2012-2013

THIS SEASON demonstrates - The Power of a good choir to attract attention!!
After invitations in recent years to perform with Beth-Nielsen Chapman, St. Paul’s Cathedral, The Gorbachev Foundation, Star Wars, Robert Plant,
Sir Thomas Allen and TEDx Houses of Parliament,
this year - it’s BARBRA STREISAND!!
[Whatever next? Madonna??] well actually……

Season Highlights:

  • We take The King’s Bible on tour to Dublin!

  • Bach’s beautiful CHRISTMAS ORATORIO

  • A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL to promote our new CD.

  • OUR SECOND CONCERT of exclusively WOMEN COMPOSERS for INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY.

  • Tour to FRANCE Concerts in NICE and MONACO

  • THE LAST VESPERS

  • “THE POWER OF SINGING” - TEDX HOP II

  • FINAL DRUMMOND ERA EXTRAVAGANZA

Choir Membership 2012-2013

CONCERTS

OCTOBER 5th - 7th 2012

TOUR TO IRELAND

DUBLIN

Unitarian Church, Dublin

St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, Dublin

Thursday OCTOBER 18th 2012

THE GLORY OF
BRITISH SACRED CHORAL MUSIC

ST. MARTIN-IN-THE-FIELDS

Friday NOVEMBER 30th 2012

BACH - CHRISTMAS ORATORIO

ST. ALFÈGE, GREENWICH

DD Note: Last minute replacementMark Wilde was indisposed. We are grateful to Thomas Elwin for standing in as the Evangelist.

Thursday DECEMBER 19th 2012

NATIVITIE

ST. JAMES’S PICCADILLY

Friday MARCH 8th 2013

International Women’s Day II
FROM ANOTHER PLANET

ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH, HOLBORN

DD Note:I am very proud of the way this programme shaped up. In the first place the programme title clearly indicates a reference to the Men/Mars, Women/Venus prejudice that still infects programming bias towards men today. However, that title reminded me of a chamber piece for wind and piano that I had nearly programmed for a chamber orchestra a decade earlier - Judith Weir’s “Airs from Another Planet” and this in turn made me scheme as to how I might use those forces together with the choir. I already knew of Libby Larsen’s music and a publisher had sent me a score of Grace Williams brooding work for men’s choir which, as I played it through, instantly began to suggest wind scoring and I knew I would have to make an arrangement of it. And so I had a first half that suggested “otherness!” The rest of the programme simply added to the diversity, while holding to a theme – the shrieking folksy rumbustiousness of The Settling Years, contrasting with the unsettling modernity of Verba Ultima, the Lefanu work a quirky lyrical gem for women’s choir to offset the Williams, and it seemed like all the works had a natural pair in some way or another, right down to the encore with its contemporary message from the past! And London Oriana Choir tackled the huge stylistic range and difficulty of this programme with aplomb. They were in a good place.

Saturday APRIL 20th 2013

THE GLORY OF BRITISH SACRED CHORAL MUSIC

ALL SAINTS CHURCH, SURREY

MAY 4th - 5th 2013

A NICE TOUR - FRENCH RIVIERA

NICE & MONACO

ST. PAUL’S ANGLICAN, MONTECARLO

HOLY TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH, NICE

11AM - EUCHARIST SERVICE

8PM - CONCERT

Thursday MAY 9th 2013

RACHMANINOV - VESPERS

ST. STEPHEN’S, GLOUCESTER RD

JUNE 1st & 3rd 2013

BARBRA STREISAND LIVE

O2

Friday JUNE 14th 2013

TEDx - Houses of Parliament II

QUEEN ELIZABETH II CONFERENCE CENTRE

SINGING FROM THE SAME HYMN SHEET
The Power of the Collective Voice

Videos of Oriana’s Contribution

1: DIVIDED OR TOGETHER?

Humans take sides. Voices are often pitted against other, politically or on the sports field.
Here a divided audience is invited to experience this by clapping a familiar rhythm differentiated from the other side by a time-shift. This creates “tribal” tensions which eventually resolve and come together.

2: EVERYONE CAN SING!

Singing is ubiquitous. Everyday celebrations, community songs, worship, or just for pleasure.
Here the whole audience proves that everyone can sing by raising their voices to celebrate the first anniversary of TedX Houses of Parliament.

3: ONE SINGLE VOICE -
DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

Many people still do not live in democracies. Many democracies are threatened. So the privilege of an individual vote in a Democratic society should not be taken for granted.
Nor the power of a single voice to multiply and become a roar in defence of all human rights!
The Tallis Canon was a perfect medium to demonstrate voice on voice.
The audience were invited to join in, but due to time limit, without rehearsal!

4: THE ESTONIAN SINGING REVOLUTION

Singing from the same hymn sheet refers to the Power of the Collective Voice when everyone bands together. The main inspiration for this talk was the defiance shown by one third of the Estonia populace (300,000 people) singing a beautiful Nationalist song ‘Mu Issama’ in defiance of the Russian occupation that had forbidden it! They used singing as effective protest.

Friday JULY 5th 2013

Final Concert

ST. JOHN’S, SMITH SQUARE

Fiona Tong - Chair

Simon Funnell - Chair

DD Final Note:This concert was an epitome of my era with the choir – displaying gluttony, sheer gluttony! Far too much music, as usual! I wanted to do ALL my favourites, and to be fair, it seemed that on this occasion at least, most of the choir did too. Only finance stopped us - St. John’s threatening overtime or turning out the lights. So instant cuts had to be made on a whim as the clock approached 10pm, and it seems I subconsciously eliminated all works to do with time: We did NOT have a second, all creatures must now go home, Vale Maria and O Fortuna! But this was not fortune’s fault, merely misplaced enthusiasm on my part. I really did not want to go, I really did not want it to end. I had too much fun with this choir and not enough self control. [I like to think I would do things differently now.] But even though my last concert was more a marathon than a musical pinnacle it still ended up being a shining night. One to remember. Thank you all of you.

SEASON REPERTOIRE SPREAD

London Oriana Choir Archive