Below you can get a flavour of the range of our programmes, season by season. You can also hear some examples of our singing on our HEAR US page.
2023/2024 Season
The Lark Ascending: Music from Nature for Choir, Cello & Violin
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The natural world has inspired composers for centuries. Few more so than Vaughan Williams, whose The Lark Ascending is one of the most enduringly popular pieces of music of all time. Paul Drayton’s expressive arrangement brings new colours (and words) to this timeless favourite. Plainscapes might well be the Latvian equivalent, its dream-like texture of wordless choir, cello and violin evoking the native birds of Peteris Vasks’ homeland.
More birds round out the programme, with Stanford’s miraculous and poised The Bluebird, in its original context of the Op. 119 folksongs, and celebrating the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death. Musical Director: James Potter Violinist: Freya Goldmark Cellist: Chris Terepin |
Saturday 22 June, 7.30pm
Downing Place United Reformed Church, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EL Saturday 29 June, 7.30pm All Saints Church, High Street, Cottenham CB24 8SA |
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Chorale, a celebration of melody For his first concert at the helm of New Cambridge Singers, James Potter has chosen a programme built around Chorales. The bedrock of much of Bach’s music and of Lutheran hymn singing, these famous and much loved tunes are not just the emotional heart of Lutheran hymn-singing, but the basis for a whole genre of glorious choral music. Bach and his contemporaries (and sons!) knew and loved these powerful songs, using them as the foundation for much of their devotional music, from the grandeur of the St Matthew Passion to smaller Cantatas. For Brahms, they were a way to connect his music to the baroque motets he so admired. Mendelssohn used one as the culmination of his Epiphany sequence describing the star above Bethlehem. Right up to the present day, English composers Philip Moore and John Rutter, and Norwegian Knut Nystedt use chorales respectively as a vehicle for prayer, a celebration of light, and a timeless meditation on the eternal. This concert will present a rich tapestry of colour which the listener will find deeply rewarding. |
Saturday 16 March, 7.30pm
St John the Evangelist Church, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8RN Saturday 23 March, 7.30pm
St Mary the Virgin Church, Church Lane, Linton, CB21 4JX Musical Director: James Potter
Organ: Will Mason |
Hallelujah!
A Christmas celebration with not just Handel's well-known setting but other music of the season set for choir, organ and audience
Tim Brown, director
Organist, Roland Robertson
Saturday 9 December 7.00pm
Church of St Peter and St Paul, Steeple Morden, Royston, SG8 0NJ
Sunday 17 December 7.00pm
St Botolph’s Church, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1QA
A Christmas celebration with not just Handel's well-known setting but other music of the season set for choir, organ and audience
Tim Brown, director
Organist, Roland Robertson
Saturday 9 December 7.00pm
Church of St Peter and St Paul, Steeple Morden, Royston, SG8 0NJ
Sunday 17 December 7.00pm
St Botolph’s Church, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1QA
Songs of Freedom
This first concert of our 2023/24 season will be directed by Tim Brown, our choir president and interim director until James Potter takes over the reins in January 2024.
The theme of this concert is Songs of Freedom and includes music that is both thoughtful and uplifting while also featuring a premiere by Chris Brown in celebration of his 80th Birthday.
Tippett began composing ‘A Child of our time’ in September 1939 at the outbreak of the 2nd world war. Keen to embrace a Bach structure to the piece, he discovered that the spirituals of the American deep south easily fit into the chorales. These five songs are the most poignant and recognizable.
Mendelssohn Hear my Prayer
Tippett Five Spirituals from a Child of our Time
Giles Swayne Missa Tiburtina
Rutter Ukrainian Prayer
Howells Psalm-Prelude, Set 1: No. 1, Psalm 34:6
Christopher Brown De Profundis (First performance of new work to celebrate his 80th birthday, inspired by the Prisoners’ Chorus from Fidelio)
Mendelssohn Psalm 22
Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs, Cambridge CB2 1JR
Saturday 18 November 2023 7.30pm
This first concert of our 2023/24 season will be directed by Tim Brown, our choir president and interim director until James Potter takes over the reins in January 2024.
The theme of this concert is Songs of Freedom and includes music that is both thoughtful and uplifting while also featuring a premiere by Chris Brown in celebration of his 80th Birthday.
Tippett began composing ‘A Child of our time’ in September 1939 at the outbreak of the 2nd world war. Keen to embrace a Bach structure to the piece, he discovered that the spirituals of the American deep south easily fit into the chorales. These five songs are the most poignant and recognizable.
Mendelssohn Hear my Prayer
Tippett Five Spirituals from a Child of our Time
Giles Swayne Missa Tiburtina
Rutter Ukrainian Prayer
Howells Psalm-Prelude, Set 1: No. 1, Psalm 34:6
Christopher Brown De Profundis (First performance of new work to celebrate his 80th birthday, inspired by the Prisoners’ Chorus from Fidelio)
Mendelssohn Psalm 22
Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs, Cambridge CB2 1JR
Saturday 18 November 2023 7.30pm
2022/2023 Season
J.S. Bach St Matthew Passion
Widely regarded as a pinnacle of western civilization, Bach’s towering masterpiece will be performed in its full orchestration by NCS, with contributions from the OLEM Song School Choir.
