Welcome to Harrogate Festival Choral Course
Hi,
Welcome to the Harrogate Festival Choral Course website! If you're serious about singing and enjoy spending time with like-minded people then maybe we have something that might interest you. In the summers of 2008 and 2009, over the August Bank Holiday weekends, we have run choral courses which culminated in performances of Rutter's Magnificat and Elgar's The Music Makers in the newly refurbished Royal Hall, Harrogate and Handel's Israel in Egypt in the magnificent Cathedral in Ripon. The singers, who come together from all over the country, have given us overwhelmingly positive feedback, which we are building upon for the third Harrogate Festival Choral course in 2010 (Tuesday August 24th - Sunday August 29th).
We are delighted to be holding the course for the second year running at Queen Ethelburga's College in Thorpe Underwood, midway between Harrogate and York, and only a few minutes from Cattal rail station on the York/Harrogate line. Here residents may opt for a single or twin-bedded room with all rooms having ensuite and kitchen facilities.
The main work, is Mendelssohn's St Paul. This will be performed in Ripon Cathedral. Dr Simon Lindley, organist at Leeds Parish Church, describes St Paul as, "wonderful, full of hit show-stopping numbers". Tickets are available from the Gift Shop at Ripon Cathedral and will be available on the evening of the concert. Tickets are £10 (£8 for concessions). The guests at our informal concert, where delegates sing in either the upper voice or male voice choirs, will be Matthew Neville (clarinet) and Richard Uttley (piano). They were so warmly received at the last course that we just had to invite them back!
We look forward to welcoming singers who have joined us in 2008 and 2009, and we extend a really warm welcome to singers joining us for the first time.
You should find all the information you need on the website but if there's anything else you need to know then just email or ring us (see contacts page) and we'll be happy to answer your questions.
Here's to a great week in August! And just in case you are already looking towards 2011 we're delighted to advise that our course will run over the August Bank Holiday weekend and that we'll be joined by Stephen Connolly, now in his 23rd season in the internationally-renowned King's Singers. One not to be missed!
Lynn, Sue and Thom
