CONCERTS

Concerts

Past and future concerts. Ticket purchase.

Forthcoming concerts

7.30pm Saturday 30 November 2024

Fauré – Cantique de Jean Racine

Lizst – Missa Choralis op 47

Gounod – Messe Chorale


with Simon Harvey organ

CONCERT ADMISSION PRICES

Saturday 30 November 2024 – FREE (retiring collection)

Other concerts:

  • FREE admission by ticket to under 18s
  • Paid in advance: £12
  • On the door £15
  • No booking fee

BOOKING

2024 Season

7.30pm Saturday
27 April 24

Come to me

A collection of familiar and unfamiliar a cappella European choral music

Conductor – Janette Ruocco

2023 Season

4pm Sunday
5 March 23

Music from the Diaspora: from sacred to swing

Choral music embracing different styles,centuries and moods.

From composers including Schubert, Rossi, Copland, Gershwin and Joel

concert was CANCELLED OWING TO ILLNESS

7.30pm SATURday
20 May 23

Music from the Tudor Dynasty​

A programme of sacred and secular pieces from the reigns of Henry VII to Elizabeth I.

This lovely one-hour concert will feature works by Thomas Tallis, including his If ye love me and O Lord give thy Holy Spirit, John Taverner’s Dum transisset Sabbatum and William Byrd’s Haec dies and Ave verum corpus.

Also works by Robert Parsons, Thomas Morley, John Farmer and others.

7.30pm SATURday 28
OCTOBER 23

Singing Double​​

A programme of music for double choir.

Janette will lead us in a programme of sacred choral music for double choir featuring Rheinberger’s Mass in Eb, Bach’s Der Geist hilft.

Also works by Purcell, Schütz and Lotti.

7.30pm SATURDAY 2
DECEMBER 23

Now may we singen

Christmas Carols for choir and audience.

With Simon Harvey organ

concert was CANCELLED OWING TO ILLNESS

2022 Season

7.30pm Saturday 5 March

Magnificat

Uplifting music for choir and strings.

The Meljon singers together with the Dargason Ensemble present a programme comprising Magnificat settings for choir and soloists by Buxtehude, Telemann and Durante.

These will be interspersed with Monteverdi’s Beatus Vir and Vivaldi’s Credo in E minor.

4pm SUNday 27 March

Music from the Diaspora: from sacred to swing

Featuring choral music linked to Jewish themes and much of it by Jewish composers, embracing a range of different styles, centuries and moods.

The programme includes Schubert’s setting in Hebrew – Psalm 92, Lewandowski – Enosh Kechatsir, Lampl – Adon Olam, Rossi – Elohim Hashivenu, Castelnuovo-TedescoThe Little Love God, Billy Joel – And so it goes.

4PM Saturday 21 May

shakespeare shall i compare thee

Shall I compare thee?

Settings of texts by William Shakespeare.

The concert will feature the wonderful Three Shakespeare songs – Vaughan Williams.

Also I know a bank – Sarah Quartel, Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? – Libby Larsen, Blow, blow thou winter wind – Thomas Arne, Fear no more –  Stephen Sondheim.

Also pieces by our own Janette Ruocco, Richard Sisson, George Shearing, Kevin Olson and more.

7.30pm Saturday 8 October

O sacrum convivium

Fauré Requiem and other French choral masterpieces.

The Meljon singers together with the Dargason Ensemble will present Fauré Requiem together with, Cantique de Jean Racine – Fauré,  Salve Regina – Poulenc, Four motets on Gregorian themes – Duruflé, and
O sacrum convivium – Messiaen

7.30pm Saturday 3 December

O nata lux

Janette Ruocco will lead us through some lovely Christmas music including Bob Chilcott’s exuberant Twelve Days of Christmas and works by Poulenc, Vaughan Williams and more.

Contemporary carols by members of the Meljon Singers will also be performed, including some by our very own Janette Ruocco.

Enjoy some seasonal refreshments with us afterwards.

2019 & 2020 Seasons

A programme in which all the works are by women composers, is still something of a rarity.

Here we feature 100 years of works from Imogen Holst’s Mass in A minor, to works composed as recently as 2019, including excerpts from Pamela Slatter’s The Lady of Shalott, Janette Ruocco’s settings of William Blake’s poems Songs of Innocence and Experience and Miriam Mackie’s To the end of the world. We also sing works by Judith Weir, Cecilia McDowall and Rebecca Clarke.

Janette Ruocco conducts The Meljon Singers in works by contemporary Icelandic, Scandinavian and Baltic state composers including Uģis Prauliņš’s Missa Regensis. This was written to be performed in the ample space of Riga’s great cathedral. We have three pieces by Mårten Jansson, his Missa Brevis, Here is thy Heaven and The Choir Masters’ Burial.

