On Saturday, March 8th, acclaimed Newbury choral singers The Cecilia Consort will be heralding the approach of spring with their concert at St John’s Church Newbury. The programme celebrates the beauty of life and the natural world as we move from winter towards the longer, warmer and brighter days of summer.
At the heart of the programme are Patrick Hawes’ Blue Bird variations. Based on Stanford’s famed 1910 setting, these exemplify Hawes’ reputation for beautiful harmonies, effortlessly evoking lake, birds and sky.
The mellow tones of the soprano saxophone will feature on James Whitbourn’s Son of God Mass, and a jazz trio will provide the bossa nova beats for Bob Chilcott’s Samba Mass.
The programme is completed by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo’s luminous Ubi Caritas and two pieces by Eric Whitacre, a great favourite with Cecilia Consort singers and audiences.
Doors will open in readiness for a 7.30pm start and tickets are priced at £15 for adults and £5 for under 18s.