Our regular orchestra, the Cambridge Baroque Camerata, whose members are drawn from the most eminent period-instrument players in the country, joins us for what is sure to be an utterly memorable evening.
Saturday 10 June 2023 7.30pm
Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs, Cambridge CB2 1JR
Tickets for companions of anyone with long-term disability are offered free of charge.
Widely regarded as a pinnacle of western civilization, Bach’s towering masterpiece will be performed in its full orchestration by NCS, with contributions from the OLEM Song School Choir.
Our regular orchestra, the Cambridge Baroque Camerata, whose members are drawn from the most eminent period-instrument players in the country, joins us for what is sure to be an utterly memorable evening.
Saturday 10 June 2023 7.30pm
Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs, Cambridge CB2 1JR
Tickets for companions of anyone with long-term disability are offered free of charge.
Songs of Springtime
Flowers have been an inspiration for poets, artists and musicians for thousands of years. Our programme includes a wide variety of musical depictions and evocations of flowers, from the religious embodiment of Mary’s virginity, through a representation of vitality and new life, to a symbol of our mortality. Music by Elgar, Howells, Vaughan Williams, Britten and many others.
Sunday 19 March 2023 7.30pm St Botolph’s Church, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1QA
Saturday 25 March 2023 7.30pm All Saints Church, Rampton Road, Longstanton CB24 3EL
Flowers have been an inspiration for poets, artists and musicians for thousands of years. Our programme includes a wide variety of musical depictions and evocations of flowers, from the religious embodiment of Mary’s virginity, through a representation of vitality and new life, to a symbol of our mortality. Music by Elgar, Howells, Vaughan Williams, Britten and many others.
Sunday 19 March 2023 7.30pm St Botolph’s Church, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1QA
Saturday 25 March 2023 7.30pm All Saints Church, Rampton Road, Longstanton CB24 3EL
Christmas around the World
A glorious selection of Christmas music for choir and organ ... and audience. A variety of traditions have sprung up around the world in celebration of Christmas. Join us as we travel the globe in exploring a wealth of festive music from the comfort of our concert stage!
As well as carols from Britain, there will be music from France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Sweden, with a contribution from America. We can assure you that our journey will be over in under 80 days!
We will be inviting audience participation, so get ready to raise the roof!
Thursday 8 December 2022 8.00pm Downing Place United Reformed Church, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EL
Saturday 10 December 2022 7.30pm St Mary the Virgin Church, Fen Ditton CB5 8SU
A glorious selection of Christmas music for choir and organ ... and audience. A variety of traditions have sprung up around the world in celebration of Christmas. Join us as we travel the globe in exploring a wealth of festive music from the comfort of our concert stage!
As well as carols from Britain, there will be music from France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Sweden, with a contribution from America. We can assure you that our journey will be over in under 80 days!
We will be inviting audience participation, so get ready to raise the roof!
Thursday 8 December 2022 8.00pm Downing Place United Reformed Church, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EL
Saturday 10 December 2022 7.30pm St Mary the Virgin Church, Fen Ditton CB5 8SU
Music for Peace
Our exploration of the religious choral music of the Slavic world explores the many facets of that fascinating musical landscape. From the choral concertos of the eighteenth century to the grand sounds of the Moscow Synodal Choir – in its time recognised as amongst the best choirs in the world – our programme charts the turbulent history of this under-appreciated choral tradition.
Sunday 6 November 2022 Church of St Peter & St Paul, Steeple Morden, Royston SG8 0NJ
Friday 11 November 2022 St John the Evangelist Church, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8RN
Our exploration of the religious choral music of the Slavic world explores the many facets of that fascinating musical landscape. From the choral concertos of the eighteenth century to the grand sounds of the Moscow Synodal Choir – in its time recognised as amongst the best choirs in the world – our programme charts the turbulent history of this under-appreciated choral tradition.
Sunday 6 November 2022 Church of St Peter & St Paul, Steeple Morden, Royston SG8 0NJ
Friday 11 November 2022 St John the Evangelist Church, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8RN
2021/2022 Season
Bach: Jesu, meine Freude
Schütz: Ein musikalische Exequien
Two intense musical expressions of grief and hope form the programme for our first post-Covid performance. Bach’s extraordinarily architectural motet alternates verses from the eponymous chorale (words by Johann Franck to a melody by Johann Crüger), harmonised in a variety of ways which are designed to reflect the texts, with words from the Epistle to the Romans. Heinrich Schütz was commissioned to write his Musikalische Exequien (Musical Requiem) for the funeral services of Count Henry II of Reuss-Gera. It offers a remarkable variety of styles and textures, most notably in its final motet which is scored for 5-part choir with three off-stage soloists, marked as cherubim in the score
Saturday 16th October, OLEM
Bach: Jesu, meine Freude
Schütz: Ein musikalische Exequien
Two intense musical expressions of grief and hope form the programme for our first post-Covid performance. Bach’s extraordinarily architectural motet alternates verses from the eponymous chorale (words by Johann Franck to a melody by Johann Crüger), harmonised in a variety of ways which are designed to reflect the texts, with words from the Epistle to the Romans. Heinrich Schütz was commissioned to write his Musikalische Exequien (Musical Requiem) for the funeral services of Count Henry II of Reuss-Gera. It offers a remarkable variety of styles and textures, most notably in its final motet which is scored for 5-part choir with three off-stage soloists, marked as cherubim in the score
Saturday 16th October, OLEM
Shakespeare On Song
For our final concerts of the season, we present an eclectic mix of secular music. Settings of Shakespeare by Vaughan Williams, Mäntejärvi and Tavener offer a variety of moods and themes with unusual and imaginative choral writing. The remarkable Romancero Gitano by Castelnuovo-Tedesco, a collection of Spanish folksongs for choir and guitar, will be performed alongside a newly commissioned work by Tim Watts, perhaps best known for his searingly powerful opera Kepler’s Trial.
