Salisbury Community Choir 21st Anniversary Concert
On Saturday 12th October 2013, the Salisbury Community Choir, accompanied by the Salisbury Community Orchestra, under the direction of Jeremy Backhouse, sang the premiere performance of a newly-commissioned work by Will Todd to a sell-out audience in Salisbury Cathedral. The new work, a cantata entitled ‘The City Garden’ was commissioned by the choir to celebrate 21 years as a Community Choir, which started as a small group of about 12 and now has a regular membership of over 150. The choir was joined by the Children’s choir from Salisbury Area Young Musicians, who touched the hearts of the audience with a beautiful performance of the piece “Inside my Heart” from the ‘Spring’ movement. The occasion was made all the more special by the attendance of Will Todd, the composer and Ben Dunwell who wrote the words.
The second half of the evening celebrated the centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth with a performance of St Nicolas. This powerful work filled the wonderful setting the Cathedral offers. In this performance the choir was joined by Charles Daniels (Tenor Solo), three Salisbury Cathedral Choristers who were serene in their portrayal of the Pickled Boys and the Young St Nicolas, and the stunning voices of the girls from the South Wilts Grammar School A Cappella Choir singing from the Gallery provided a wonderful dynamic to the performance.