Harpenden Choral Society has an established reputation for high quality performances with professional soloists and orchestras. We give four concerts a year including a carol concert and hold an open workshop or ‘Come and Sing’ event once a year. Most of our concerts are in the Harpenden area. Since our formation in 1975 the choir has grown from strength to strength and our repertoire now includes most of the major choral works as well as some lesser-known works and contemporary pieces.
FORTHCOMING CONCERT
Saturday 21st June 2025, 7.00pm
St Nicholas’ Church, Harpenden, AL5 2TP.
Joanna Forbes L’ Estrange: A Season to Sing
Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring
Bruckner: Ave Maria
Ireland: Greater Love
Tallis: If Ye Love Me
Tavener: A Song for Athene
Vaughan Williams: Lord Thou Hast Been Our Refuge
Our June concert features a newly published work entitled A Season to Sing by local vocalist and composer Joanna Forbes L’Estrange, whose career began with seven years as music director of the Swingle Singers. Harpenden Choral Society are proud to be a co-sponsor of her choral re-imagining of Vivaldi’s popular set of violin concertos, The Four Seasons in this, the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s famous, and ever-popular work.
Joanna has crafted a set of fourteen movements for four-part choir which are tuneful, very singable and atmospheric, bringing together a number of musical styles to form a very pleasing whole.
In addition to A Season to Sing, the choir will be performing a wide range of contrasting music including John Taverner’s Song for Athene, John Ireland’s motet Greater Love Hath No Man composed in 1912, Vaughan Williams’ anthem Lord, Thou Hast Been Our Refuge, and Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, originally a chorale from a cantata by J S Bach.