For our final concerts of the season, we present an eclectic mix of secular music. Settings of Shakespeare by Vaughan Williams, Mäntejärvi and Tavener offer a variety of moods and themes with unusual and imaginative choral writing. The remarkable Romancero Gitano by Castelnuovo-Tedesco, a collection of Spanish folksongs for choir and guitar, will be performed alongside a newly commissioned work by Tim Watts, perhaps best known for his searingly powerful opera Kepler’s Trial.
2019/2020 Season
A Christmas Collection
The festive period begins here! We intersperse movements of Stephen Dodgon’s quirky and original A Christmas Collection (world première) with familiar and less-well-known music by Palestrina, Mathias, Rütti and Rutter, alongside plenty of audience carols in a concert which is sure to lift the spirits.
The festive period begins here! We intersperse movements of Stephen Dodgon’s quirky and original A Christmas Collection (world première) with familiar and less-well-known music by Palestrina, Mathias, Rütti and Rutter, alongside plenty of audience carols in a concert which is sure to lift the spirits.
Sunday 8 December 2019 7pm
St Andrew’s Church, Cherry Hinton CB21 3JS
St Andrew’s Church, Cherry Hinton CB21 3JS
Brahms
German Requiem
Cello Sonata in E Minor
Graham Walker cello & music director
Maurice and Thanea Hodges piano
Brahms’ German Requiem, thought to be written in memory of Brahms’ mother, has an air of consolation and repose whilst his Cello Sonata in E Minor is full of contrasts: a profoundly soulful first movement and an apparently “Classical” minuet & trio give way to a powerful, muscular and passionate contrapuntal finale. The German Requiem will be performed in a version for choir and piano duet, based on Brahms’ own arrangement of the work.
Saturday 9 November 2019 Little St Mary’s Church, Cambridge
Saturday 16 November 2019 St Andrew’s Church, Swavesey
German Requiem
Cello Sonata in E Minor
Graham Walker cello & music director
Maurice and Thanea Hodges piano
Brahms’ German Requiem, thought to be written in memory of Brahms’ mother, has an air of consolation and repose whilst his Cello Sonata in E Minor is full of contrasts: a profoundly soulful first movement and an apparently “Classical” minuet & trio give way to a powerful, muscular and passionate contrapuntal finale. The German Requiem will be performed in a version for choir and piano duet, based on Brahms’ own arrangement of the work.
Saturday 9 November 2019 Little St Mary’s Church, Cambridge
Saturday 16 November 2019 St Andrew’s Church, Swavesey
2018/2019 Season
J S Bach B Minor Mass
With the Cambridge Baroque Camerata
The scale and grandeur of J.S. Bach’s B Minor Mass almost certainly means it was never meant to be performed within a liturgical setting. It was Bach’s last great choral masterpiece, and was not performed in full until over 100 years after his death. We are delighted to be joined for this incredible work by the Cambridge Baroque Camerata in the Victorian Gothic splendour of St John’s College Chapel, Cambridge.
Saturday 16 March 2019 7.30pm
St John’s College Chapel, Cambridge CB2 1TP
By kind permission of the Master and Fellows of St John’s College
Meet the Orchestra - Cambridge Baroque Camerata
Meet the soloists
With the Cambridge Baroque Camerata
The scale and grandeur of J.S. Bach’s B Minor Mass almost certainly means it was never meant to be performed within a liturgical setting. It was Bach’s last great choral masterpiece, and was not performed in full until over 100 years after his death. We are delighted to be joined for this incredible work by the Cambridge Baroque Camerata in the Victorian Gothic splendour of St John’s College Chapel, Cambridge.
Saturday 16 March 2019 7.30pm
St John’s College Chapel, Cambridge CB2 1TP
By kind permission of the Master and Fellows of St John’s College
Meet the Orchestra - Cambridge Baroque Camerata
Meet the soloists
The Big Sing: Fauré's Requiem
With the Cambridge Baroque Camerata
In January, two years on from our last hugely successful BIG SING, we will once again be inviting singers from all over East Anglia to join us for this popular event whilst raising money for our charity partner CPSL Mind. It is sure to be a very enjoyable day as we prepare and perform Fauré’s Requiem and Cantique de Jean Racine, as well as Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus, with orchestral accompaniment
All proceeds will go towards supporting our charity partner CPSL Mind, who provide support services in the Cambridge and Peterborough area, for people experiencing mental health challenges.
