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The Durham Singers, a versatile chamber choir of around 40 voices, performs an
eclectic repertory from the Renaissance to the present day. In recent years, the
choir has specialized in English Renaissance and Romantic music, both sacred and secular,
as well as contemporary works by composers such as Julian Anderson, Paul Spicer, and
Ken Burton.
Members of the choir join by audition and are brought together by a shared passion
for singing, aiming to communicate that passion to their audiences through engaged
and musical performances of the highest possible standard. The emphasis is always
on enjoying the experience of making music in a group, and working together to produce
a truly exciting performance. In that spirit, as part of the regular rehearsal schedule,
the musical director has inaugurated a series of workshops with choral specialists,
most recently with the conductor James Burton.
The choir is funded by ticket sales and subscriptions, and gratefully acknowledges the
support received this year from The Arts Council and the Sir James Knott Trust.
Today and Tomorrow
Our ambition as a choir is to challenge and excite audiences in recitals that combine
works of different styles to take the listener on a musical and emotional journey.
Recent programmes have woven together Renaissance motets, Negro spirituals, English
romantic partsongs, and contemporary pieces.
When we join forces with young, local soloists and our period instrument players,
we seek to recapture the spirit of singers and players from the eighteenth century
for whom works such as Messiah or the St John Passion had an immediate
cultural and religious significance. This depth of musical commitment combined with the
virtuosity of our players has given our performances a special quality, recognised
around our region, and has inspired us to focus in greater detail on our own
technique as singers.
On the basis of our successful artistic collaborations we have started to build
relationships with schools and new audiences, in order to show a wider range of
people the excitement that comes from high-quality music-making.
New members
The choir wants to continue being refreshed by new ideas, new music, and above
all new members. These will be people who already have some experience as singers
and who want to share in this broad, exciting musical tradition, helping us champion
new music alongside music from the last 500 years; essentially we want to work
with people who share our core aim of making each and every concert a special,
moving occasion for all, audiences and performers alike.
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The Durham Singers Ensemble is made up of professional musicians from around the
country, led by the eminent violinist and composer Duncan Druce. The ensemble
accompanies the choir on period instruments for performances when required. Recent
collaborations have included Handel's Messiah and a well-received performance of
Bach's B minor Mass; a performance of Mozart's Requiem is planned for
November 2012.
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