1. cotswoldlife.co.uk22 COTSWOLD LIFE December 2015 cotswoldlife.co.uk COTSWOLD LIFE December 2015 23
Watch
out for…
Hollywood Glamour Ball: Saturday, November 28, 7pm-1am
Laurence and Jackie Llewelyn-Bowen invite you to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Cotswold Breast Cancer at The
Corn Hall, Kings Head Hotel, Cirencester, GL7 2NR. Three-course dinner with wines, raffle, auction and dancing.
Tables of 10 £60pp with champagne reception. Call 0797 3537706 or email CotswoldBreastCancerNow@gmail.com
Watch
out for…
Moving, exhilarating, intensely bonding. The
experience of singing in a small group with
likeminded musicians is akin to few others – but
the thrill of being able to share it with an audience
is what really delivers the buzz. Whether your
listeners are musical aficionados or not, that
precious moment between the end of your last
note and the first ventured applause has the
universal power to mesmerise. If you’ve done it
right, the audience will be held right there with
you in one united breath; it’s what a singer lives
for.
It was this quality I sought in a choir when I
moved back to Cheltenham two years ago, but in a
county saturated with commendable singing
groups, it takes something special to make one
stand out. For me, that one in particular was
Jubilate. Founded in 2001 by Ian Higginson,
Director of Music at the University of
Gloucestershire and a highly respected conductor,
composer, adjudicator and accompanist, this
dynamic group prides itself on performing mixed
repertoire from the 16th century through to the
present day to a consistently high standard.
Jubilate has made several recordings – most
recently for a new Christmas CD – and has
broadcast on television programmes including
BBC’s The One Show, and on radio. “How
heartening and inspiring to see a choir with a good
spread of ages and vocal ranges, unfazed by this
huge and demanding piece, and able to enter into
every nuance of the work with healthy yet subtle
sound,” enthused soloist Dame Emma Kirkby,
who performed Bach’s B Minor Mass with the
choir in 2012.
And it’s not just
Jubilate’s home county
that has witnessed its
performances; the choir
has given concerts as far
afield as Paris, Belgium and
Holland, as well as at
Westminster Abbey, Bath
Abbey, Bristol Cathedral
and Christchurch Oxford.
Ian works the choir hard
Jubilate are in fine voice
The Joy of Christmas: Saturday, December 5
during Monday evening rehearsals but there’s a lot
of laughter too, mostly induced by his quick-
witted puns which none of us ever successfully
match. It’s no secret that high morale and strong
camaraderie goes a long way in
enhancing musicianship, and
singing carols on the stairs at
Cheltenham’s New Club – followed
by the end-of-term meal – is just
one of the more informal highlights
of the calendar.
But perhaps our annual
favourite is the forthcoming
December extravaganza, The Joy
of Christmas, for which Jubilate is
joined by guest choirs from St Edward’s School
and Preparatory School, Holy Apostles Junior
School, Charlton Kings Junior School and Richard
Pate School, as well as the University and
Community Choir. This feast of seasonal music
includes many of Ian’s own works as well as
traditional carols for audience participation.
Humorously presented by the BBC’s Vernon
Harwood in a hall bedecked with twinkling lights
and even featuring a kilt-sporting bagpiper and a
‘Three-Minute Messiah’, there’s no doubt the
concert is a crowd-pleaser – but the high standard
makes just as engaging listening for those who
know their crotchets from their quavers.
• The Joy of Christmas is on Saturday,
December 5, 7.30pm, at Cheltenham Town Hall.
Tickets available from
www.cheltenhamtownhall.org.uk
• The concert is kindly sponsored by Magna
Industrials Ltd, Crest Nicholson, St Edward’s
School and St Edward’s Preparatory School.
• Jubilate welcomes experienced singers of all
ages. Email Ian at parish2@blueyonder.co.uk
www.jubilatechamberchoir.org.uk
Craft & Gift Market: Saturday, December 5, 10am-4.30pm
Including a stand by ‘Beauty in the Beast’ – a collection of animal-inspired accessories, plus
many more. In support of Medical Detection Dogs. Free entry. The Corn Hall, Cirencester,
email: annactham@gmail.com, tel: 01296 655888, www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk
To mark the 150th anniversary of the Lewis
Carroll classic, Hype Agency returns to
Cheltenham to transform the Town Hall into a
topsy turvy land of tomfoolery with its Alice in
Winterland Christmas party nights.
Following the sell-out success of its 2014
Nutcracker-themed parties, from December 11-18,
the Bristol-based party specialists are promising
an even bigger and better festive celebration for
local businesses and groups of friends, with
entertainment, dinner and endless possibilities all
included.
Tables will be dressed fit for the Mad Hatter’s
tea party with a two- or three-course dinner
crafted from fresh local, seasonal ingredients,
before the madness really begins to unravel…
Tickets cost from £32 plus VAT per person,
with a minimum booking of eight. To book call
0117 971 0320, email info@hypeagency.co.uk or
visit www.hypeagency.co.uk
Alice in Winterland: December 11-18
Curiouser and curiouser
Thousands will crowd Montpellier Street once
again this year for the popular, family-friendly
Christmas Fair.
As happens every year, the road will be closed
to traffic to make room for market stalls, street
food, mulled wine, fairground rides, brass bands
and Christmas carols around the tree.
Many of Montpellier’s 90 independent shops,
restaurants, bars and cafés will have special
activities and offers for Christmas, so it’s a
wonderful opportunity to buy Christmas
presents, cards and tree decorations.
The event will raise money for Cheltenham’s
Cobalt Cancer Charity and for The Montpellier
Association, which strives to protect and develop
this unique shopping and eating quarter.
For more information contact Hope Howells at
hope@darcygallery.co.uk or Gavin Thomson at
gavin@Gusto-deli.com
www.montpellier-cheltenham.com
Montpellier Christmas Fair: Sunday, November 29, 11am-5pm
The magic of Montpellier
{If you’ve done it right,
the audience will be held
right there with you in one
united breath; it’s what a
singer lives for
JubilateChamberChoir,ChristChurch
Five minutes with...
Ian Higginson
What inspired you to start
Jubilate?
As well as envisaging a choir
capable of singing a wide and
challenging repertoire, I wanted one that would
be willing to tour around the country. The idea
was also to be able to perform some of my own
compositions with the group from time to time.
What aspect do you most enjoy in directing
the choir?
Working with a team of such talented and
dedicated singers. This really enables us to focus
on quality of tone, dynamic contrast and
interpretation rather than just note-bashing!
What’s your personal highlight to date?
Conducting Bach’s St John Passion and Handel’s
Messiah, plus Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral
and Westminster Abbey. The tours have been
fantastic too, giving members a change of scene
and valuable bonding time.
What are your plans for Jubilate’s future?
I’d like to recruit more altos, tenors and basses
and line up some new concert venues, plus
produce some more recordings and radio
broadcasts. Watch this space!
Many of us have experienced the unadulterated joy of being in the audience when one
of our talented chamber choirs performs. But what must it feel like to be one of those
performers? Jubilate’s Rachel Johnston takes us behind the scenes
JubilateChamberChoir