Platinum Jubilee
Anniversary Concert 2019
A Selection of Music from the Great Oratorios
Saturday 23rd March 2019, at 7-30pm.
Bolton Road Methodist Church, Bury
The concert will celebrate the 70th anniversary year since its formation and include excerpts from the great oratorios that the society has performed over the years and will include choruses and solos from the following works:
Vivaldi’s Gloria, Handel’s Messiah and Judas Maccabeus, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Brahm’s German Requiem with How Lovely are thy Dwellings, Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s St John Passion and Fauré’s Requiem.
Master of Ceremonies: Richard Youngman
Richard began his musical career as a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral. The highlight at that time, was to sing at the Queen’s coronation in Westminster Abbey and subsequently, to tour the Eastern United States with the choir, as head boy. He has sung in church choirs and choral societies ever since, including the Canterbury and Huntingdonshire Philharmonic Societies and the Lancaster Singers. He has also sung solos, as well as lead roles with several amateur operatic societies, including those at Heywood and Burnley.
He first conducted with his school choir, in a performance of Zadok the Priest and has conducted, as deputy, for several choirs and madrigal groups since. He took up the role of Deputy Conductor of Bury Choral Society over ten years ago and is a Trustee and member of that choir. He has sung with, and conducted rehearsals for, Ramsbottom Choral on several occasions.
Mezzo Soprano: Margaret McDonald
Maggie McDonald is a renowned international mezzo-soprano and voice-coach. She sings regularly in major venues with leading conductors both in the UK and abroad, encompassing an extensive repertoire. She has sung on the operatic stage for numerous opera companies including Glyndebourne, Opera North and E.N.O. She has recorded works for Nimbus, Marco Polo and the BBC, including Maxwell Davies’ The Jacobite Rising and Sea Elegy
Maggie now combines a busy singing schedule with her Vocal Consultancy work – being in demand for master-classes, workshops and examining nationwide. She has taught at the Scottish Conservatoire and the RNCM (where she indeed studied) and is the vocal coach for the Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus and the Hallé Choir. She teaches at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester and produces their Opera Weekend.
Concerts last year have included a recital with recorder player John Turner, a recital in Leeds Town Hall, Elgar’s The Music Makers in Worcestershire, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius in Sheffield Cathedral, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio for Doncaster Choral Society, Handel’s Saul in London’s St.John Smith’s Square, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle in Sheffield City Hall and recitals in France. Future performances include a new multi-media recital project with accompanist David Jones, Elgar’s the Musicmakers in Southwell Minster, Rutter’s Feel the Spirit, Berloiz’s Les Nuits D’été, Mendelssohn’s St. Paul, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Mahler’s 8th Symphony in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall for the BBC, amongst recitals here, with John Turner, and abroad.
Maggie feels very honoured to be the Vice-President of Ramsbottom Choral Society and Concert Orchestra and is delighted to be celebrating their 70th Anniversary Platinum Jubilee Concert 2019, by singing with them.
In her spare time Maggie enjoys swimming, cooking, and driving fast cars!
Baritone: Samuel Jackson
Samuel graduated from the RNCM in 2016 with first class honours and is now studying there for his masters under Nicholas Powell. Recently, Samuel has given solo performances alongside the The Lancaster Singers, Warrington Choral Society, Ramsbottom and Bury Choral Societies. He has a wealth of choral experience singing with the Hallé choirs for several years and has taken part in many performances and recordings at the Bridgewater Hall and several BBC Proms. During his studies, he has performed in a variety of choral concerts, opera galas and operatic excerpts both at the college and externally and played a principle role in their production of Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. Most recently, Samuel played the role of Bobinet in the RNCM’s production of La Vie Parisienne.Samuel spent the summer of 2017 performing with The National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company for their UK tour.