Hardynge is the ancient name for Harpenden, dating from when it was a farming hamlet growing wheat for the nearby manor of Wheathampstead. The choir's name and logo symbolise these enduring connections.

The Hardynge Choir started in 1966 and continues to provide a challenging outlet for singers wishing to perform mainstream choral works alongside inventive programming and the commissioning of new repertoire. The choir currently has 55 members.  

There are no formal individual auditions for entry or ongoing membership.  We believe that singing should be taken seriously and worked at hard, but above all it should be fun and open to as many people as possible.

Three or four concerts are given each year, usually with professional orchestras and soloists.

 

Next Event

Our next event is a free workshop on Haydn’s The Creation on Sunday 19 June 2-5pm at Homewood Road URC, St Albans.  The conductor, John Gibbons will conduct the work in the St Albans St Cecilia Festival Society concert in October.

 Music and refreshments will be provided.

Exsultate, Jubilate

On Saturday 26 March Hardynge Choir gave their Spring concert Exsultate, Jubilate in St Saviour's Church, St Albans.  In the last week before the concert many choir members dropped out owing to Covid, but fortunately the gaps were filled by some fine singers from other choirs.  We were also very fortunate to have four excellent soloists in the Nelson Mass, and the Hertfordshire Classical Orchestra who played magnificently on period instruments.

The concert opened with a bang with a performance of Bach's Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! (Resound, ye drums! Ring out, ye trumpets!).  This was a resounding birthday anthem for the Queen of Poland made more exciting by the brilliant playing of the orchestra.  This was followed by Mozart's Exsultate, Jubilate. This is a very popular motet for soprano solo, beautifully and sensitively sung by Charlotte-Anne Shipley.  The first part of the concert ended on a high with Haydn's Te Deum, a magnificent choral drama in three parts.

After the interval we were joined by Charlotte-Anne Shipley; Kate Symonds-Joy, Mezzo-soprano; Philip Salmon, Tenor; and Alex Jones, Bass, who replaced Angus McPhee at short notice. We gave a magnificent performance of Haydn's Nelson Mass. Haydn named this fine work “Mass for troubled times” (quite appropriate at present): it only acquired its present title after Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar.

The audience, which was a good size given worries about Covid, greatly enjoyed the evening, as did choir members. This was generally considered to be one of our best concerts, greatly enhanced by the fabulous soloists and magnificent Hertfordshire Classical Orchestra.

Next Concert

Our next concert The Creation is a St Albans St Cecilia Festival Society concert which will take place at Cathedral and Abbey Church of Saint Alban on Saturday 15 October 2022 at 7:30pm.  The concert will feature Heartwood Wilding by James Francis Brown (commissioned to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of  St Albans Symphony Orchestra) and Haydn’s The Creation.