registered charitable trust allocating grants to charities and groups working for the benefit of the people and the environment of Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and Durham, including Hartlepool, for which John acted as solicitor, trustee, correspondent and administrator for almost 40 years.
