CHAIRMAN'S NEWSLETTER
Tyndale Choral Society creates a newsletter periodically to keep our friends, supporters and followers up-to-date with the activities and events.
Another near-capacity audience enjoyed our summer 2025 concert. We opened with the uplifting Hubert Parry anthem 'I Was Glad' - a fixture of every British coronation since George V, followed by the captivating (and challenging sing) of Poulenc's 'Gloria.'
The second half of our concert featured a unique event for Tyndale - a work we had proudly co-sponsored. 'A Season to Sing' is a wonderful choral re-imagining of Vivaldi's ever-popular 'Four Seasons' concerto by British composer Joanna Forbes L'Estrange. Our preparation for this included a workshop inwhich the composer herself led us, alongside our Music Director Ben Sawyer (see photo below).
'A Season to Sing' encapsulates Joanna's mission to create a body of tuneful, singable, well-crafted music which any choir can sing - and which any audience can appreciate. Incorporating as it does body percussion, Swingle-style scat singing, and whistling, the piece is nevertheless true to the spirit of the original, and proved to be a hugely enjoyable sing.
One of the piece's most notable aspects is the beautifully apt words Joanna selected to support the mood of the Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter sections. Variously, the text drew on biblical passages, madrigals, and English poetry, culminating in a finale composed by Joanna herself to the words of Ecclesiastes Chapter 3: 'To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.' Perfect.
The choir takes a summer break in August, but we are already rehearsing for our 65th anniversary concert in November. We celebrate by returning to the choir's first ever programme - Handel's 'Messiah.'
Magnus Carter
June 2025
