David’s setting of the words of St Teresa of Avila, Christ has no body now but yours, has retained its place in the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2017, rising 8 places to No.280 on the list. The anthem has been recorded by Exultate Singers on its Visions of Peace CD and Westbury-on-Trym Parish Church Choir’s All Times and Seasons CD
Author: davidmtogden
Run By Singers: The Glory of Venice
Wednesday 25 – Sunday 29 October, Venice
David is delighted to be leading his first Run By Singers singing holiday in the exquisitely beautiful city of Venice in the Autumn. Experienced singers are invited to join David for the 5-day singing break which includes performing in a concert on the Saturday night in San Trovaso Church near the Accademia museum on Venice’s Dorsoduro. The course will begin with supper at 7.30 pm on Wednesday evening with rehearsals starting in earnest on the Thursday morning. More information can be found at the Run By Singers website
Bristol Youth Choir: Ceremony of Carols
Sunday 29 January at 6.30pm, Westbury-on-Trym Parish Church
Senior Girls of Bristol Youth Choir conducted by David Ogden with Kate Pearson (harp)
David Ogden conducts the Senior Girls of Bristol Youth Choir with the harpist Kate Pearson as they perform Britten’s Ceremony of Carols by candlelight for Candlemas at Westbury-on-Trym Parish Church as part of the church’s 1300th anniversary celebrations. Free entry, retiring collection.
A Sense of the Divine: The Grand Tour
Saturday 25 February at 7.30pm, St George’s Bristol
Exultate Singers packs its bags for a whistle-stop tour around Europe in a spectacular selection of choral music which includes Tallis’ 40-part motet Spem in alium, Roxanna Panufnik’s All Shall Be Well, James MacMillan’s Miserere mei, Bach’s Lobet den Herrn, the premiere of Naji Hakim’s Exultate Deo, and music by Ēriks Ešenvalds, Giovanni Gabrieli, György Orbán, Veljo Tormis, Kodály, Bartók and Shostakovich. Tickets from £12 to £24 from St George’s box office on 0845 40 24 001 and www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk.
Bristol Youth Choir Spring concert
Tuesday 7 March at 7pm, St George’s Bristol
Bristol Youth Choirs conducted by David Ogden, Martin Le Poidevin and Elinor Cooper
The talented young singers from Bristol Youth Choirs present a Spring concert of songs and choral pieces from around the world. Come and enjoy an entertaining mix of classical and jazz with songs from the shows, world music, and folk songs.
Tickets £8 for adults, under 18s £2, plus St George’s booking fee available online from St George’s box office, by phone on 0845 40 24 001 and over the counter at St George’s.
Bach’s St Matthew Passion
Sunday 12 March at 7pm, St George’s Bristol
David conducts City of Bristol Choir and professional orchestra The Lochrian Ensemble in a performance of Bach’s mighty setting of the Gospel narrative, which recounts the events of Christ’s final days – betrayal, trial and crucifixion – in music brimming with power and drama.
The choir is joined by a first class line-up of soloists, all of whom have appeared nationally and internationally with some of the world’s leading ensembles.
The magnificent acoustic of St George’s Bristol makes it the perfect setting for what promises to be a thrilling performance of this compelling and noble work. In this performance, the narrative recitatives and choruses will be sung in English, with the arias and chorales in German, bringing an immediacy to the drama and a sense of contemplation to the reflective movements.
Tickets £10 to £25, discounts for concessions, tickets for students and under 18s £5, available from St George’s box office online and by phone on 0845 40 24 001
Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610
Saturday 1 April at 7.30pm, St George’s Bristol
David conducts Monteverdi’s sumptuous Venetian masterpiece, Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers of 1610), in a collaboration with Exultate Singers and the virtuosic early music ensemble His Majesty’s Sagbutts and Cornetts.
Lavishly scored for strings, sackbuts, cornets, 10-part choir and an array of vocal soloists, the Vespers wonderfully combines the glories of the Renaissance with the opulence of the Baroque. The performers will be arranged around the hall in a variety of ensembles throughout the performance, echoing the galleries and balconies of St Mark’s Venice.
This dazzling work is regarded by many as one of the greatest glories of the baroque choral repertoire, juxtaposing reflective, intimate moments with opulent, flamboyant virtuosic music.
Tickets £24, £20, £16, £12. Half price tickets for students in full time education; tickets £5 for under 18s (limited availability) available from St George’s box office online or by phone on 0845 40 24 001
Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius
Saturday 24 June at 7.30pm, Colston Hall
Considered one of the greatest pieces ever written for chorus and orchestra, The Dream of Gerontius is Elgar’s masterpiece about life, death and one man’s journey into the afterlife. On a grand scale, the music vividly describes moments of exhilaration and terror, as flights of angels sing ecstatic choruses of praise.
Staged as the highlight of City of Bristol Choir’s 25th anniversary season, the 100 strong choir joins forces with Exultate Singers, the tenor Peter Auty, soprano Jennifer Johnston, bass Martin Le Poidevin and professional orchestra the Bristol Ensemble.
Tickets £30, £24, £18 and £12, £5 for under 18s and students in full time education on sale now at the Colston Hall box office
Telephone 0844 887 1500 or buy online at www.colstonhall.org or in person at the box office from 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday
BBC Songs of Praise – Love came down at Christmas
Sunday 11 December at 5.20pm, BBC One
David’s setting of Christina Rossetti’s words, Love Came Down At Christmas, will be broadcast on BBC One’s Songs of Praise on 11 December, performed by Exultate Singers and the Lochrian Ensemble. The sheet music can be obtained from White Light Publishing by emailing info@whitelightpublishing.co.uk
City of Bristol Choir: Remembrance Sunday concert
Sunday 13 November, St George’s Bristol
Two powerful and moving works for Remembrance Sunday performed by the 100 voices of City of Bristol Choir with the boys of Bristol Youth Choir and The Lochrian Ensemble.
Through settings of poems by Wilfred Owen, Isaac Rosenberg and Ivor Gurney, Jonathan Dove’s cantata tells the story of one man’s journey through the First World War beginning with his enthusiasm and decision to enlist; discovering the reality of war; finding death on the battlefield and finally reflecting on the grief of those left behind.
John Rutter is the patron of City of Bristol Choir and to mark the start of their 25th anniversary season, the choir sings his setting of the Requiem with its rich harmonies, poignant melodies and angelic soprano solos.
Tickets from St George’s box office online or by phone on 0845 40 24 001