Amici Chamber Choir

Conductor: Jeremy Haneman
Piano: Michalis Angelakis
Piano duet: Jacqueline Pott and Giles Clayton

The Amici Chamber choir gave its first concert with Jeremy Haneman as its new permanent Musical Director at Kenton Methodist Church on 27th June 2009. Celebrating American music of the 20th and 21st centuries, the programme of 12 choral items and two piano performances encompassed a wide variety of styles and genres from folksong through jazz and film music to deeply religious and mystical expressions of love and anguish.

A love song by Jerome Kern was followed by George Shearing’s light-hearted jazz settings of well-known songs from Shakespeare plays. Then the mood changed abruptly as the choir sang Morten Lauridsen’s Nocturnes: settings of sonnets in French and Spanish by Rilke and Neruda respectively, both involving complex harmonies calling for considerable accuracy and sensitivity. After a piano solo performance by Michalis Angelakis of Gershwin’s Three Preludes, the first performance of Noah Wilke’s Blundering Nature was given. Inspired by Charles Darwin’s loss of faith following the death of his daughter, this short meditation called for some unusual vocal techniques, including the use of harmonics and aleatoric movement of the parts, with each singer choosing when to move to the next note. Two pieces by Eric Whitacre (with Mary Kelleher as soloist) continued the vein of extended meditation with dynamic contrasts and harmonies also requiring a high standard of accuracy and tone control.

On a lighter note, the choir sang two Cole Porter numbers (including Night and Day) and two American folksongs arranged by Daryl Runswick: The Streets of Laredo included a moving solo by Jeremy Bryans and Frog Went a-Courtin’ saw the choir pick up cardboard tubes to use as percussion! Jacqueline Pott and Giles Clayton gave us a spirited rendition of the folk tune Shaker Melody from Appalachian Spring and the theme tune from The magnificent seven. After Ward Swingle’s Give Us This Day, a prayer for the environment, the concert concluded with selections from Porgy and Bess, providing a rousing finale.

This was one of the most demanding programmes the choir has undertaken, with its wide variety of styles and significant technical requirements and was well received by an appreciative audience.

The concert was in aid of St Luke’s Hospice (Harrow & Brent) and the choir was delighted that the event raised over £350 for the Hospice.

Night and Day: American choral music

Conductor: Jeremy Haneman

Programme to include some or all of the following: