Live performance in December 2023 at Shekinah Retreat Centre, Waldheim, SK

The first of three settings of text from the Odes of Solomon. The Odes of Solomon are believed to have been written around the year 100 A.D., and include strong parallels to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Scholars have debated whether the Odes should be consid...  moreThe first of three settings of text from the Odes of Solomon. The Odes of Solomon are believed to have been written around the year 100 A.D., and include strong parallels to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Scholars have debated whether the Odes should be considered Jewish, Christian or Gnostic, and whether they were first written in Greek, Hebrew or Syriac. Early Christian writings refer to and quote from them. A Syriac manuscript containing the text of most of the Odes was discovered in 1909 by the English scholar J. Rendel Harris, and other partial texts in various languages have also been found. There are 42 Odes. Some fragments are still missing from Odes I and III, and no part of Ode II has yet been found. for these choral settings, I selected text from four of the Odes of Solomon which I found particularly compelling. The anonymous translation I have used comes from The Gnostic Society Library.  less

The Halleluia chorus is from the Messiah by George Frideric Handel who is considered one of the most skilled practitioners of onomatopoetic and pictorial compositions. From this clip one can admire the Schola Cantorum Jubilate of Malta performing the most...  moreThe Halleluia chorus is from the Messiah by George Frideric Handel who is considered one of the most skilled practitioners of onomatopoetic and pictorial compositions. From this clip one can admire the Schola Cantorum Jubilate of Malta performing the most famous movement of Handel's oratorio's - Hallelujah chorus, during Carols by Candlelight 2009. The choir and chamber orchestra was under the baton of Marouska Attard.  

Voices: ChoralTracks https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Gliding_O%27er_All_(Scott_Villard) #ChoralTracks #MatthewCurtis #AlexandraBurch

Which Was the Son of - Arvo Pärt Live performance, September 18, 2022 Village Presbyterian Church Prairie Village, Kansas

Gruppo Vocale VoxInFabula, Perugia (Italy), 29/05/2016

Sneak peek at an Exaltation! Gospel Choir rehearsal. We meet the same night as the bell ringers so please forgive the background sounds!

Song: It is Well with My Soul Artist : Grace Chorale International , GHANA Event: ACGC Rwanda2022 Africa Unity CLOSING CEREMONY AT INTARE ARENA

In Swahili. Disputed authorship. Could be Kenyan. Probably Tanzanian folk song with added words written in 1940s with extra verses added in late 1950s. Made famous by Miriam Makeba in early 1960s. The young man sings: "Angel, I love you. What should I ...  moreIn Swahili. Disputed authorship. Could be Kenyan. Probably Tanzanian folk song with added words written in 1940s with extra verses added in late 1950s. Made famous by Miriam Makeba in early 1960s. The young man sings: "Angel, I love you. What should I do? I don't have any money. I would marry you if I did." This outdoor performance was the culmination of a six-week project which creates a choir from scratch for one night only. Each winter and summer, Chris Rowbury gathers a random bunch of singers from in and around Ipswich. There are no auditions and all songs are taught and learnt by ear. Usually eight songs are learnt in six two-hour sessions and in the summer are performed outdoors near Ipswich. http://chrisrowbury.com  less

From our 2013 Lessons and Carols Candlelight Service. We are joined by guest vocalists Holly Ruth Gale (Assistant Professor of Music, ATU) and Jeremy Hopper (student, UCA). Zoe Butler, piano.