Also included are Rihards Dubra’s Missa Simplex, Ilze Arne’s Cantemus and Kim Andre Arnesen’s deeply moving Even when he is silent.

Janette Ruocco and The Meljon Singers will take you on a journey from Toledo to Rome by way of some of the loveliest music in the choral repertoire. This will include three motets by Victoria, Padilla’s Missa Ego Flos Campi a work for double choir, Palestrina’s Stabat Mater and madrigals by Monteverdi.

Other works included are by Guerrero, de Lienas, Lobo, Rossi and Gastoldi.

Ola Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass is simply sublime, a Latin Mass in which The Dargason Ensemble’s shimmering strings will complement the Meljon voices in a harmonious spiritual journey, from the ethereal to the temporal.

Those strings will also dance their way through Grieg’s Holberg Suite while the choir will sing a cappella pieces by these and two other Norwegian composers, Arnesen and Nystedt.

Janette Ruocco and The Meljon Singers are excited to be performing Bobbi Fischer’s Missa latina. This work joyfully blends European and South American styles, setting the traditional Latin words to the sounds and rhythms of a Latin jazz combo, featuring violin, bandoneon, piano, double bass, drums and percussion.

The band will also perform its own jazz set while the choir gives you popular songs from the ‘20s and ‘30s.

2018 Season

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

Music by Bach, Bruckner, Brunner, Rheinberger and Schnittke.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

An hour of delightful music, including Lauridsen’s ‘Les Chansons des Roses’.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

Exquisite choral music, including John Tavener’s Svyati and Richard Rodney Bennett’s A farewell to arms.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

A capella pieces by a variety of composers including Janette Ruocco.

2017 Season

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

Sacred a cappella works by Britten, Howells, Parry and Rubbra, including Howells’ Requiem and Parry’s Songs of Farewell.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

French and English songs by composers including Finzi, Britten, Moeran, Debussy & Ravel.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

Exquisite choral music, including John Tavener’s Svyati and Richard Rodney Bennett’s A farewell to arms.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

A concert showcasing choral music composed by women. A cappella works by composers including Imogen Holst, Rebecca Clarke, Thea Musgrave, Janette Ruocco, Miriam Mackie and Cecilia McDowall.

2016 Season

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

A glittering programme of Russian Sacred Music, including works by Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and more. Part of the Brandenburg Choral Festival.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

A ‘New World’ of music from Copland to Whitacre.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster
DVOŘÁK – STABAT MATER and works by Bruckner, Brahms, Rheinberger and Tchaikovsky
Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

Frank Martin’s Mass for double choir and music by 20th century Swiss composers.

2015 Season

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

A sparkling selection of music by Antonio Vivaldi.
Raise a glass to Meljon, Vivaldi and the joys of music-making, as we join with soloists and chamber orchestra to perform some of the most scintillating music in the Italian repertoire.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

A concert marking the significant birthdays of two champions of the English choral tradition, John Rutter and Bob Chilcott.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

Music of the Spheres brings you the ethereal sounds of sixteenth century England, Portugal and Spain. The poetic idea that the revolution of the planets generated a celestial harmony ran through the medieval period into the Renaissance. Its echoes can be heard in our a cappella concert, which includes music by Pedro de Escobar, John Sheppard’s Media Vita and Duarte Lobo’s Requiem for six voices.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

Four centuries of Russian Sacred Music.
No one who has ever heard Russian church music properly rendered can refrain from an expression of admiration and exaltation.
So said a visitor to Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, a golden age for Russian sacred music. This wonderful programme traces the development of Russian sacred music from the influences of Italian polyphony to the Golden Age of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. It brings you a rare opportunity to hear the innovative and influential music of composers like Kastalsky, Chesnokov and Grechaninov, little known in the West, who have enriched this unique tradition.

2014 Season

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

A collection of music from a region where the choral music tradition is deeply engrained; the Baltics. Support a local choir whilst being entertained with the music of Estonian and Latvian composers such as Dubra, Pärt and Prauliņš.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

A concert of choral music from Eliabethan England featuring William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices and works by Tomkins, Tallis and Weelkes in the beautiful church of St John’s, Epping.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

A concert of sacred and secular works by Britten, Finzi, Patterson and Ridout’s Ferdinand the Bull with violinist Kenneth Sillito and narrator Oonagh Segrave-Daly. All proceeds to go in the Alzheimer’s Society.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

A programme of popular classics such as Ain’t misbehavin’, Blue Moon and Somethin’ Stupid, spirituals arranged by John Rutter and Eric Whitacre’s Animal Crackers as part of the Woodford Festival. Joined by Christine Petch (mezzo-soprano) and Simon Harvey (keyboard) The Meljon Singers provided an evening of uplifting music to help its audience Feel the Spirit and get In the Mood.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

Programme of seasonal music including English and European carols and featuring Bob Chilcott’s On Christmas Night.

