The Choir: Military Wives on BBC Two
The Choir: Military Wives, presented by Gareth Malone, is currently showing on BBC Two on Mondays at 9pm. The series includes music by Eric Whitacre and Paul Mealor.
Choirmaster Gareth Malone has formed a new choir of military wives at RMB Chivenor in north Devon while their husbands deploy to Afghanistan for a six-month tour of duty.
The choir's first public performance was a triumph, singing to the local community of Barnstaple, and now Gareth wants his choir to spread and help wives on other bases across the country. He heads to nearby Plymouth, whose troops are suffering fatalities out in Afghanistan. Though Gareth is concerned whether singing in a choir can really help at such a sensitive time, he's overwhelmed by eager new recruits and organises a joint performance for his choirs to sing on Armed Forces Day on the Plymouth seafront.
Gareth must manage emotions that ride high as the two choirs struggle to combine, and then he has to persuade them they are good enough to spread their message further and sing together at Sandhurst Officer Training Academy to get the seal of approval from the military establishment's top brass.
The Choir
Every season is a busy one for choral music in the Music Sales catalogues. This season brings several new works, and a new composer to Novello – Paul Mealor.
Listen to a complete concert of music by Paul Mealor this Thursday on Classic FM at 8pm, sung by Tenebrae (above) directed by Nigel Short. Mealor's new album A Tender Light is released on Decca on November 14.
Browse through our choral leaflets online to see all our new repertoire:
New Choral Titles 2011
Novello New Choral SeriesNew Choral Engravings
Choral Sampler 2011
Choirbook for the Queen
Showcasing the Excellence in Choral Writing
This new choirbook, published by Canterbury Press, will be launched at a service in Southwark Cathedral, London on 22 November on 5.30pm. It includes music by Richard Allain, Richard Rodney Bennett, Peter Maxwell Davies, John Joubert, Tarik O'Regan, Francis Pott, and many more.
Novello 200 day at the Royal College of Music
Following in the footsteps of the successful gala concert at the Southbank Centre in September, the Royal College of Music in London are celebrating 200 years of the Novello publishing house with a number of talks and exhibitions.
The distinguished list of speakers include Peter Horton, David Wright, Richard Chesser, and Fiona Palmer, offering insights into the foundation of the firm, its place in music printing and the importance of Watkins Shaw’s famous Messiah edition. The forum is followed by a wine reception and an exhibition of associated material from the RCM and British Libraries.
This fascinating evening will take place on the 24th November in the East Parry Room. Reserve your free place at the college's website.
Lennox Berkeley day at the Royal Academy of Music
Sunday 20 November 2011, 2:30 pm
David Josefowitz Recital Hall
The final Berkeley Day focuses on two facets of Lennox Berkeley’s life; his time as a student and his work as a teacher when he was professor of composition here at the Royal Academy of Music. At the centre of the afternoon is distinguished guest, and former Berkeley pupil, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. Today’s events, in association with the Lennox Berkeley Society, and with the generous support of Mr Noriyuki Ida, will explore and reflect the influence of Berkeley’s own teachers, as well as the influence he had on the generation of composers he taught, including Richard Rodney Bennett, John Tavener, Nicholas Maw and Brian Ferneyhough, as well as his own son, Michael Berkeley.
2.30pm: Master and Pupil
A round-table discussion with Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Michael Berkeley and Julian Berkeley exploring how composers teach composition. Studying under Lennox Berkeley at the Academy, Richard Rodney Bennett found his mentor’s teaching too traditional as he became increasingly interested in the European avant-garde. This afternoon’s discussion will focus on Nadia Boulanger, a figure key to Lennox Berkeley’s musical development, and will discuss how effective composers are as teachers, with contributions from Michael Berkeley, a student of both Bennett and Berkeley.
4pm: Concert
Lennox Berkeley Flute Sonatina Op.13
Michael Berkeley String Trio
Richard Rodney Bennett Summer Music
Lennox Berkeley Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano Op.44
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