Summer Music 2023 details now out!

We’re very pleased to reveal this morning the full programme events coming as part of this year’s Summer Music Week, our annual, fizzing farewell to another musical year at the University.

Gala concert with Chorus and Symphony Orchestra in the concert-hall

From Friday 2 to Saturday 10 June, from the evocative Crypt of Canterbury Cathedral to a sunshine-drenched (we hope, anyway…!) seaside trip for swing and showtunes at Deal Bandstand, this year’s festival presents eight days of music-making, featuring many of our ensembles, scholars and staff.

Ian Swatman conducting the Concert Band

Launching with the Chamber Choir, Minerva Voices and Consort and solo flautists in the Crypt and concluding with the annual Saturday Gala with Chorus and Orchestra filled with opera choruses, orchestral dazzle and student soloists, this year also sees two recitals by Music Scholars and Award Holders, the roof-raising gala farewell from the Concert and Big Bands, and the Community choir in an informal lunchtime pop-tastic event.

See all that’s to come online here (or pop into Colyer-Fergusson and grab a brochure once term starts), and make sure you’re a part of it as we say farewell with a flourish to another great musical year. See you there…

Members of University Chorus in the summer gala

Premiere of new commission by Cecilian Choir and Consort

Congratulations to all the members of the University Cecilian Choir and Consort on last Friday’s night’s premiere of the new commission piece by Russell Hepplewhite.

The combination of words, music and images brought the new setting of the Magnificat, in which the sacred text was interspersed by new poetry by Nancy Gaffield, to vivid life. The Choir and strings, comprising students and staff from across the University, came together in vibrant form to deliver an accomplished performance of a brand-new work, always a  challenge and especially in front of a live audience including both composer and poet!

If you missed it, the piece will be performed again on Friday 9 June as part of this year’s Summer Music Week, our annual music festival bringing the musical year to a close.

Image Gallery part II; Chorus and Orchestra by Molly Hollman

Huge gratitude to percussionist and award-winning photographer Molly Hollman, who, went not diligently playing percussion in the orchestra on Saturday, took time during the rehearsal at Canterbury Cathedral to capture the atmosphere of the moment in these fabulous photographs.

Pictured here are University Chorus and Orchestra in action, rehearsing Requiem for the Living by Dan Forrest, ahead of a marvellous performance later that night.

Our thanks to Molly for permission to share these fantastic shots; all this and playing percussion too…!

Image Gallery: Chorus and Orchestra at the Cathedral

Last weekend saw the University Chorus and Orchestra come together for a blazing concert of Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony and Dan Forrest’s epic Requiem for the Living, for the annual Colyer-Fergusson Cathedral Concert.

Here are photos of the combined forces in action rehearsing on the morning of the concert.

Images © Chris Wenham / University of Kent

You know someone great has gone: in memoriam Wayne Shorter

Tremendously sad to hear of the passing of Jazz Giant, legendary saxophonist Wayne Shorter, at the age of 89. whether as side-man in the Second Great Miles Davis Quintet, co-founder of  fusion giants Weather Report, working with Joni Mitchell, or forging his own solo albums such as Speak No Evil and Maiden Voyage, Shorter’s unique sound has been creating new paths in jazz since the 60s. Songs like ‘Footprints’ have become popular jazz standards, or another Shorter original,  the achingly lyrical ‘Infant Eyes’ from Speak No Evil;

Here’s Shorter weaving his unique magic alongside Joni Mitchell on the latter’s Mingus in Mingus’ own ‘Goodbye Pork Pie Hat:’

Listen to his heart-breakingly beautiful, lyrical playing on Miles’ timeless album In a Silent Way:

or his fiercely inventive sound on ‘Havona’ from Heavy Weather this weekend to commemorate a true Jazz Giant.

As Joni said, ‘You know someone great has gone…’

 

String Sinfonia at Faversham with John Woolrich

Congratulations to the University String Sinfonia, who on Saturday headed to the Market Town of Kings, to perform at St Mary’s, Faversham, as part of the Coffee Concert series.

Directed by Floriane Peycelon, the players gave a spirited reading of Arensky’s Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky (a theme most often heard in the carol ‘A Crown of Roses’), followed by a performance of John Woolrich’s evocative Ulysses Wakes, featuring postgraduate Music Performance Scholar reading Chemistry, Kira Hilton, as soloist.

Music PErformance Scholar and Chemistry postgraduate, Kira Hilton, and composer John Woolrich after the concert

Woolrich’s hushed, agile responses to Monteverdi cast a shimmering spell as it lifted into the church’s generous acoustic, and the composer, who was present for the performance, talked before the piece about his music and the spirit behind his reimagining music of the past.

The String Sinfonia is back in action on Friday 31 March in Colyer-Fergusson Hall; more details here.

New music: rehearsing with Russell Hepplewhite

As part of the continuing ten-year anniversary of Colyer-Fergusson, the Music department continues to explore new musical frontiers in commissioning a piece from composer Russell Hepplewhite; an innovative take on the Magnificat, written for the University Cecilian Choir and string orchestra.

Bringing the Song of Mary together with new poetry by Nancy Gaffield, Emeritus Professor in the School of Creative Writing, the choir has been working on the piece in rehearsals, and we were delighted to welcome the composer to the concert-hall this week as the choir worked together with Russell.

It’s always a nervous experience to rehearse a piece with the composer present, but there was a tremendous rapport between the choir of students and staff and Russell, as the group continued to develop the piece with direct Composer Input.  Heroically, Russell volunteered to be the repetiteur for the rehearsal, and choir, composer and poet spent a lively session bringing the piece to life.

Before the rehearsal, Russell and Your Loyal Correspondent filmed a conversation about the commission, about the process of writing a piece that combines a well-known sacred text with contemporary poetry, and techniques of writing for voices and strings – the interview will appear soon!

Pictured are Russell and Nancy with the Cecilian Choir; the piece receives its premiere performance in Colyer-Fergusson on Friday 31 March; tickets here.

Minerva Voices singing at Canterbury Cathedral: watch on demand

Congratulations to Minerva Voices and organist John Wyatt, who yesterday sang Choral Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral. Conducted by Your Loyal Correspondent, the choir presented contemporary settings by Jeremy Woodside and Justin Breame as part of the music sung during the service.

The service was livestreamed on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel, and can be viewed below:

(The choir begins processing in just after the four-minute mark)

Well done to all the students involved; the Choir will be in action again at the start of June, singing as part of the choral concert in the Cathedral Crypt on Friday 2 June as part of Summer Music Week.