Saturday 19 January 2019
Great St Mary’s Church, Cambridge CB2 3PQ
Rehearsal: 2pm– 4.30pm (chorus registration 1.15pm)
Singers £20 in advance from Cambridge Live Box Office or on the door, Students £5 on the door
Performance: 6pm Audience £10, Students £5, both on the door (cash/cheque only)
We have had a response following the Big Sing:
On behalf of everyone at CPSL Mind, I would like to say a huge thank you for the second financial installment of £4,865 from the Big Sing 2019, making a grand total of £8,101.68!!! This is an amazing amount to have raised and we are simply overwhelmed by your support.
As requested, this donation will be used for our Sanctuary service, helping local people in mental health crisis. Last year the Sanctuary received 1,857 visits from people needing practical and emotional support and this year we expect the demand to be just as high, so
your support really does help a lot.
Many thanks again for choosing us as your charity.
With the Cambridge Baroque Camerata
In January, two years on from our last hugely successful BIG SING, we will once again be inviting singers from all over East Anglia to join us for this popular event whilst raising money for our charity partner CPSL Mind. It is sure to be a very enjoyable day as we prepare and perform Fauré’s Requiem and Cantique de Jean Racine, as well as Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus, with orchestral accompaniment
All proceeds will go towards supporting our charity partner CPSL Mind, who provide support services in the Cambridge and Peterborough area, for people experiencing mental health challenges.
Saturday 19 January 2019
Great St Mary’s Church, Cambridge CB2 3PQ
Rehearsal: 2pm– 4.30pm (chorus registration 1.15pm)
Singers £20 in advance from Cambridge Live Box Office or on the door, Students £5 on the door
Performance: 6pm Audience £10, Students £5, both on the door (cash/cheque only)
We have had a response following the Big Sing:
On behalf of everyone at CPSL Mind, I would like to say a huge thank you for the second financial installment of £4,865 from the Big Sing 2019, making a grand total of £8,101.68!!! This is an amazing amount to have raised and we are simply overwhelmed by your support.
As requested, this donation will be used for our Sanctuary service, helping local people in mental health crisis. Last year the Sanctuary received 1,857 visits from people needing practical and emotional support and this year we expect the demand to be just as high, so
your support really does help a lot.
Many thanks again for choosing us as your charity.
Christmas Concert
Menotti: Amahl and the Night Visitors
Britten: A Ceremony of Carols
Our Christmas concerts feature two highly imaginative works of the 20th Century. Benjamin Britten’s classic A Ceremony of Carols is paired with a semi-staged performance of the lesser known one-act opera Amahl and the Night Visitors – the first ever written for television – by Gian Carlo Menotti. In his native Italy, the role of Santa Claus is taken by the Three Kings who bring gifts to the children. His childhood love of these characters is the basis for his inspiration, and the opera has become his best-known work.
Saturday 8 December 2018 St Vigor’s Church, Fulbourn CB21 5BN
Maurice Hodges Piano Rohan Platts Harp Supported by Fulbourn Arts
Saturday 15 December 2018 St John the Evangelist Church Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8RN
With the Sinfonia of Cambridge and the Sylvia Armit School of Dance
Menotti: Amahl and the Night Visitors
Britten: A Ceremony of Carols
Our Christmas concerts feature two highly imaginative works of the 20th Century. Benjamin Britten’s classic A Ceremony of Carols is paired with a semi-staged performance of the lesser known one-act opera Amahl and the Night Visitors – the first ever written for television – by Gian Carlo Menotti. In his native Italy, the role of Santa Claus is taken by the Three Kings who bring gifts to the children. His childhood love of these characters is the basis for his inspiration, and the opera has become his best-known work.
Saturday 8 December 2018 St Vigor’s Church, Fulbourn CB21 5BN
Maurice Hodges Piano Rohan Platts Harp Supported by Fulbourn Arts
Saturday 15 December 2018 St John the Evangelist Church Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8RN
With the Sinfonia of Cambridge and the Sylvia Armit School of Dance
In Remembrance: Duruflé Requiem
Duruflé’s Requiem will lead our commemoration of 100 years since the end of the First World War, with our first concert on the eve of the anniversary itself. The music is inspired by chants from the Gregorian Mass for the Dead, and plainsong provides the basis of the selection of other shorter works in the concert by composers from Rachmaninov to the contemporary British composer David Nunn.
Saturday 10 November St George’s Church Littleport
Saturday 17 November Church of Our Lady & the English Martyrs, Cambridge CB2 1JR
Duruflé’s Requiem will lead our commemoration of 100 years since the end of the First World War, with our first concert on the eve of the anniversary itself. The music is inspired by chants from the Gregorian Mass for the Dead, and plainsong provides the basis of the selection of other shorter works in the concert by composers from Rachmaninov to the contemporary British composer David Nunn.
