An RSS feed (or news feed) is a means by which you can stay informed about what's going on at The Hardynge Choir without having to regularly visit the website.
To make use of an RSS feed, you need some "feed reader" (or "aggregator") software. Most modern web browsers have feed readers built in.
The RSS feeds for The Hardynge Choir are listed below...
The Hardynge Choir upcoming events:
https://www.hardyngechoir.org/dbaction.php?action=rss&dbase=events
The Hardynge Choir news:
https://www.hardyngechoir.org/dbaction.php?action=rss&dbase=uploads
To make use of an RSS feed, you need some "feed reader" (or "aggregator") software. Most modern web browsers have feed readers built in.
The RSS feeds for The Hardynge Choir are listed below...
The Hardynge Choir upcoming events:
https://www.hardyngechoir.org/dbaction.php?action=rss&dbase=events
The Hardynge Choir news:
https://www.hardyngechoir.org/dbaction.php?action=rss&dbase=uploads
Past Performances
Our repertoire is mainly choral mainstream, with a strong emphasis on ecclesiastical works, but there is some variety, particularly for the summer concert, which may feature lighter music and folk songs, and the annual carol concert where the audience joins us in singing a number of well known carols.
The following are snapshots of the webpages of a few recent concerts.
20 April 2024 - Great Cathedral Anthems
18 December 2023 - Christmas in Blue
23 September 2023 - Our Fair Ladies
25 March 2023 - Spring Concert
Clicking on the dates at the head of the following sections will give further details of the concerts performed during those periods.
Rufus Frowde joined us as new Musical Director In May 2011, and opened his tenure with the choir with a magnificent performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah at a St Albans St Cecilia Society Concert in St Albans Abbey on 22 October 2011. The concert received a glowing review by John Manning - read review (© 2011 Herts Advertiser).
We were very honoured that Sasha Johnson Manning wrote The Hardynge Seasons based on five seasonal poems specially for us: we gave the first performance in November 2012, accompanied by Matthew Woodward, piano. The concert received a positive review by Neil Buick - read review (© 2012 Herts Advertiser). We were delighted that Sasha Johnson Manning agreed to be our first Honorary President.
The Christmas Concert in our 50th Anniversary year, on 10 December 2016, included Britten’s St Nicolas Cantata, performed in St Nicholas Church, Harpenden. That concert also included the first performance of a new version of Ring Out, Wild Bells written for us by our Honorary President, Sasha Johnson Manning.
We gave a very exciting performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, in the two piano and percussion version, on 14 October 2018 at the Sandpit Theatre, Sandringham School, St Albans. Early in the following year, on 06 April 2019, we performed Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle in the original two pianos and harmonium version. In both of those concerts Matthew Woodward played the major piano part. The highpoint of 2019 was an exciting performance of Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony, as part of the St Cecilia Festival Society concert in St Albans Cathedral on 12 October: the concert received a positive review by John Manning - read review (© 2019 Herts Advertiser).
Along with many other music societies our activities were severly limited by Covid. Four concerts were postponed, and although we could not meet to rehearse we kept together by rehearsing via Zoom. When we could meet again we rehearsed in St Saviour's Church, but widely separated from one another. In August 2021 we ventured to run a workshop featuring Fauré's Requiem and Cantique de Jean Racine; this was closely followed by the reinstated Earthly Rose concert and then Sanctus, both featuring the Fauré works. We ended the year with Love Came Down at Christmas, our traditional Christmas Concert with a selection of carols for choir and audience. In this concert and later Christmas concerts we were delighted by Richard Hills' improvised organ solo on Christmas melodies.
In 2023 we expored Hertfordshire's rich musical and literary heritage in Our Fair Ladies, which included the premier of Three Songs by our Honorary President, Jasha Johnson Manning, we wer delighted that she joined us to hear her work. We were joined by Markyate Village School Choir for a lively performance of The Wicked Lady by Richard Sisson.
Rufus directed his last concert The Dawning of the Day on Saturday 29 June 2024; that concert was followed by a farewell party, He is now Music Director of English Chamber Choir, one of London’s leading and busiest vocal ensembles: we wished him every success.
The concerts we have put on during Catherine Beddison’s Directorship, since January 2007 include an exciting performance of Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: that concert included Dufay’s Missa L'homme armé, which uses the same C14 popular tune. We have also sung Carter’s Benedicite and Chilcott’s Singing by Numbers, and the piano and harmonium version of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle.
We sang The Manchester Carols composed by Sasha Johnson Manning, to poems by Carol Ann Duffy, for the 2010 Carol Concert, under our Interim Music Director, Mark Jordan. This was one of the first performances of this delightful work outside Manchester.
Roderick McPhee was Music Director from 1992 to 2006. Highlights of his direction of the choir include well known works such as J S Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Mozart’s Requiem and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, and less well known works such as Britten’s St Nicholas and Rossini’s little known but glorious Messa di Gloria.
