Virtual Consort Group Concert
We invited singers from The Rodolfus Choir and participants from our 2020 Choral Courses to take part in our first Virtual Consort Group Competition! We created four groups with a director and producer within each to run the whole process themselves, right from the rehearsals to visual ideas for their final video. With guidance from Ralph Allwood, Pat Dunachie and Alexander James each group was assigned a piece and they set to work rehearsing, editing and performing! Each group did a brilliant job, and the panel chose 'Summertime' performed by the group 'Rhapsody in Flu' as the winner!
Virtual Solo Songs Recital
The Rodolfus Choir is full of some exceptionally talented young singers. With no way of showcasing this talent over the past few months, we asked them to send in a virtual performance so we could create this Solo Songs Recital. Grab a cup of tea, sit back and imagine you're in your favourite concert space and enjoy this selection of solo songs from members of The Rodolfus Choir.
Balfour Gardiner's Evening Hymn
Following a few months of virtual performances, online masterclasses and choral projects, we wanted to end the summer and start the new season with something special. Chosen by you, Henry Balfour Gardiner's 'Evening Hymn' came top of the online vote and we were joined by so many different singers to perform the piece. 'Evening Hymn' is Gardiner's most popular work and is a setting of the Latin compline hymn "Te lucis ante terminum" ("Thee, Lord, before the close of day").
Bruckner: Os justi
Members of the Rodolfus Choir and Choral Course 2020 Participants have been hard at work rehearsing with Ralph Allwood to put together the latest virtual project with The Rodolfus Foundation. 'Os justi' was composed by Anton Bruckner in 1879, and was one of around 40 motets Bruckner wrote during his life. Rehearsing on Zoom and submitting themselves singing, we had around 65 singers come together to work on this piece to create our latest video.
Parry: I Was Glad
One of the highlights from our Virtual Evensong was the anthem 'I Was Glad' by Hubert Parry, with the wonderful VOCES8 singing the semi-chorus. We received a number of requests to be able to listen and watch this part of the Evensong as a standalone performance - which was an excellent idea! Parry composed the piece for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902, and has been performed at a number of Royal weddings since.
Bainton: And I Saw a New Heaven
As with so many things this year, our Choral Courses were cancelled this summer. So we've been taking as much of it as possible online! Here is the first virtual performance from some of the young singers who were hoping to join us on one of the courses. Following rehearsals on Zoom, producer Alexander James collected all the submissions to create this virtual performance of Bainton's 'And I saw a new heaven'.
Christmas Celebration 2020
As many of us saw time with family and friends over Christmas cancelled, we wanted to put together a Christmas Celebration. We had some wonderful contributors including Charlie Trueman, Alexander Armstrong, Julian Ovenden, Roderick Williams OBE, John Rutter CBE and The Rev'd Lucy Winkett, along with members of The Rodolfus Choir.