Author Archives: vhk10

The sea will give up the dead

Posted on December 13, 2014 by vhk10

A while since our performance of the Berlioz Requiem in London but the time came round for us to revisit it in Gloucester Cathedral. The chorus were mostly the same people, and we still had the Philharmonia Orchestra, but soloist … Continue reading →

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Choir reunions

Posted on December 9, 2014 by vhk10

A couple of years ago I was part of the enjoyable 10 year reunion of the Exultate Singers. It was possible because my name had been kept on file as a former singer. Recently I’ve been finding out about my … Continue reading →

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Mozartfest 2014 (2): Padmore/Emersons/Vertavo

Posted on December 1, 2014 by vhk10

There’s been a lot of music around (what a good thing) so it’ll be a whistle-stop tour through some of the other concerts we went to. Mark Padmore has performed at the Mozartfest before, and I will soon be sharing … Continue reading →

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Mozartfest 2014 (1): Imogen Cooper and a twang from the Sitkovetskys

Posted on November 30, 2014 by vhk10

While the International Music Festival struggles, the Bath Mozartfest is thriving (and now described by its chairman as ‘Bath’s premier music festival’). Part of the reason for this is the well-established relationships with certain leading performers and groups, plus some … Continue reading →

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My Radio 3 début

Posted on November 12, 2014 by vhk10

When I sang in the last English Cathedral last year, people asked what my next ambition was. I didn’t really have a single big one, but I did have a number of other things I wanted to do, among which … Continue reading →

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Two Cardiff concert halls

Posted on November 9, 2014 by vhk10

I’ve just made the acquaintance of St. David’s Hall and BBC Hoddinott Hall for the first time (as performer, not audience). Hoddinott Hall seems to be a Cardiff equivalent of LSO St. Luke’s, only purpose-built. It is still very new, … Continue reading →

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The Oxford Lieder Festival

Posted on October 31, 2014 by vhk10

This has been going on during the last 3 weeks of October. It seems to be bucking the current trend and flourishing, with a large number of concerts, talks, masterclasses and other events. What are they doing right? What could … Continue reading →

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They shall laugh & sing

Posted on October 28, 2014 by vhk10

This is the inscription outside the new song room at Norwich Cathedral, which I visited for a weekend with the Erleigh Cantors. It was good to be somewhere with plenty of space, proper replica stalls and a decent accompanying instrument, … Continue reading →

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How to protest

Posted on October 26, 2014 by vhk10

Regular readers may recall that a couple of years ago I went to a choral concert, but left half-way through. I’d sung with the choir in a concert a few months earlier, and had hoped during the interval to re-arrange … Continue reading →

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An idea for a Bath concert hall?

Posted on October 10, 2014 by vhk10

Oxford, like Bath, lacks a purpose-built concert hall for anything larger than chamber concerts, using the Town Hall, Sheldonian Theatre and churches and chapels. This is due to change as St. Edward’s School is planning to open a concert hall … Continue reading →

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