Also of note was the St Cecilia Festival Society concert in St Albans Cathedral on 12 October 2002, in which Rod directed a very exciting performance of Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast.
Our 40th Anniversary Year, the final year of Rod’s Directorship, was marked with two special concerts. Firstly we gave the premier performance of a specially commissioned work, Magnificat, by Philip Tebbs, and the year ended on a high with a glorious performance of Handel’s Messiah (complete) in St Albans Cathedral.
David Ireson founded The Hardynge Choir. His Directorship covered a very wide variety of interesting and popular works, such as Handel’s Messiah, and some which were quite challenging, such as Beethoven’s Mass in C major.
The following are snapshots of the webpages of a few recent concerts.
20 April 2024 - Great Cathedral Anthems
18 December 2023 - Christmas in Blue
23 September 2023 - Our Fair Ladies
25 March 2023 - Spring Concert
Clicking on the dates at the head of the following sections will give further details of the concerts performed during those periods.
2011 to 2024
Rufus Frowde joined us as new Musical Director In May 2011, and opened his tenure with the choir with a magnificent performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah at a St Albans St Cecilia Society Concert in St Albans Abbey on 22 October 2011. The concert received a glowing review by John Manning - read review (© 2011 Herts Advertiser).
We were very honoured that Sasha Johnson Manning wrote The Hardynge Seasons based on five seasonal poems specially for us: we gave the first performance in November 2012, accompanied by Matthew Woodward, piano. The concert received a positive review by Neil Buick - read review (© 2012 Herts Advertiser). We were delighted that Sasha Johnson Manning agreed to be our first Honorary President.
The Christmas Concert in our 50th Anniversary year, on 10 December 2016, included Britten’s St Nicolas Cantata, performed in St Nicholas Church, Harpenden. That concert also included the first performance of a new version of Ring Out, Wild Bells written for us by our Honorary President, Sasha Johnson Manning.
We gave a very exciting performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, in the two piano and percussion version, on 14 October 2018 at the Sandpit Theatre, Sandringham School, St Albans. Early in the following year, on 06 April 2019, we performed Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle in the original two pianos and harmonium version. In both of those concerts Matthew Woodward played the major piano part. The highpoint of 2019 was an exciting performance of Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony, as part of the St Cecilia Festival Society concert in St Albans Cathedral on 12 October: the concert received a positive review by John Manning - read review (© 2019 Herts Advertiser).
Along with many other music societies our activities were severly limited by Covid. Four concerts were postponed, and although we could not meet to rehearse we kept together by rehearsing via Zoom. When we could meet again we rehearsed in St Saviour's Church, but widely separated from one another. In August 2021 we ventured to run a workshop featuring Fauré's Requiem and Cantique de Jean Racine; this was closely followed by the reinstated Earthly Rose concert and then Sanctus, both featuring the Fauré works. We ended the year with Love Came Down at Christmas, our traditional Christmas Concert with a selection of carols for choir and audience. In this concert and later Christmas concerts we were delighted by Richard Hills' improvised organ solo on Christmas melodies.
In 2023 we expored Hertfordshire's rich musical and literary heritage in Our Fair Ladies, which included the premier of Three Songs by our Honorary President, Jasha Johnson Manning, we wer delighted that she joined us to hear her work. We were joined by Markyate Village School Choir for a lively performance of The Wicked Lady by Richard Sisson.
Rufus directed his last concert The Dawning of the Day on Saturday 29 June 2024; that concert was followed by a farewell party, He is now Music Director of English Chamber Choir, one of London’s leading and busiest vocal ensembles: we wished him every success.
2007-2010
The concerts we have put on during Catherine Beddison’s Directorship, since January 2007 include an exciting performance of Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: that concert included Dufay’s Missa L'homme armé, which uses the same C14 popular tune. We have also sung Carter’s Benedicite and Chilcott’s Singing by Numbers, and the piano and harmonium version of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle.
We sang The Manchester Carols composed by Sasha Johnson Manning, to poems by Carol Ann Duffy, for the 2010 Carol Concert, under our Interim Music Director, Mark Jordan. This was one of the first performances of this delightful work outside Manchester.
1992-2006
Roderick McPhee was Music Director from 1992 to 2006. Highlights of his direction of the choir include well known works such as J S Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Mozart’s Requiem and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, and less well known works such as Britten’s St Nicholas and Rossini’s little known but glorious Messa di Gloria.
Also of note was the St Cecilia Festival Society concert in St Albans Cathedral on 12 October 2002, in which Rod directed a very exciting performance of Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast.
Our 40th Anniversary Year, the final year of Rod’s Directorship, was marked with two special concerts. Firstly we gave the premier performance of a specially commissioned work, Magnificat, by Philip Tebbs, and the year ended on a high with a glorious performance of Handel’s Messiah (complete) in St Albans Cathedral.
1966-1992
David Ireson founded The Hardynge Choir. His Directorship covered a very wide variety of interesting and popular works, such as Handel’s Messiah, and some which were quite challenging, such as Beethoven’s Mass in C major.
