Exeter Festival Chorus presents Saints and Angels with guest conductor and composer David Ogden

Kieran White tenor    Peter King organ     Cygnet Theatre Company spoken word

Saturday 23 November 2019 at 7.30pmvin St. David's Church, Exeter  Queen's Terrace, Exeter EX4 4HR

The lives and stories of saints and angels have frequently been the catalyst for artistic creativity.

Exeter Festival Chorus autumn concert gathers together music and words inspired by these mystical beings. We celebrate the life of St Cecilia, the patron saint of music, with compositions by Herbert Howells, Benjamin Britten and Gerald Finzi. William Harris, Eric Whitacre, Judith Weir and our guest conductor, David Ogden, invoke other inhabitants of ‘the realms of glory.’ 

This November you will have a unique chance to see a musical master at work. David Ogden has conducted over 100 large-scale choral works and, for nearly 30 years, has worked in many fields of music-making from concerts and opera to community projects. He has made 15 CD recordings and directed choirs in numerous cathedrals, churches and concert halls in 16 European countries and in the USA, Philippines, and South Korea.  His compositions are performed in schools and churches worldwide with one highlight being one of his anthems performed by a 250-strong choir in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI in Washington DC in front of a congregation of 40,000. David was made a Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music in recognition of his services to church music both in this country and internationally. Currently, he conducts three choirs: Exultate Chamber Singers, City of Bristol Choir, Royal Mail Choir, and is the Head of the Bristol Choral Centre.

Performing solo with the choir, is the sought after young English Tenor, Kieran White, who’s known for his lyrical voice and powerful expression. After achieving a Masters with Distinction from the Royal Academy of Music, Kieran has gone on to perform with leading ensembles in the UK and abroad and is a tenor to watch. Exeter Festival Chorus will also be joined by Cygnet Theatre Company, who will recite short interludes of poetry from Dryden, Blake and Rossetti weaving a poetic web between the music.

This wonderful cornucopia of choral music - traditional, spiritual, contemporary and classical - combined with live spoken poetry continues Exeter Festival Chorus’ commitment to push the boundaries through an ongoing tradition of excellence. Go and get a ticket! 

Programme:

Herbert Howells: Hymn for St Cecilia, Benjamin Britten: Hymn to St Cecilia, Gerald Finzi: For St Cecilia - Ceremonial Ode
Interval
Herbert Howells: A Sequence for St Michael, William Harris: Faire is the Heaven, Eric Whitacre: Sainte-Chapelle, Judith Weir: My Guardian Angel, David Ogden: Angels from the realms of glory.