Wednesday 8 December 2021 at 8pm
St John of Jerusalem Church, Hackney
Victoria Park Singers conducted by Hannah Brine
Jonathan Williams pianist
For the safety of all audience and choir members, please wear a face covering unless you are medically exempt and keep your distance from anyone not in your household if possible. Audience capacity has been reduced compared to previous years so there should be plenty of room to space out. Please ensure your phone and any other electronic devices are switched to silent. Enjoy the concert!
This concert is given in support of St Joseph’s Hospice.
Programme
Sleigh Ride Leroy Anderson, lyrics by Mitchell Parish
Coventry Carol From the Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors
God only knows Brian Wilson and Tony Asher
The Story Phil Hanseroth (from Grey’s Anatomy TV series)
Sung by Niall Cosgrave
Heartwood From The Lost Words Spell Songs arr. Colin Douglas
Let It Be Lennon/McCartney
Sung by Neha Doshi
River Joni Mitchell
Sung by Caitlin Goodale
Scarborough Fair Traditional arr. Kerry Marsh
Cozy little Christmas Katy Perry, Ferras Alqaisi and Greg Wells
Sung by Michael Hyatt
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Meredith Wilson, arr. Mac Huff
Sung by the Hot Chestnutz
Adam Lay Y Bounden Boris Ord
Dirait-on Morten Lauridsen
Please join us in singing
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
1. We wish you a merry Christmas
we wish you a merry Christmas
we wish you a merry Christmas
and a happy New Year!
Good tidings we bring, to you and your kin
We wish you a merry Christmas
and a happy New Year.
2. Now bring us some figgy pudding
now bring us some figgy pudding
now bring us some figgy pudding
and bring some out here.
Good tidings we bring, to you and your kin
We wish you a merry Christmas
and a happy New Year.
3. For we all like figgy pudding;
we all like figgy pudding;
we all like figgy pudding;
so bring some out here!
Good tidings we bring, to you and your kin
We wish you a merry Christmas
and a happy New Year.
4. And we won’t go until we’ve got some;
we won’t go until we’ve got some;
and we won’t go until we’ve got some
so bring some out here!
Good tidings we bring, to you and your kin
We wish you a merry Christmas
and a happy New Year!
The Twelve Days of Christmas arr. John Rutter
Victoria Park Singers
Victoria Park Singers is a 100-strong community choir formed by Hannah Brine in 2013. We are proud to have a no audition policy, yet are not afraid to tackle ambitious new choral works as well as music from the pop, gospel, folk and jazz genres. We have performed across London, including at the Union Chapel, Southbank Centre, St John at Hackney, Rich Mix and the the Museum of Childhood and since forming we have raised around £20,000 for charity. Ladies from our choir were lucky enough to perform as the opening act for the 2017 Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall with Gary Barlow & the cast of his musical The Girls, having performed the previous November at the Royal Variety Show. Choir members have also recently been spotted performing in the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall this summer (Prom 66: In the Name of the Earth) and on BT Sport, being ‘conducted’ by football legend Gary Lineker. In 2020 we graced the Barbican stage, together with the LSO orchestra and a massed choir to perform Andre Thomas’ Symphonic Gospel Spirit. Our spring term starts on Wednesday January 19th and new members are welcome. 2022 sees us singing Fauré’s Requiem with Docklands Sinfonia.
Hannah Brine
Originally from Leicester, Hannah founded Finsbury Park Singers, Kensington Singers, Victoria Park Singers and the ITV office choir. She coached the choir for, and sang with, Gary Barlow for his 2016 Royal Variety performance and his 2017 Olivier Awards, for which he was the opening act, and also performed with Gary on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. Her session credits include Disney, Upstart Crow and various dance releases. She has taught at Mountview Theatre Academy of Performing Arts, as well as studying on the Estill Voice Model Certified Master Teacher programme with Anne Marie Speed. She has an LRSM distinction in choral conducting and in 2015 was named a BBC Unsung Hero for her work with choirs.
Hannah launches her EP A Piece of My Heart at The Pheasantry, Chelsea on January 21st. Her work over lockdown has seen her tracks feature on new British radio soap opera Greenborne, starring John Altman (Eastenders’ Nasty Nick Cotton). She can also be found composing for choirs. Her piece Winter Lark, written during the 2020 pandemic which was turned into a virtual choir release, was premiered on Scala Radio, and Ray of Sunlight was recently performed by the London Symphony Orchestra’s Discovery Youth Choir.
Jonathan Williams – pianist
Jonathan Williams read music at the University of Cambridge, receiving a BA (Hons) and MPhil, before going to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music. Since then, he has worked as an actor, singer and musical director for numerous productions in the West End, the UK and Europe. He has been a musical director for the Royal Shakespeare Company and worked on its recent productions of The Shoemaker’s Holiday, Oppenheimer, Doctor Faustus, Don Quixote and The Alchemist. Jonathan also works regularly for the education departments of the Royal Opera, Wigmore Hall and English National Opera, providing workshops for children, students and families.
Acknowledgements
A huge thanks to all the singers involved in tonight’s concert for their hard work. An especially big thank you goes to the team of volunteers from the choir who have helped make this event possible.
Thanks to the staff at St John of Jerusalem Church and our rehearsal venue, Lauriston School, and to you, our lovely audience, for supporting us.