SOUTHREPPS CHORALE

Candlelit Christmas Concert

Saturday 10 December 2022, 7.30pm,
St. Botolph’s Church, TRUNCH

Southrepps Chorale, under their director, Stephen Richards, brought two colourful and tuneful musical works perfect for pre-Christmas celebration.

Snow Angel (Sarah Quartel, 2014).
Angels are central figures in many religions and are often messengers between earth and heaven. We see their depictions and images in art, literature, and music dating back thousands of years. Canadian composer Sarah Quartel uses her music to enhance the story of three angels, who will tell their stories to you. Snow Angel weaves together stories of love and light, rebirth and rejuvenation, and highlights the strength and beauty a child’s voice can bring to our often-troubled world.

A Light in the Stable (Alan Bullard, 2015).
A Light in the Stable tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, using a mixture of readings, new settings of familiar poems, choral settings of traditional carols, and carols in which you the audience can join in. Much of it is based around fragments of the traditional plainsong melody ‘Of our Father’s (or Maker’s) love begotten, which we hear complete at the beginning and end.  And by happy chance, some carols will fit together quite nicely: the two tunes of ‘Away in a Manger’ combined; ‘While Shepherd’s Watched’ juxtaposed with ‘O Tell it on the Mountain’; ‘The First Nowell’ combines with ‘Of our Father’s love begotten’, and fragments of other well-known carols permeate the music. 

Southrepps Chorale is a community choir founded by Musical Director, Stephen Richards in 2011.  
He is a well-known Norfolk musician, B.Mus. LGSM.  After a career in music publishing, Stephen is active in music making as a conductor of choirs and music theatre and as a performer and teacher of clarinet and saxophone. Southrepps Chorale maintains a close relationship with the beautiful church of St. James of Southrepps and performs as a church choir in some key village events such as The Royal Jubilee, Remembrance Sunday and  at Christmas. 

Southrepps village is famous for its own music festival and the Chorale takes part each year, joined by professional soloists. In August 2022 Southrepps Chorale with great success performed at the festival with a programme of British choral music, including Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs and a new work, The Bravest Man.

The  Chorale has sung in Binham priory, St. Matthew’s Church, Ealing, London, The Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich, The Lighthouse in Sheringham, Gresham’s School Chapel, and other churches in Norfolk, including St. Botolph’s in Trunch.

In December 2019 at St. Botolph’s Church in Trunch Southrepps Chorale gave a fantastic performance of one act comic opera “Trial by Jury” by Gilbert and Sullivan). In December 2022 they are returning to Trunch. 

The concert included  evocative and interesting music that explores themes of love, rebirth, and beauty.