The Elysian Singers and their conductor Sam Laughton make a welcome return to Concerts for Craswall with a celebration of the Glory of the Baroque.
Their programme begins with Purcell's joyous Come, Ye Sons of Art, written for the birthday of Queen Mary II in 1694, and ends with Vivaldi's ever popular Gloria RV 589. In between are one of JS Bach's Lutheran Masses and Purcell's anthem Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes mei.
Sir John Tavener wrote of The Elysian Singers "Amongst chamber choirs, they're one of the best." Known for their adventurous programming and imaginative repertoire, they pride themselves on reaching consistently high performance standards. Their entry requirements are rigorous but, in spite of this, they maintain a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, embracing singers from all backgrounds. They have recorded a number of enthusiastically received CDs, most recently MacMillan: One Equal Music, released in 2019, which celebrates the enormous and varied contribution of Sir James MacMillan, their patron, to the choral repertoire over the last 20 years.
Their Director Sam Laughton is a former organ scholar at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he read Music. He now juggles dual careers as a barrister and musician. He is also the Director of the Craswall Players, the Chiltern Camerata, and the Speen Festival, and is much in demand as a guest conductor, working with the Oxford Sinfonia, Kensington Chamber Orchestra, Kew Sinfonia, Orchestra of the City, Crendon Chamber Orchestra and Trinity Camerata among others. As a keyboard player he has worked with the Oxford Philomusica, the Joyful Company of Singers, English National Opera and Garsington Opera.
The Singers always elicit an excellent turnout at Dore Abbey. After a three year break, we have no doubt you will feel amply rewarded by their performance.