AHT: new show on sale
New on sale this week at Assembly Hall Theatre is a special concert by one of the UK’s leading choirs, Ex Cathedra. It will be presenting an epic programme, In 40 Parts, with no fewer than four pieces written in 40 parts.
Conducted by Jeffrey Skidmore, the Birmingham based choir celebrates the music of both Elizabethan ages with two of the works performed composed especially for Ex Cathedra. The concert also provides a rare opportunity to hear Thomas Tallis’s iconic, uplifting and remarkable 40 part Spem in alium.
The fiftieth anniversary of the first manned orbit of the Moon is also the perfect time to hear the choir perform Alec Roth’s Earthrise, an astounding piece that takes its inspiration from that breathtaking Apollo 8 photo. ‘We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing we discovered was the Earth … the most beautiful, heart catching sight of my life’ wrote Bill Anders, the astronaut who took the photo.
Ex Cathedra’s performance showcases a range of impressive vocal talent, an exciting way to connect with these much loved works. As the Church Times commented, Ex Cathedra ‘shines like a beacon on the British musical scene… with a polished intensity of which few other English choirs are capable’.
Ex Cathedra’s In 40 Parts is the first part of Assembly Hall Theatre’s plans to expand its classical programme, complementing the regular concerts by both the RTW Symphony Orchestra and RTW Choral Society, alongside the Russian State Opera and Ballet productions of Carmen and Swan Lake.
Assembly Hall theatre director, JJ Almond, commented: ‘I am really excited to welcome some more choral work to our programme. Over the coming seasons we hope to increase the range of classical and choral work that we present at the Assembly Hall, offering a more diverse and wider choice to our communities.’
Ex Cathedra
In 40 Parts
Jeffrey Skidmore, conductor
Saturday 22 September, 7.30 pm
For more information, please see www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk
