Oxford Bach Choir

The Oxford Bach Choir is an amateur choir based in Oxford, England. Founded by Basil Harwood in 1896 to further the music of J.S. Bach in Oxford, the Choir merged in 1905 with the Oxford Choral & Philharmonic Society, whose origins can be traced back to 1819. Oxford Bach Choir therefore has a choral tradition which extends back almost two centuries. The Choir performs in the Sheldonian Theatre (designed by Sir Christopher Wren) in central Oxford.

Overview

The Oxford Bach Choir is a large mixed-voice choir, with around 160 members. The range of music covered is diverse, from the works of Bach and the classical repertoire to contemporary works. Oxford Bach Choir has always had a mix of town and gown singers. Rehearsals and concerts are scheduled so that students, academics and professionals are all able to participate in the Choir's programmes. The Choir enjoys good relationships both with Oxford colleges and with businesses in the city. New members, drawn from throughout Oxfordshire, are encouraged at the start of every season.^{[citation needed]}

Oxford Bach Choir gives at least four concerts every season at the end of each academic term, in December, March and June, occasions that attract audiences of around 800 people.^{[citation needed]} For the main programmes in December and March the Choir is accompanied by top professional orchestras, such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Mozart Players and the Britten Sinfonia, and sings under the conductorship of Nicholas Cleobury, who is a champion of new musichaving given over a hundred premieres.^{[citation needed]} In June and at Christmas, the Choir performs under the baton of its Associate Conductor, Timothy Byram-Wigfield, who is Director of Music at St George's Chapel, Windsor, with a career as an organist, pianist and singer.

Concerts by the Oxford Bach Choir are sometimes recorded.^[1]

Notable members

Frederick Geoffrey Lawrence QC – lawyer who successfully defended suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams in 1957.^[2]

Past concerts

The following concerts have been held:^{[citation needed]}

Date	Title	Venue
16 June 2012 – 19:30	Rheinberger – Mass in E flat major and Brahms – German Requiem	Sheldonian Theatre
24 March 2012 – 19:00	Bach – St Matthew Passion	St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
0 March 2012 – 19:30	Mozart Requiem and Haydn Theresienmesse	Sheldonian Theatre
17 December 2011 – 19:30	Carol Concert – 2011	Sheldonian Theatre
3 December 2011 – 19:30	Bach Programme	Sheldonian Theatre
25 June 2011 – 19:30	Monteverdi: Vespers	Sheldonian Theatre
16 April 2011 – 19:00	Bach – St Matthew Passion	Sheldonian Theatre
12 March 2011 – 19:30	Fauré: Requiem and MacMillan: Seven Last Words from the Cross	Sheldonian Theatre
4 December 2010 – 19:30	Haydn: The Creation	Sheldonian Theatre
19 June 2010 – 19:30	Handel: Dixit Dominus	Sheldonian Theatre
16 March 2010 – 19:30	Chilcott, Beethoven (London)	Cadogan Hall, London
13 March 2010 – 19:30	Chilcott-world premiere, Beethoven	Sheldonian Theatre
19 December 2009 – 19:30	Carols for All – 2009	Sheldonian Theatre
5 December 2009 – 19:30	Mendelssohn: Elijah	Sheldonian Theatre
20 June 2009 – 19:30	Showboat (concert performance) by Kern & Hammerstein and a medley of songs by Gershwin	Sheldonian Theatre
17 April 2009 – 19:30	Sweet Harmony – Gounod, Vaughan Williams, Fauré	Sheldonian Theatre
14 March 2009 – 19:30	Bach: Mass in B Minor	Sheldonian Theatre
19 December 2008 – 19:30	Carol Concert	Sheldonian Theatre
6 December 2008 – 19:30	Visions of the Beyond – Vaughan Williams, Parry, Holst	Sheldonian Theatre
14 June 2008 – 19:30	Bernstein, Chilcott, Lauridsen	Sheldonian Theatre
14 March 2008 – 19:30	Handel's Messiah	Sheldonian Theatre
15 December 2007 – 19:30	Carols for All	Sheldonian Theatre
1 December 2007 – 19:30	Elgar's The Kingdom	Sheldonian Theatre
16 June 2007 – 19:30	Sacred and Profane – Vaughan Williams, Ariel Ramirez, Stanford, Constant Lambert	Sheldonian Theatre
14 April 2007 (All day)	Schubert in Göttingen	Göttingen: St.-Paulus-Kirche
10 March 2007 – 19:30	Mozart Concert	Sheldonian Theatre
19 December 2006 – 19:30	Carols for all	Sheldonian Theatre
2 December 2006 – 19:30	Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem	Sheldonian Theatre
23 October 2006 (All day)	David Owen Norris: Prayerbook (world premiere)	Dorchester Abbey
17 June 2006 – 19:30	Rachmaninov: All-Night Vigil (Vespers)	Sheldonian Theatre
11 March 2006 – 19:30	J. S. Bach: St John Passion	Sheldonian Theatre
16 December 2005 – 19:30	Carols for choir and audience	Sheldonian Theatre
3 December 2005 – 19:30	Puccini and Verdi	Sheldonian Theatre
24 September 2005 (All day)	Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ	Dorchester Abbey
18 June 2005 – 19:30	Bach, Vaughan-Williams, Maxwell Davies and Elgar	Sheldonian Theatre
12 March 2005 – 19:30	Tippett: A Child of Our Time	Sheldonian Theatre
17 December 2004 – 19:30	Carols for choir and audience	Sheldonian Theatre
4 December 2004 – 19:30	Bach's Magnificat and Haydn's Nelson Mass	Sheldonian Theatre
19 June 2004 – 19:30	Janáček and Dvořák	Sheldonian Theatre
13 March 2004 – 19:30	Bruckner Mass in E minor	Sheldonian Theatre

References

^ "Britten 100: Oxford Bach Choir – Poulenc, Britten". BBC Radio 3. BBC. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
^ Rubin, G. R. (2004). "'Lawrence, Sir (Frederick) Geoffrey (1902–1967)'". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/34436. Retrieved 13 May 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)

External links

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[1] "Britten 100: Oxford Bach Choir – Poulenc, Britten". BBC Radio 3. BBC. Retrieved 5 May 2016.

[2] Rubin, G. R. (2004). "'Lawrence, Sir (Frederick) Geoffrey (1902–1967)'". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/34436. Retrieved 13 May 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)

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