Saturday 10 November St George’s Church Littleport
Saturday 17 November Church of Our Lady & the English Martyrs, Cambridge CB2 1JR
2017/2018 Season
O How Glorious
A celebration of England’s remarkable tradition of choral music. We begin in joyful style with the effervescence of Purcell’s I was Glad, written for the coronation of James II in 1685, and move on to explore well-known and less familiar repertoire of the 19th and 20th centuries. The concert culminates with three beautiful and innovative contemporary works, including the world première of Hilary Burgoyne’s Fantasia on an Anthem by Tallis, which was runner-up in our Composition Competition last season and includes an audience chorus.
Saturday 30 June All Saints’ Church, Church Street, Haslingfield, CB23 1JF
Sunday 8 July Jesus College Chapel, Cambridge, CB5 8BL
A celebration of England’s remarkable tradition of choral music. We begin in joyful style with the effervescence of Purcell’s I was Glad, written for the coronation of James II in 1685, and move on to explore well-known and less familiar repertoire of the 19th and 20th centuries. The concert culminates with three beautiful and innovative contemporary works, including the world première of Hilary Burgoyne’s Fantasia on an Anthem by Tallis, which was runner-up in our Composition Competition last season and includes an audience chorus.
Saturday 30 June All Saints’ Church, Church Street, Haslingfield, CB23 1JF
Sunday 8 July Jesus College Chapel, Cambridge, CB5 8BL
Music for the Madonna
Why not take a break away from Cambridge’s crowded summer streets, full of tourists and shoppers, for some gentle mid-afternoon contemplation? This short concert will feature beautiful French choral music guaranteed to transport your mind miles away from the hustle and bustle outside. The programme will include Poulenc’s extraordinary Mass in G and motets by Duruflé and others.
Sunday 20 May 3pm, St Botolph's Church, Cambridge CB2 1QA
Why not take a break away from Cambridge’s crowded summer streets, full of tourists and shoppers, for some gentle mid-afternoon contemplation? This short concert will feature beautiful French choral music guaranteed to transport your mind miles away from the hustle and bustle outside. The programme will include Poulenc’s extraordinary Mass in G and motets by Duruflé and others.
Sunday 20 May 3pm, St Botolph's Church, Cambridge CB2 1QA
Stabat Mater
Passiontide has been fertile ground for composers through the ages. Alongside motets from the Renaissance and early 20th centuries, the concert will also feature two significant works, each very much of its time. Domenico Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater (1715) is a masterpiece of the choral repertoire, full of meditation and reflection, but also with drama provided by soloists emerging from the choir. In contrast, but equally powerfully, we will also be singing James Macmillan’s Cantos Sagrados (Sacred Songs, 1989), which combines sacred and secular texts highlighting political repression in South America.
Saturday 24 March 8pm
Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge, CB2 1TQ
Passiontide has been fertile ground for composers through the ages. Alongside motets from the Renaissance and early 20th centuries, the concert will also feature two significant works, each very much of its time. Domenico Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater (1715) is a masterpiece of the choral repertoire, full of meditation and reflection, but also with drama provided by soloists emerging from the choir. In contrast, but equally powerfully, we will also be singing James Macmillan’s Cantos Sagrados (Sacred Songs, 1989), which combines sacred and secular texts highlighting political repression in South America.
Saturday 24 March 8pm
Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge, CB2 1TQ
Christus Natus Est
Our celebration of Christmas this year will include Poulenc’s hauntingly beautiful Quatre Motets pour le temps de Noel and Stanford’s exuberant double-choir Latin Magnificat, as well as popular and less well-known carols and Christmas music. The programme will also include the world première of Margaret Haley’s A Fisherman’s Baby, runner-up in our Composition Competition last season.
Sunday 10 December St Mary’s Church, Church Lane, Newmarket, CB8 0HP
Thursday 14 December Emmanuel United Reformed Church, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RR
With King’s Junior Voices, directed by Lynette Alcántara
Our celebration of Christmas this year will include Poulenc’s hauntingly beautiful Quatre Motets pour le temps de Noel and Stanford’s exuberant double-choir Latin Magnificat, as well as popular and less well-known carols and Christmas music. The programme will also include the world première of Margaret Haley’s A Fisherman’s Baby, runner-up in our Composition Competition last season.
Sunday 10 December St Mary’s Church, Church Lane, Newmarket, CB8 0HP
Thursday 14 December Emmanuel United Reformed Church, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RR
With King’s Junior Voices, directed by Lynette Alcántara
In the Beginning
For our first concert of the season, we find inspiration for our music from Russia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and the United States. The centrepieces of our concert are Kodaly’s expressive Missa Brevis and Copland’s scintillating setting of the opening of the book of Genesis, and these are offered alongside two contrasting settings of the Lord’s Prayer: one by Janáček, for choir, organ and harp, and a real jewel of a version by the Russian conductor-composer Nikolai Golovanov.
Saturday 18 November Church of Our Lady & the English Martyrs, Cambridge, CB2 1JR
Saturday 11 November The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Coach Drive, Harlton, CB23 1EN
For our first concert of the season, we find inspiration for our music from Russia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and the United States. The centrepieces of our concert are Kodaly’s expressive Missa Brevis and Copland’s scintillating setting of the opening of the book of Genesis, and these are offered alongside two contrasting settings of the Lord’s Prayer: one by Janáček, for choir, organ and harp, and a real jewel of a version by the Russian conductor-composer Nikolai Golovanov.
