Innovative Echo challenge preconceptions associated with choral music at Douai Abbey: take a listen here
There’s another Music at Douai choral concert coming up, organised by soon-to-depart-to-Stratford-upon-Avon Fr Oliver Holt.
Fr Oliver has brought many top quality choirs and ensembles to the fine acoustic of the Abbey church for decades now, helping to build Douai’s fine reputation for music. He has for many years, too, been one of the Newbury Weekly News team of reviewers. He will be a great loss to the local music community, but we wish him luck in his new venture and say “Thank you for the music Oliver”.
Echo is a vocal ensemble made up of young professional singers from across the UK.
As a group, they explore the full range of what ensemble singing means - working both with and without a conductor, including improvisation in each concert and performing music both inside and outside of the Western classical canon.
The group came together through Genesis Sixteen, the prestigious Young Artists Scheme run by The Sixteen.
They aim to produce accessible, innovative performances of the highest quality, while challenging some of the preconceptions and traditions that can be associated with choral music. Alongside the obvious acoustic implications, the name stems from the idea of art being a reflection of society and politics.
You can hear them at Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, next Sunday afternoon (October 27) at 3.30pm. Sarah Latto will conduct the singers in Innocence: a programme of music by Rattan, Purcell, Palestrina and Hildegard of Bingen.
Take a listen to the singers here:
Sarah Latto conducted the Paragon Singers at Douai Abbey in June in the joint concert with Het Lelikoor from Amsterdam which featured Tallis' Spem in Alium. She returns with her professional choir Echo, performing items from their debut programme at The Wigmore Hall in July.
For more information about the choir, visit their website: https://www.echo-choir.com
Book tickets at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/echo-vocal-ensemble-innocence-tickets-954856851547?aff=oddtdtcreator They are priced £20 (£10 under-30s).
