Forty Years On – David Temple MBE

David Temple MBE has been Musical Director for Crouch End Festival Chorus since 1984 and for Hertfordshire Chorus since 2000. But his musical life started long before that. 'My conducting adventure all began 40 years ago on July 1st 1978. I had been with the London Philharmonic Choir for 5 years and wanted to have a go at waving the baton.' David was a teacher at Goldbeaters Primary School and had identified a need for investment in musical instruments. He decided to put on a concert to raise money towards this cause. He chose the date, booked a slot at St Alphage's Church in Burnt Oak and set about finding performers. 'I had already used my long-suffering school pupils as ... Read More

War Horse Coventry Cathedral

Hertfordshire Chorus was very pleased to have been asked to sing in a special performance of War Horse – The Story In Concert for BBC Radio 2 in the special venue of Coventry Cathedral on Friday 18th May 2018. The concert was part of Coventry's Big Weekend Fringe Festival and was recorded for later broadcast. It also featured acclaimed actors Juliet Stevenson and Simon Callow and the wonderful BBC Concert Orchestra under the direction of conductor David Charles Abell. The story of the book and the play War Horse has been a huge success in recent years. The story is by now well-known – at the outbreak of World War One, Joey, Albert’s horse, is sold to the army and sent to ... Read More

Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival

Hertfordshire Chorus has been asked to sing in the final concert of this year’s Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival in September – the third time we have been invited in the seven years of the Festival. The Festival was launched in a special concert in the Marble Hall at Hatfield House recently and a small group of singers sang an extract from Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem as a taster for the performance of the full work in the Festival itself. The concert also featured fabulous performances by some of the people who will be appearing in the Festival, including cellist and Artistic Director of the Festival Guy Johnston, acclaimed tenor James Gilchrist and amazing pianists Anna Tilbrook, Tom Poster and ... Read More

History of a new commission – Michael Hurd The Phoenix and the Turtle

The Canterbury Singers performed Michael Hurd's Music's Praise for their annual concert in the Chapter House in Canterbury Cathedral in 1973. Chris Godfrey is a bass who has been singing in the choir for 50 years. When the Musical Director, Anthony Stutchbury, chose the piece for a concert, Chris wrote to the composer to ask him if he would like to attend. As Michael Hurd lived in Liss, a two hour drive from Canterbury, Chris's wife, Janet, offered to provide him with a meal and a bed for the night. On the day of the performance a green MG sports car drew up and a youngish chap dressed in smart casuals, got out. Chris was surprised. 'I wasn't sure what a ... Read More

Michael Hurd recording launches

How do you launch a recording of lovely music written by a little-known composer like Michael Hurd? By singing it in a concert of course! So we're really pleased to launch this recording on the label Lyrita Recorded Edition at a concert in St John's Smith Square on the 14th April 2018. How this recording came about This was another new experience for Hertfordshire Chorus. The British Music Society approached us about recording five works by British composer Michael Hurd. Michael Hurd died in 2006, aged 77 after 50 years composing a wide variety of music. The BMS established a charitable trust to administer a legacy from his estate, with the aim of fostering and encouraging recordings and performances of his music. ... Read More

A Choir Unwrapped – From the Tenor section

Good choral tenors are worth their weight in gold. They are a rare breed and often sing with several choirs who need their talents. Hertfordshire Chorus has been lucky enough to attract some of the best amateur tenors available, both male and female. They come to us for a number of reasons - quality of the singing, variety of concert programmes, great venues and a regular rehearsal schedule. Hertfordshire Chorus sings a very wide range of music in a great selection of venues. In the last five years the Chorus has performed at the Sage in Gateshead, The Royal Albert Hall, King's Place, St John's Smith Square and The Barbican. We are regulars at St Alban's Cathedral. Tenors are an ... Read More

David Temple awarded MBE

David Temple, Music Director of Hertfordshire Chorus, has been awarded an MBE for services to music in the New Year’s Honours list. On hearing of the award David said “I am both proud and thrilled to receive this award - and I would like to dedicate it to all who have supported me throughout my career both on the concert platform and behind the scenes.” David Temple is one of the country’s foremost choral conductors, who founded and continues to direct Crouch End Festival Chorus. Musical Director of Hertfordshire Chorus since 2000, he has been instrumental in developing the choir to a consistently high standard of performance. His enthusiasm for commissioning new choral music and supporting young composers has resulted ... Read More

A Choir Unwrapped – From the Bass Section

To sing bass with a top ranking choir requires a good voice, a loyal heart and a sense of humour. The Hertfordshire Chorus bass section has a deep, rich sound and an enthusiasm for the wide-ranging and challenging repertoire the choir is called on to perform. Team work is paramount and this section sticks together even when the going is tough. Basses In the Royal Albert Hall David Temple MBE, the Chorus’s musical director, has a keen ear and a passion for excellence. This inspires all voice sections to ensure they are constantly improving. There are no passengers here. Rehearsals are fun but no easy ride. David is meticulous and demands the best from all. At the beginning of the evening, ... Read More

Codebreaker and Ode to a Nightingale CD launch October 6th

We were absolutely delighted that our CD reached number 7 in the Specialist Classical Charts in the first week of sales and equally delighted with this fantastic review in Gramophone "This important release should be in every keen choral singer’s Christmas stocking." Read the whole review. Gramophone Review. In addition to Gramophone, we had a wonderful review by Rob Cowan in Classical Ear. Read it here Classical Ear. The story In 2009 we commissioned Will Todd, who wrote the highly successful Mass in Blue for us, to write a setting for Ode to a Nightingale for one of our Patrons, Rod Jones. We launched it in the Barbican in 2011 and sang it again a few years later because we ... Read More

Open Rehearsal 13th September 2017

In June 2016 we recorded two of our recent commissions, Codebreaker by James McCarthy and Ode to a Nightingale by Will Todd, with the BBC Concert Orchestra, produced by Nigel Short and published by Signum Records. We'll be launching the CD at our concert on the 7th October and are inviting experienced singers to join us on 13th September for the second rehearsal of these two fabulous and accessible pieces.