Saturday 18 November Church of Our Lady & the English Martyrs, Cambridge, CB2 1JR
Saturday 11 November The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Coach Drive, Harlton, CB23 1EN
Rachmaninov All-Night Vigil (Vespers)
Rachmaninov transforms the plainchant melodies of the Orthodox Church into an incredible symphony of choral writing, offering staggering textural intricacy and emotional power, showing a composition genius at the height of his powers. The evocative chant-link melodies and legendary low bass writing are bound to be all the more atmospheric in the beautiful surroundings of a candlelit St Martin’s.
Thursday 28 September St Martin-in-the Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JJ
In partnership with the Brandenburg Choral Festival of London.
Rachmaninov transforms the plainchant melodies of the Orthodox Church into an incredible symphony of choral writing, offering staggering textural intricacy and emotional power, showing a composition genius at the height of his powers. The evocative chant-link melodies and legendary low bass writing are bound to be all the more atmospheric in the beautiful surroundings of a candlelit St Martin’s.
Thursday 28 September St Martin-in-the Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JJ
In partnership with the Brandenburg Choral Festival of London.
2016/2017 Season
Rachmaninov: Cello Sonata and Vespers
Graham Walker, Director and cello
Marie-Noëlle Kendall piano
The soaring melodies and gorgeous harmonies of Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata come from the same rich vein as his incredibly popular Second Piano Concerto, whilst the Vespers show a compositional genius at the height of his powers. In these fifteen short movements he transforms the plainchant melodies of the Orthodox Church into an incredible symphony of choral writing, offering staggering textural intricacy and emotional power.
Saturday 24 June 2017 Jesus College Chapel Cambridge CB5 8BL
Saturday 1 July 2017 St Vigor's Church, Fulbourn CB21 5BN
Graham Walker, Director and cello
Marie-Noëlle Kendall piano
The soaring melodies and gorgeous harmonies of Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata come from the same rich vein as his incredibly popular Second Piano Concerto, whilst the Vespers show a compositional genius at the height of his powers. In these fifteen short movements he transforms the plainchant melodies of the Orthodox Church into an incredible symphony of choral writing, offering staggering textural intricacy and emotional power.
Saturday 24 June 2017 Jesus College Chapel Cambridge CB5 8BL
Saturday 1 July 2017 St Vigor's Church, Fulbourn CB21 5BN
Renaissance Reimagined
New Cambridge Singers, with Newe Vialles
The Guildhall Sackbutts and Cornetts, Directed by Jeremy West
A programme ranging over five centuries of choral music, sung here by different combinations of voices, viols and Renaissance brass instruments. The centrepiece of the concert is Giles Swayne’s Everybloom; taking words from Joyce’s Ulysses, this work is written for choir, soloists and a consort of viols. The programme will also include Tallis' amazing 40-part motet Spem in alium and works by two other Renaissance masters: William Byrd and Orlande de Lassus..
To give you, the audience, a closer insight into all of this, you will have the chance to take part in two very different works: Tallis’ famous canon Glory to thee, my God, this night, and a new work for which NCS has held an open competition. Information about the competition and the winner is available here. The audience will be joining the choir for a rehearsal in the afternoon. If you are a singer with some choral experience, we would be delighted to welcome you to join us in our performances.
New Cambridge Singers, with Newe Vialles
The Guildhall Sackbutts and Cornetts, Directed by Jeremy West
A programme ranging over five centuries of choral music, sung here by different combinations of voices, viols and Renaissance brass instruments. The centrepiece of the concert is Giles Swayne’s Everybloom; taking words from Joyce’s Ulysses, this work is written for choir, soloists and a consort of viols. The programme will also include Tallis' amazing 40-part motet Spem in alium and works by two other Renaissance masters: William Byrd and Orlande de Lassus..
To give you, the audience, a closer insight into all of this, you will have the chance to take part in two very different works: Tallis’ famous canon Glory to thee, my God, this night, and a new work for which NCS has held an open competition. Information about the competition and the winner is available here. The audience will be joining the choir for a rehearsal in the afternoon. If you are a singer with some choral experience, we would be delighted to welcome you to join us in our performances.
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Renaissance Reimagined was made possible by grants from Arts Council England's Grants for the Arts and the RVW Trust, and by contributions to our New Music Fund and the New Cambridge Songs Scheme
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The Big Sing - Handel's Messiah
Come and Sing!
Messiah remains justifiably the most popular English choral work, ranging in mood from the poignant Behold the Lamb of God to the roof raising Hallelujah. If you’ve sung it before you’ll know how wonderful it is to be involved in Messiah; if not, then this is the ideal opportunity to perform it for the first time. The performance will be with full orchestra and a team of soloists from New Cambridge Singers. Book early to avoid disappointment. We will provide vocal scores if you need one, but please bring a copy of Watkins Shaw edition if you have it.
Come and Sing!
