SINGERS and supporters from Huddersfield Choral Society leave town early tomorrow (January 8) for Stratford-upon-Avon.
The Choral heads for Warwickshire for a concert tomorrow night at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
Its singers will join those of the Stratford-upon-Avon Choral Society to sing Handel’s Messiah.
The concert offers a rare opportunity to hear some 240 singers from two of the oldest choral societies in the country sing one of the best-loved oratorios.
And what makes it still more special is that the choirs will share a stage as both celebrate their 175th anniversary year.
For many of the Choral’s singers and supporters it will be the first time that they have had the chance to see the theatre complex, home to the Royal Shakespeare Company, since it was rebuilt at a cost of £112m.
The work took four years to complete and though there have been some events at the new theatres, the first full Shakespeare productions from the company’s current repertoire open next month on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Swan Theatre stages.
The theatres will formally re-open in April with new performances and companies, to coincide with the RSC’s 50th birthday season.
Three coaches will travel from Huddersfield to Stratford-upon-Avon and the Choral will rehearse tomorrow afternoon before an evening performance which it is understood is sold out.
The choir has had a busy festive season singing three performances of Messiah, two in Huddersfield and one at the Sage Gateshead as well as a Christmas concert.
The Regency Sinfonia will accompany tomorrow’s performance and three of the four soloists who sang in Huddersfield will be on stage.
They are Catherine Wyn-Rogers (mezzo soprano), Mark Le Brocq (tenor) and Henry Waddington (bass). Julia Doyle will be the soprano soloist.
Julia, who was born in Lancaster, read social and political sciences alongside a choral scholarship at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.
She has sung all over the world with many of Europe’s top ensembles and her career as a soloist has seen her widely recognised, particularly for her Baroque repertoire.
Tomorrow’s performance will mark yet another emotional milestone for the Choral as its 175th anniversary events gains momentum.
There are many more concerts to come with a further performance of Messiah in April at another prestige venue, London’s Barbican with the City of London Sinfonia.
For details of that concert and the other events in the anniversary year, go to the Choral’s website: www.huddersfieldchoral.com