2012 Season

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

A programme of music from Scandinavia, Finland, Latvia and Estonia including Uģis Prauliņš’ Missa Rigensis and songs written by Nils Lindberg, Carl Nielsen, Per Nørgård, Knut Nystedt, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, Rihards Dubra and Arvo Pärt.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

A treasure trove of beautifully accessible a cappella pieces including jewels by contemporary American composers such as the profoundly moving When David Heard by Eric Whitacre.

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

The choir explored the rich diversity of musical responses to Shakespearean lyrics including settings by Vaughan Williams, George Shearing, John Rutter and Janette Ruocco – with Tim Smith (piano).

Meljon Singers Choir concert poster

Liszt: Missa Choralis, Gounod: Messe Chorale and Motets by Rheinberger & Poulenc.

Simply beautiful and beautifully simple music to ease you into the Christmas season – with Simon Harvey (organ).

2011 Season

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Songs on the theme of Advent and Christmas to kick-start the festive season, including Cecilia McDowall’s Christus Natus Est (Christmas Cantata) and carols for audience – with Harlow Chorus Academy and Simon Harvey (organ).

ST. MARY’S CHURCH,
SOUTH WOODFORD
Saturday 3 December 2011

Viva Italia!

A taste of Italy with a programme including Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle and a cappella works by Allegri, Gabrieli, Monteverdi and Palestrina. This concert formed a part of the Woodford Festival.

BANCROFT’S SCHOOL, WOODFORD GREEN
Saturday 15 October 2011

Vivat Regina

A showcase of music from the reigns of Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II including pieces by Purcell, Tallis, Holst, Byrd, Britten and Chilcott.

ST MARY’S CHURCH, 
LOUGHTON 
Saturday 21 May 2011

The Food of Love

Music inspired by Shakespearean texts including pieces by Vaughan Williams, George Shearing and John Rutter.

BARNARDO’S CHURCH, BARKINGSIDE
Saturday 19 February 2011

2010 Season

Blazing Baroque

The Meljon Singers joined with soloists and the acclaimed instrumentalists of the Spiritato! Baroque Ensemble for a spectacular collection of Baroque masterpieces.

ST GABRIEL’S CHURCH, ALDERSBROOK
Saturday 27 November 2010

Brahms Requiem

(London version for piano duet)

Following a welcome drink, the audience enjoyed Brahms’ Ein Deutches Requiem (London version for piano duet) to celebrate the choir’s 20th anniversary – with Beverley Lockyer (soprano), Gary Griffiths (baritone) and Simon Harvey and Caroline Finlay (piano).

BANCROFT’S SCHOOL, WOODFORD GREEN
Saturday 9 October 2010

Renaissance!

The ‘many sounds’ of a new world of music, including works by Gesualdo, Palestrina and Tallis.

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, HERMON HILL 
Saturday 22 May 2010

A Suitable Job for a Woman

The Meljon Singers are joined by the piano and soprano duo Consonum for an evening celebrating vocal music by women composers from the 19th to the 21st century.

ST BARNABAS CHURCH, WOODFORD GREEN
Saturday 6 March 2010

2009 Season

Voice From Heaven

A cappella gems including the Howells Requiem and Rheinberger’s Mass in E Flat. Soloist Michael Ierace (piano soloist and 2009 Winner of the Philip & Dorothy Green Award for Young Concert Artists) played two Preludes from Rachmaninov’s Opus 23 and Debussy’s atmospheric La Cathédrale Engloutie.

ST JAMES’S CHURCH PICCADILLY, LONDON
Saturday 21 November 2009

Night and Day

Music for living and loving, including works by Britten, Rutter, Hawley and Cole Porter. A Woodford Festival concert.

UNITED FREE CHURCH,
WOODFORD GREEN

Saturday 10 October 2009 

American Dreams

Musical magic from the New World to celebrate Independence Day, with works by Whitacre, Helvey, Thompson and Ferko.

BARNARDO’S CHURCH, BARKINGSIDE 
Saturday 4 July 2009  

Ain’t Misbehavin’

A sparkling showcase of light music by Gershwin, Porter and Rutter and including the London premiere of Pictures of Night by Redbridge composer Alan Bullard – with Caroline Finlay (piano).

WOODFORD BAPTIST CHURCH, SOUTH WOODFORD
Saturday 9 May 2009

An Auld Alliance

A celebration of choral music from Scotland and France, including works by Carver, MacMillan, Messaien and Poulenc.

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, HERMON HILL
Saturday 7 March 2009