Messiah remains justifiably the most popular English choral work, ranging in mood from the poignant Behold the Lamb of God to the roof raising Hallelujah. If you’ve sung it before you’ll know how wonderful it is to be involved in Messiah; if not, then this is the ideal opportunity to perform it for the first time. The performance will be with full orchestra and a team of soloists from New Cambridge Singers. Book early to avoid disappointment. We will provide vocal scores if you need one, but please bring a copy of Watkins Shaw edition if you have it.
Saturday 21 January 2017
Great St Mary's Church
Cambridge
Great St Mary's Church
Cambridge
Victorian Christmas by Candlelight
Many of our cherished Christmas traditions began in Victorian times, so get in the mood and join us for our festive performance of music from the Victorian era, atmospherically lit by candles around the church. There will be some carols for all the audience to join in.
Many of our cherished Christmas traditions began in Victorian times, so get in the mood and join us for our festive performance of music from the Victorian era, atmospherically lit by candles around the church. There will be some carols for all the audience to join in.
Saturday 10 December 2016 St Mary's Church, Burwell
Tuesday 13 December 2016 Great St Mary's Church, Concert in partnership with East Anglian Air Ambulance
Tuesday 13 December 2016 Great St Mary's Church, Concert in partnership with East Anglian Air Ambulance
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Fauré Requiem
Exploring the beautiful tradition of French choral music, this programme contrasts the sumptuous harmonies of Poulenc’s exquisite a cappella motets for men’s voices with the imposing grandeur of Vierne’s only Mass setting and the intimate intensity of Fauré’s ever-popular Requiem. Saturday 12 November 2016 Fordham Saturday 19 November 2016 OLEM, Cambridge |
 Photo credit cambridge2000.com
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"The New Cambridge Singers absolutely slayed it yesterday evening! The Missa Solemnis by Vierne was amazing and gave me shivers."
"The concert was lovely – the Poulenc was new to us, and very impressive, and the Faure was magnificent – it’s the first time I’ve heard it with the organ rather than an orchestra. The singing was brilliant. Thanks for a great evening – we came away feeling positively uplifted!"
and a lady on the way out simply said 'ethereal'.
2015/2016 Season
A concert of choral favouritesChoral favourites from across the centuries are presented in a smorgasbord of popular classics for choir. Mendelssohn’s justly famous O for the Wings of a Dove and Parry’s majestic setting of I was Glad – sung at the Royal wedding in 2011, as well as every coronation since 1902 – provide a contrast with madrigals and partsongs from early to modern times. The concert will conclude with choral arrangements of popular songs from the twenties and thirties by Cole Porter and friends.
Saturday 2 July 2016 – St Mary’s Church, Newmarket Saturday 25 June 2016 – Great St Mary’s Church, Cambridge |
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Mozart Requiem and Mendelssohn Violin ConcertA wonderful evening of classical masterpieces - the exuberance of Mozart’s Figaro Overture and the tragedy of his Requiem are set alongside the lyrical eloquence of one of the greatest of the Romantic violin concertos.
Saturday 7 May 2016 – Great St Mary’s Church, Cambridge Julia Hwang, Violin and the New Cambridge Players |
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This Worldes Joie:
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An Elizabethan Christmas
Christmas Elizabethan-style, with works by Gibbons, Tallis and Byrd contrasting with familiar melodies from Piae Cantiones , a volume first published during Elizabeth’s reign but rediscovered much more recently. Festive refreshments will complement what promises to be an entertaining and informative evening. Saturday 12 December – St James’ Church, Hemingford Grey Tuesday 15 December – Corpus Christi College Chapel |
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Songs of Love and Loss
Music for Choir and Piano by Faure, Schubert, Brahms and Britten New Cambridge Singers begins its new season with an exploration of music for choir and piano for two and four hands. Interesting and unusual works by Schubert and Britten are presented alongside the ever-popular Liebeslieder Waltzes and Faure’s Madrigal. The choir is joined by Maurice and Thanea Hodges, who as well as accompanying the choir will perform two intriguing works for piano duet. Saturday 7 November – St Mary’s Church, Ashwell Saturday 15 November – Emmanuel United Reform Church, Cambridge |
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2014/15 Season
Haydn and Duruflé
Saturday 20 June – St John’s College Chapel, Cambridge
New Cambridge Singers and East Anglia Chamber Orchestra join forces for the first time in a performance of Haydn’s thrilling Nelson Mass and Duruflé’s achingly beautiful Requiem. Soloists Helen-Jane Howells, Lynette Alcántara, Stefan Kennedy and Alex Ashworth will join the choir and orchestra on stage in what promises to be an exhilarating and memorable concert.
One Equal Music
Music for double choir by Bach, Martin, Harris and Lassus
Saturday 28 March – Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge
Sunday 29 March – St Vigor’s Church, Fulbourn
A programme of exquisite music for double choir. Two of Bach’s motets, the joyful Singet dem Herrn and the yearning Komm, Jesu, Komm, are contrasted with two classics by Sir William Harris: Faire is the Heaven and Bring us, O Lord. Contrasting mass settings by Lassus and the 20th-century Swiss composer Frank Marin complete the programme.
