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Reviews of our concerts over the last few years

'A Night at the Opera' - Saturday 21st April 2018
Aylesbury Festival Choir are certainly going from strength to strength under their relatively recently-appointed Music Director, Nick Austin, who took over the baton in January 2017.
Their Night at the Opera concert, held in Aylesbury Methodist Church on the 21st April 2018, conducted by Nick, was a revelation. The superb programme of famous opera choruses, interspersed by solo arias and a duet from two talented young professional sopranos, Penelope Appleyard and Hannah Frazer-Mackenzie, was an absolute delight. Sung in English, crisp diction and accurate ensemble singing from the well-trained choir made every single word clearly audible, to the obvious enjoyment of the audience. Neil Kelley, at both piano and organ, accompanied the performances with great musicality and skill.
Chorus and conductor displayed impressive command of dynamics, particularly in Puccini’s Humming Chorus from Madame Butterfly, where the beautifully controlled changes from soft to loud humming emphasised the emotional content of the piece.
The two excellent soloists were a real pleasure to hear and to watch. Hannah Frazer-Mackenzie opened the concert as a thrilling and very believable Carmen and, shortly afterwards, Penelope Appleyard gave a playful and hugely enjoyable rendering of Myself I Shall Adore from Handel’s Semele, making amusing use of a hand-held mirror as she sang perhaps the most narcissistic role in opera. Penelope then demonstrated some talent as a percussionist, in Verdi’s Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, extracting a lovely ringing tone from a real anvil placed close to the piano.  This chorus was confidently sung by the men who, although relatively few in number, stepped up to the mark as energetic gypsy blacksmiths.
The generally high standard continued throughout the whole evening, from both chorus and soloists, a particular highlight being Hannah and Penelope’s sensitively sung Flower Duet from Lakme by Delibes.
A terrific evening, and many congratulations to everyone involved.
Ruth Mackie
Some Comments from Our Audience:
  • A very varied programme which introduced us to some unfamiliar pieces.
  • What a fabulous concert last night.  The choir was on good form, and the two soloists such amazing talents that blended together so well in the Flower Duet – a wonderful moment.
  • Huge congratulations on last night’s lovely concert – we both loved every minute and were only sorry not to have been able to take part. Still, it was a great treat to be in the audience!
  • The performance of The Easter Hymn was stunning and deserved an encore!
  • Singing with the two talented soprano soloists and the fantastic Neil Kelly on the organ lifted the choir’s performance to new heights.
  • My husband, who doesn't praise easily, said the concert was brilliant & he is sure it is all down to Nick's leadership.
  • A well balanced and varied programme with highlights including the two sopranos singing The Flower Duet, the choir singing The Easter Hymn, Neil Kelley’s fantastic accompaniment on organ and piano, and Nick Austin’s musical direction throughout.
  • I’m not an opera fan but this concert was enough to convert me!
'Rejoice' - Saturday 2nd December 2017
Instead of choosing a programme of Christmas music, Aylesbury Festival Choir’s concert entitled Rejoice!, featured a varied selection of music by Handel, Mozart and Mendelssohn.
Handel wrote four Coronation Anthems and here we heard three of them, Zadok the Priest, My Heart is Inditing and The King Shall Rejoice. The choir was joined by four extremely talented soloists -  Elizabeth Adams, soprano, David Whitworth, countertenor, Ryan Williams, tenor, and Timothy Emberson, bass. The contribution of all of them was excellent throughout.
Next up was Mozart’s Missa Brevis et Solemnis in C, composed when he was barely 20 and employed, not altogether happily, at the Salzburg Court. Although an early work, it is confidently written and once again both choir and soloists gave an outstanding performance.
The final piece was less familiar -  Mendelssohn’s Lauda Sion Salvatorem. Unusually for someone whose family had converted from Judaism to Protestant Christianity, this is a Catholic work, with a text by St Thomas Aquinas. Sung in English, it featured both choir and soloists who once again gave exemplary performances, particularly the soprano.
The concert was accompanied on the organ by Neil Kelley with Music Director Nick Austin conducting, and once again the choir were arranged in a way that clearly defined their voices.
Aylesbury Festival Choir will be back in April with a programme of opera choruses. This friendly choir is always happy to welcome new singers -  if you would like to join, see this website for further information.
Joss O’Kelly
'A Sprig of Thyme' - Saturday 22nd April 2017
Aylesbury Festival Choir was back at the Methodist Church on Saturday April 22nd with a concert entitled Sprig of Thyme: An English Idyll. As with other recent concerts, the programme was made up of a selection of short pieces, this time comprising songs with a Spring/Summer feel, most also rural but some with a sea theme.
