Lo, the Full Final Sacrifice
About the concert
As well as singing Finzi's wonderful anthem, we sang Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia and all (yes all!) of Parry’s Songs of Farewell, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of their premiere. Anna Davey was our guest soloist, playing Bloch’s “Rapsodie” from Suite Hebraique on viola with passion and commitment.
Programme
- Benjamin Britten — Hymn to St Cecilia
- Ernest Bloch — Rapsodie from Suite Hébraïque
- Gerald Finzi — Lo, the full, final sacrifice
- C Hubert H Parry — Songs of Farewell
Performers
Jonny Davies
After being Queen’s Chorister and then Head Chorister at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, Jonny Davies won a music scholarship to Trinity School, Croydon. During his teenage years he studied violin with John Francis, piano with Nigel Clayton at Croydon Schools Piano Centre and organ with Simon Williams. He also acted as assistant organist at St Mary’s Church, Addington. He then went to Brasenose College, Oxford where he received an Organ Exhibition, and sang with Schola Cantorum and the Oxford Chamber Choir. Since leaving Oxford, Jonny has sung as a lay clerk in Guildford Cathedral, with the Holst Singers conducted by Stephen Layton, and with professional church choirs all over London. He was Director of Music at St Olave’s Church, Hart Street and St Katharine Cree in the City of London, from 2007 until 2015.
From the programme of 4 February 2023.
Anna Davey
Anna Davey began playing the violin at age 9 and switched to viola four years later. She has progressed through the Bromley Youth Music Trust ensembles and is now principal viola in the Bromley Youth Chamber Orchestra and Bromley Youth Symphony Orchestra. She achieved distinction in grade 8 viola and is now preparing for her diploma. She continues to play the violin and has a grade 8 in singing also. She is hoping to study philosophy at UCL and continue her musical activities there.
From the programme of 9 February 2019.
Stephen Davies
Stephen Davies, a former chorister of St Paul’s Cathedral, London, and Music Scholar of Queen’s College, Oxford, was awarded a scholarship by the Austrian Institute to study with the great organist and composer Anton Heiller at the Academy of Music in Vienna. He has since been active both in the field of music education – particularly at St Olave’s School, Orpington, where he was Director of Music for seventeen years – and as an organ recitalist. In this capacity he has given concerts in major venues throughout Europe, in New York and in New Zealand. In 2017 he gave concerts in Estonia, Germany, and Norway, and last year he performed in King’s College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He founded the Sine Nomine Singers in 1994 and conducted this chamber choir for almost 20 years, giving concerts in local venues as well as in Estonia, France and Germany. He was Director of Music here at St George’s from 2002 to 2016.
From the programme of 15 October 2022.
The choir
Sopranos
- Kathryn Bartlett
- Jenny Burgess
- Penny Davies
- Nancy Khan
- Karen Mackintosh
- Katie Mackintosh
- Sue Oldham
- Sue Thompson
- Carol Whinnom
Altos
- Caroline Cheesman
- Catherine Crabtree
- Fiona Davey
- Natalie Robinson
- Jill Saudek
- Isobel Whelan
Tenors
- Ralph Barlow
- Jonathan Coulson
- Keith Giles
- Andy Jackson
- Craig Myers
- Matthew Price
- Nick Stein
- Roger Thorpe
Basses
- Charlie Crabtree
- James Loader
- Bob Pruden
- Clive Richards
- Peter Thompson