Songs of Celebration
An hour of glorious choral music from Byrd to Finzi
Saturday 14 February – St Edward’s Church, Cambridge
This hour-long afternoon concert presents a selection of celebratory music in a wide variety of styles. Finzi’s well-known God is Gone Up and The Heavens are Telling from Haydn’s Creation are performed alongside Ascensiontide motets by Byrd and works by Handel, Monteverdi, Bach and Vaughan Williams.
Christmas through the Ages
Christmas music for choir and organ from the 14th to the 20th century
Saturday 13 December – St Peter & St Paul Church, Steeple Morden
Thursday 18 December – Little St Mary’s Church, Cambridge
A panorama of festive music from Mediaeval to the present. We begin with works by anonymous 14th-century composers; move through Byrd to Bach, Schutz an beyond to Bruckner and Berlioz; and conclude with an exploration of 20th -century Christmas music from Europe and the USA.
Hear my Prayer
Sunday 16 November – Sidney Sussex College Chapel, Cambridge
The Psalms of David have provided inspiration to musicians and composers across the centuries. In this programme, NCS explores settings of psalms both joyful and sorrowful, by composers as diverse as Byrd, Schutz, Allegri and Mendelssohn. Two settings of Psalm 90, by Vaughan Williams and Ives, open and close the concert.
Choral Favourites
Saturday 15 November – St Andrew’s Centre, Histon
One of the first events to be held in Histon’s new community centre – this concert features Allegri’s Miserere, Mendelssohn’s Hear my Prayer, and other deservedly favourite works by Bach, Byrd, Finzi, Gibbons, Harris, Rachmaninov and Stanford.
2013/14 Season
June 2014
Summer concert
Sacred music by Byrd, Stanford and Howells as well as secular music by McCabe, Finzi and a few Colombian songs!
February 2014
An hour long concert of music by Byrd and Rachmaninov.
December 2013
Christmas concert: Out of Darkness
Telling of the Christmas story with wonderful music through the ages
November 2013
A programme of French masterpieces including Duruflé’s Requiem, Langlais’ Messe Solenelle, Poulenc’s Litanies a la Vierge Noire and Messiaen’s O Sacrum Convivium.
Haydn and Duruflé
Saturday 20 June – St John’s College Chapel, Cambridge
New Cambridge Singers and East Anglia Chamber Orchestra join forces for the first time in a performance of Haydn’s thrilling Nelson Mass and Duruflé’s achingly beautiful Requiem. Soloists Helen-Jane Howells, Lynette Alcántara, Stefan Kennedy and Alex Ashworth will join the choir and orchestra on stage in what promises to be an exhilarating and memorable concert.
One Equal Music
Music for double choir by Bach, Martin, Harris and Lassus
Saturday 28 March – Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge
Sunday 29 March – St Vigor’s Church, Fulbourn
A programme of exquisite music for double choir. Two of Bach’s motets, the joyful Singet dem Herrn and the yearning Komm, Jesu, Komm, are contrasted with two classics by Sir William Harris: Faire is the Heaven and Bring us, O Lord. Contrasting mass settings by Lassus and the 20th-century Swiss composer Frank Marin complete the programme.
Songs of Celebration
An hour of glorious choral music from Byrd to Finzi
Saturday 14 February – St Edward’s Church, Cambridge
This hour-long afternoon concert presents a selection of celebratory music in a wide variety of styles. Finzi’s well-known God is Gone Up and The Heavens are Telling from Haydn’s Creation are performed alongside Ascensiontide motets by Byrd and works by Handel, Monteverdi, Bach and Vaughan Williams.
Christmas through the Ages
Christmas music for choir and organ from the 14th to the 20th century
Saturday 13 December – St Peter & St Paul Church, Steeple Morden
Thursday 18 December – Little St Mary’s Church, Cambridge
A panorama of festive music from Mediaeval to the present. We begin with works by anonymous 14th-century composers; move through Byrd to Bach, Schutz an beyond to Bruckner and Berlioz; and conclude with an exploration of 20th -century Christmas music from Europe and the USA.
Hear my Prayer
Sunday 16 November – Sidney Sussex College Chapel, Cambridge
The Psalms of David have provided inspiration to musicians and composers across the centuries. In this programme, NCS explores settings of psalms both joyful and sorrowful, by composers as diverse as Byrd, Schutz, Allegri and Mendelssohn. Two settings of Psalm 90, by Vaughan Williams and Ives, open and close the concert.
Choral Favourites
Saturday 15 November – St Andrew’s Centre, Histon
One of the first events to be held in Histon’s new community centre – this concert features Allegri’s Miserere, Mendelssohn’s Hear my Prayer, and other deservedly favourite works by Bach, Byrd, Finzi, Gibbons, Harris, Rachmaninov and Stanford.
2013/14 Season
June 2014
Summer concert
Sacred music by Byrd, Stanford and Howells as well as secular music by McCabe, Finzi and a few Colombian songs!
February 2014
An hour long concert of music by Byrd and Rachmaninov.
December 2013
Christmas concert: Out of Darkness
Telling of the Christmas story with wonderful music through the ages
November 2013
A programme of French masterpieces including Duruflé’s Requiem, Langlais’ Messe Solenelle, Poulenc’s Litanies a la Vierge Noire and Messiaen’s O Sacrum Convivium.