We begin the year with a cornerstone of the repertoire, Mozart’s sublime Requiem. In 2020, we enjoyed the experience of discovering the intricacy and detail of Handel’s Messiah with chamber forces – we hope to do the same with Mozart’s last work this year. This concert will also include Bach’s effervescent motet Singet dem Herren ein neues Lied and Iain Grandage’s musical reflection Why do we exist?. 

In June, I am delighted to welcome back Naomi Crellin to co-direct Fireside, an intimate program which will warm your heart and make you smile on a cold winter’s evening. This program features a mixture of classical and jazz works in the relaxed setting of the ACO’s The Neilson at Pier 2/3, this year with a Scandinavian twist.

In September’s Heirs and Rebels, I have unashamedly created a program of some of my favourite music – works by English composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The richness of this music springs from the depths of the English choral tradition and is perfectly suited to our forces. We will add to this tradition with the premiere of a new work we have commissioned from Harry Sdraulig – the first time this exciting young composer has written for a choir. 

We finish the season by handing over the reins to you, our dedicated audience – over the year, we will ask you what music you’d like to hear us sing and then in November, we’ll sing it for you. This People’s Choice concert is a chance for choir and audience to get to know each other a little better and highlight the exchange that makes music worthwhile. 

I look forward to seeing you at our concerts (and to finding out what you’d like to hear at the end of the year!).