Tarantara
An afternoon of wonderful Gilbert and Sullivan Choruses from some of the large number of Savoy Operas they produced. Refreshments available – in the style of the individual operas we sang choruses from!.
23rd March 2024 starting at 4pm. – Stevenage Music Centre,
Program was:
Yeoman of the Guard:
Overture – Piano Duet – Ben Ward and Graham Pointon
The Gondoliers:
List and learn, ye dainty Roses – Heather Heritage and Chorus
For the merriest fellows are we – Roger Green, Rodney Cole and Chorus
Iolanthe:
Tripping hither, tripping thither – Sheila Soothill, Emma Coates and Chorus
Loudly let the trumpets bray – Chorus
With Strephon for your foe, no doubt – Chorus
The Mikado:
If you want to know who we are – Chorus
The Sun whose rays – Christine Vincent and Sheila Soothill
Princess Ida:
Now wouldn’t you like to rule the roast – Christine Vincent and Sheila Soothill
Death to the Invader – Christine Vincent and Chorus
The long day closes – Part song by Henry F. Chorley and music by Arthur Sullivan – Chorus
The Pirates of Penzance:
With cat-like tread – Chorus
Hail Poetry – Chorus
When the foeman bears his steel – Martin Sproat, Cristine Vincent, Sheila Soothil, Tricia Clegg and Chorus
Tangerines and Tinsel
Saturday 9th December 2023 at 4pm – St. Nicholas Church
Christmas Concert for 2023. Carols old and new, a few to sing with and songs with a Christmassy theme – including one from James Bond! (Do you know how Christmas trees are grown – next time you watch the film On Her Majesties Secret Service snippets from the song appear in TWO places in the film – have a look and listen out for it next time you watch it – The full song made it to the soundtrack disc of the film theme music. The singer was Nina (of Nina and Frederick if you’re as old as I am!).
Some of the rarer Christmas songs are –
We need a little Christmas (from the Musical Mame),
The Most wonderful time of the year (written in 1963 – best known in the Andy Williams version from his first Christmas album – surprisingly enough it WASN’T released as THE single from the album but has been a single since and has become more popular over the years)
AND, of course –
The Twelve Days of Christmas (The song is traditional but the arrangement we sang is the John Rutter arrangement which is quite difficult as the timing changes between some of the verses, there are several key changes and the peak point of the song “Five Gold Rings” is different at every repeat)
In the “Did you know” department – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (the storybook) was written in In 1939 by Marks’ brother-in-law, Robert L. May, who created the character Rudolph as an assignment for Montgomery Ward, and Johnny Marks decided to adapt the story of Rudolph into a song. In 1949 the song was published, recorded by Gene Autry and released in Sept 1949. It reached number 1 at Christmas 1949 and was the first number 1 of the 1950s in the US.
Program was:
The Most wonderful time of the year – Edward Pola and George Wyle
Away in a Manger – Kirkpatrick arr. D Willcocks
While Shepherds watched -Trad, Descant by T. Ravenscroft
Coventry Carol – Trad arr. M. Shaw
Torches – John Joubert
Sparkle and Shine (Shephalbury Park Singers)
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – Johnny Marks
Carol of the bells – Music : Mykola Leontovych’s, Lyric: Peter Wilhousky
Hark the Herald Angels sing – Mendelssohn, Descant by D. WIllcocks
Christmas is coming – Trad, arr. Andy Beck
Sans Day Carol – Trad arr. John Rutter
Personent Hodie – German Trad arr. Gustav Holst
Do you know how Christmas trees are grown? – Hal David and John Barry
Feliz Navidad (Shephalbury Park Singers)
We Need a little Christmas – Jerry Hermann
A New Year Carol – Benjamin Britten
The Twelve Days of Christmas – Trad arr. John Rutter
(Encore) We wish you a merry Christmas – Trad
Open evening - Monday 16th October 2023
We invited everybody to come along and experience the fun of singing in a group, with no obligation. We had a go at some popular pieces that you may recognise or have sung before. After which we had a social evening until about 9:15, where you had a chance to meet and have a chat and a cuppa with our members.
IT’S FREE! Refreshments were available. All ages were welcome. Starting at 7.30pm at Stevenage Music Centre within Nobel School, Stevenage.
If you are thinking of joining us, this event is a good way to meet people in the choir before you join. Find out more why Singing is Good for You!
Summer Concert - Enchanted Evening
Saturday 8th July 2023 at 7:30 pm – Cottered Church
Our Summer Concert was a magical collection of music from musicals and movies, so let us take you on an adventure!
This concert was organised in conjunction with Cottered Church and the income was shared between the Church and Stevenage Singers.
Programme was:
Roseville Fair – Bill Staines arr. Johnathan Rathbone
Gershwin Medley – Gershwin arr. Jonathan Rathbone
Piano Piece for Four Hands – Moritz Moszkowski
{Historical Note:The composer, Moritz Moszkowski was born in Breslau, in Prussia, in 1854. Breslau is now in Poland, and called Wrocław. He died in Paris in 1925. We played Spanish Dances 1-3 from the set of five, Opus 12. They were originally written for piano duet, and so what we played was the original, not an arrangement.]
Piano played by Graham Pointon and Ben Ward.
Over the Rainbow – Arlen arr. Jonathan Rathbone
West Side Story – Bernstein/Sondheim arr. William Stickles
[INTERVAL]
South Pacific Medley – Bill Staines arr. Jonathan Rathbone
Manx Lullaby – Malcolm Pointon
Piano piece for 4 hands – The Pink Panther Theme – Henry Mancini arr. Mike Cornick
Piano played by Graham Pointon and Ben Ward.
The Best of Bond – Beatles arr. Ned Ginsburg
Love is All you need – The Beatles arr. Roger Emerson
Spring Concert - The Long and Winding Road
Saturday 25th March 2023 at 4pm – Stevenage Music Centre, Nobel School
We will be performing – for your enjoyment – a variety of music from the Beatles to ballads. You can ‘Ride on a Star’. Our concert – The Long and Winding Road, reflects our journey – it lead you to our door…
Programme was:
Roseville Fair – Bill Staines arr. Johnathan Rathbone
Of all the Birds that I do know – Bartlet
My Bonny Lass – Thomas Morley
Month of Maying – Thomas Morley
Manx Lullaby – arr. Malcolm Pointon
Scarborough Fair – arr. Johnathan Rathbone
Andaluza – Enrique Granados (piano solo by Ben)
To a Wild Rose – Edward McDowell arr. Henry Geehl
The Hippopotamus Song – Flanders and Swann
[INTERVAL]
The Lord is my Shepherd – Howard Goodall
Rule the World – Mark Owen,Gary Barlow,Jason Orange & Howard Donald arr. Jeremy Birchall
Fields of Gold – Sting arr. Jonathan Wikeley
Prelude for Piano (No. 2) – George Gershwin [from “Three preludes for Piano”] (piano solo by Ben)
59th Street Bridge Song – Paul Simon arr. Jonathan Rathbone
Love is All you need – The Beatles arr. Roger Emerson