But wait! The new Music Director, Nick Austin, eschewed the usual dress code for a snazzy waistcoat (I hope we will be seeing further examples in future concerts) and even more discombobulating, the choir was rearranged with the men centre front, and the ladies arranged around them. This worked brilliantly -  the audience could hear the difference it made straight away, with all four voice types really well defined.
The evening began with a beautifully arranged and performed Sumer is Icumen In, followed by a lovely rendition of Stanford’s The Blue Bird.
For the rest of the first half the choir was joined by the excellent bass baritone David Ireland who introduced and sang several solos and other songs shared between him and the choir. These included a lovely version of O Waly Waly and Vaughan Williams’ Linden Lea. John Ireland’s Sea Fever began a section of seafaring and pirate songs, some dramatic and others humorous.
For the second half, the choir sang The Sprig of Thyme, folk songs arranged by John Rutter, comprising seven songs, three of which were sung by the whole choir, two by the ladies and two by the men.  The ladies’ Sprig of Thyme and the men’s Down by the Sally Gardens were particularly outstanding.
The most enjoyable programme came to a rousing conclusion with Widdicombe Fair.
'Bach to Rutter' - Saturday 26th November 2016
Aylesbury Festival Choir’s concert on Saturday November 26th took place as usual in the Methodist Church, and, like the Spring concert was a pick and mix of short pieces, a format that works very well for them, providing variety for both the choir and audience.
Entitled ‘Bach to Rutter: Four Centuries of Sacred Music’, the programme of short choral pieces included works by five composers active in the centuries before Bach and brought us right up to date with composers still working today.
The programme was divided into four groups of four works, and care had evidently gone into their order, resulting in a pleasing mixture of music from different times and different countries, some with simple melodies and others more complex.
The choir was on great form and had no trouble at all with the variety and intricacy of the music on offer -  I particularly enjoyed Monteverdi’s Cantate Domino, the two pieces by Anton Bruckner, Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus, the pieces by Tallis, Bach and Byrd and the final section which included Howard Goodall’s setting of The Lord is my Shepherd.
I was also delighted to note a counter tenor amongst the altos -  my favourite voice and the first time I’ve heard it in Aylesbury!
Some of the pieces were accompanied by the excellent Daniel Moult on the organ and he also performed two solo works, Saint-Säens’ Benédiction Nuptiale and the Imperial March, no, not that one, but composed by Sir Edward Elgar.
The guest conductor for the evening was Harry Ogg, an extremely talented young man with a flourishing professional career, who is surely destined to go far.
Aylesbury Festival Choir’s next concert, in April, will see the first appearance of the new Music Director, Nick Austin, and will feature a programme of seasonal English music.
Joss O’Kelly
'Songs and Sonnets' - Saturday 16th April 2016
This year marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and the 90th birthday of the present Queen Elizabeth, and Aylesbury Festival Choir’s response to these events came in the form of a delightful concert at the Methodist Church on Saturday April 16th.
AFC fielded a chamber-sized choir which was just right for the predominantly 16th-17th century songs by the likes of Tallis, Byrd, Dowland and Morley, as well as allowing the listener to appreciate what fine singers they are. Particularly lovely were Byrd’s Ave Verum Corpus, Dowland’s Come Again and the less well known John Bennet’s Weep, O Mine Eyes.
Bringing things more up to date with modern composers’ takes on the Renaissance repertoire, there were songs scored by Nils Lindberg, John Rutter and George Shearing, the latter adding a jazz feel to Shakespeare’s words. I must admit I have never “got” jazz, so the Shearing interpretations were my least favourite parts of the concert!
There was variety too in the accompaniment to the songs -  some unaccompanied, some accompanied by pianist Stephen Meakins, some by piano and the bass of Kate Addis and others, on recorders of various sizes and tones, by the excellent Galliard Band, who also played a number of pieces by Susato, Anthony Holborne, Praetorius and others.
The programme was completed by entertaining readings from two fine actors, Claire Winsper and Richard Henders, both of whom have appeared in productions at the Old Vic and the National Theatre.  A number of Shakespeare’s sonnets were included, along with familiar speeches from As You Like It, Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a bit of sparring between Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado and a speech made by Queen Elizabeth I to placate a disgruntled Parliament.
Clearly a lot of thought had gone into the programme, so congratulations are due to whoever put it together, along with all the performers.
