Lea Singers Singing Festival - Song Recital by James Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook

Lea Singers

The Lea Singers Summer Singing Festival provides an opportunity for local singers to meet, discover and sing together.

This year’s festival will have a Shakespearean theme, to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. We are delighted that we will be joined by outstanding tenor James Gilchrist, and his accompanist Anna Tilbrook, who grew up in Harpenden. James and Anna will perform a Shakespeare themed song recital, recently broadcast on Radio 3. Beginning with the 18th century British composer Thomas Arne, and moving through until the middle of the 20th century, their programme demonstrates the many ways in which composers have approached Shakespeare’s timeless texts in solo songs.

After their recital, James and Anna will conduct a masterclass with three young local singers. The Lea Singers are particularly pleased that, in mezzo-sopranos Izzi Blain and Nina Vinther, the masterclass attendees will include a current and former Lea Singers intern, highlighting the success of our interns scheme at helping talented young local singers to broaden their musical experience. Izzi and Nina will be joined by Oliver Martin-Smith, a tenor lay clerk at St Albans Abbey. All three will perform a solo song, then will be helped to perfect their performances by James and Anna. We hope that local singers, young and old, will come along to this free event and pick up some tips to improve their own singing techniques. The young singers’ masterclass is kindly sponsored by Harpenden Music Foundation.

Programme

Arne Where the bee sucks; When daisies pied
Haydn She never told her love
Schubert An Sylvia; Staendchen
Wolf Bottom’s Dream
Vaughan Williams Orpheus with his lute
Quilter Fear no more the heat of the sun; Under the greenwood tree
Warlock Take, O take, those lips away
Tippett Three songs for Ariel
Dring The Cuckoo; Take, O take, those lips away; It was a lover & his lass