Few spectacles are more wonderfully uplifting than the sheer wall of sound created by massed choirs.
Over one hundred singers from across the south of England will be coming together for a gala evening joined by a very special guest singer – the internationally renowned soprano Lesley Garrett.
The highlight of the festival evening on Saturday 16 April will be a grand ensemble of massed voices from the Medina High Community Choir, the Hart Male Voice Choir, the Community Glee Club and the Bournemouth Male Voice Choir. Each will also sing selections from their own repertoires and some numbers with Britain’s best-loved soprano.
A packed programme
Lesley Garrett will sing solos, accompanied by pianist Ian Reid, who will also be accompanying singers from Medina High Community Choir. The packed programme will also feature an interlude by the Indigo Strings quartet whose collective love of music ranges from folk rock through Salsa to jazz and of course, the classics.
This not-to-be-missed gala evening kicks off the Island’s 45-strong Medina High Community Choir, under the musical direction of Hannah Brear, who are enjoying the spotlight after performances with Woodstock legend Melanie at the Isle of Wight Festival, competing against choirs from across the country in BBC Radio 3’s Choir of the Year Competition and a tour of northern France.
Hampshire choir to join in too
The Hart Male Voice Choir, based in the village of Odiham, but drawn from across Hampshire, strives for the “tingle” factor in their performances, which span music from grand opera, light opera and musicals, films, love songs, folk songs, religious works, pop song
arrangements.
It has won honours at prestigious music competitions including the Cheltenham Music Festival. Their musical director David Smart is also the principal oboist of the Royal Marines Association Concert Band.
Bournemouth Voice Choir cross the Solent
The Bournemouth Male Voice Choir has performed at every concert venue across Dorset and as part of the Welsh Association of Male Choirs, has sung at the Royal Albert Hall, the Millennium Centre in Cardiff, the Dome in Atlanta, USA. They too have gathered their fair share of musical prizes, including the Larne Music Festival in 2009. They are led by musical director Mark Burstow and accompanied by pianist David East.
Community Glee Club bring youthful perspective
To add to the occasion, the evening will also feature songs from Hannah Brear’s other charges, the Community Glee Club, a talented band of 25 Island singers aged 14-18.
Lesley Garrett, who was awarded a CBE for her services to music, has had a distinguished operatic career with the English National Opera among others. Her regular appearances in opera and in concert, on television, including Strictly Come Dancing, plus best-selling CDs have won both critical acclaim and the affection of many fans and music lovers.
Tickets can be purchased through the Isle of Arts Website.