On a sad note this concert marked the last appearance with AFC for Musical Director James Davey owing to his many other commitments. I wish him well for the future and look forward to a new chapter for Aylesbury Festival Choir.
Joss O’Kelly
Faure 'Requiem' and Rutter 'Mass of the Children' - Saturday 28th November 2015
Aylesbury Festival Choir presented a delightful programme of something familiar and something new for its concert on 28th November 2015 at Aylesbury Methodist Church.
The choir’s smart appearance and professional stage presentation, led to the expectation of a great performance and the audience was not disappointed.
Under conductor James Davey the concert opened with Fauré’s Requiem accompanied by organ (Daniel Moult) and harp (Jenny Broome).  This Requiem is different from others in that the emphasis is on requiem (rest) and this tenderness and calm came across really well throughout the work.   For those not familiar with the text it was helpful to have the English translation in the programme although the choir’s diction was very clear. The singers also responded well to the conductor’s requests for changes in dynamic.
The choice of harp for the accompaniment was inspired particularly in the Sanctus where it danced quietly beneath the chorus providing some very special moments. The soloists, Sara Brimer Davey (soprano) and Will Dawes (Baritone) were excellent and the soprano did full justice to the beautiful Pie Jesu solo. Congratulations to the Tenor section who did their best to provide a strong entry to the Agnus Dei despite being only 6 in number.
After the interval Thame Children’s Choir and Aylesbury Festival Ensemble joined the platform for Rutter’s Mass of the Children, a work for both adult and children’s choirs.   The adults sang the traditional Mass in Latin with the children singing the sub-theme in English.  The young singers were amazing!  Trained by Duncan Aspden and Alison Green they knew the work well and gave a confident and accomplished performance.  Giving only the briefest glance at their books, otherwise watching the conductor all the time and never missing an entry.   For such young children they did not appear to be at all fazed by the occasion and their behaviour was impeccable.
The two soloists blended particularly well in the Domine Deus duet and the final Dona Nobis Pacem with both choirs, soloists and ensemble all taking part to make an impressive end to a very enjoyable concert.
Barbara Fell
Jenkins' 'The Armed Man' - Saturday 29th November 2014

Staged jointly with Aylesbury Choral Society at the Waterside Theatre
In common with the rest of the country, Buckinghamshire has been commemorating the centenary of the start of the First World War. Numerous community groups have been taking part and, as one of the main emphases has been engaging young people, schools have been learning about the war, visiting the Western Front, producing art, music and poetry reflecting the conflict and researching family members who took part.
The foyer of the Waterside Theatre on Saturday November 29th housed an exhibition of some of the excellent work done by Buckinghamshire schools, which was also featured in the magazine Aylesbury Vale Remembers. My only criticism is the haste with which this exhibition was removed by the end of the concert - many of us had little opportunity to see it all.
The concert itself was on a huge scale and featured two choirs – Aylesbury Festival Choir and Aylesbury Choral Society, the 60 piece Oxford Festival Orchestra, with a large percussion section, recruited from across Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire and five soloists conducted by James Davey, together with the Aylesbury Youth Orchestra conducted by Tom Horn.
The opening work, Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant us Peace) was written in 1936 when the First World War was still fresh in people’s memories and fears were mounting that there would be a repeat performance. The text is taken from various sources including the Latin mass, poetry by Walt Whitman and a speech given in opposition to the Crimean War. As befits the subject it is a powerful piece with little of the folksy lyricism of Vaughan Williams’ more familiar music but it was well performed and received.
The main forces then took a break and Aylesbury Youth Orchestra performed two short and well loved pieces of music - Walton’s Crown Imperial and Elgar’s Nimrod. The playing was excellent throughout and Nimrod was particularly moving.
The main event came after the interval with a wonderful performance of Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. Aylesbury Festival Choir performed this work two years ago at the Methodist Church, which being a considerably smaller venue necessitated a “lite” version. Nevertheless it was a memorable evening and the opportunity to hear it with full forces was not to be missed.
Like Dona Nobis Pacem, The Armed Man uses various sources for its texts but ranges even wider, from the medieval L’Homme Armé, via the Call to Prayer, beautifully sung by Imam Amran Ellahi, poetry by Kipling, a piece describing the bombing of Hiroshima, an extract from the Mahabharata to a verse from Revelations.
This was a fantastic performance that had the full house riveted from start to finish and congratulations are due to all who took part.
Joss O’Kelly