Choir on Air
In June 2009 the choir recorded a selection of hymns to be broadcast in two editions of BBC Radio 2’s Sunday Half Hour. One programme, broadcast on Sunday 2nd August (click here), takes the theme of the Transfiguration of Christ, and the second for Sunday 21st February 2010 has a Lenten theme.
The choir went to Lidgett Park Methodist Church for the recording, to have the benefit of a traditional pipe organ. The choir was conducted by its regular conductor Paul Dewhurst, while Tom Leech, one of the musical team from St Anne’s Catholic Cathedral, accompanied on the organ.
The varied programme included hymns set by J. S. Bach and Samuel Sebastian Wesley (first organist of Leeds Parish Church), an arrangement of the spiritual “Let us break bread together”, and the 2004 anthem “O thou who camest from above” by Philip Stopford (organist of Belfast Cathedral).
For members of the choir it was an interesting experience, seeing the classic red "recording" light, and hearing the producer's disembodied voice commenting after each recorded segment, from her position in the BBC van in the church car park. Two of the technical staff had worked in the previous week at Aldeburgh and Glastonbury Festivals, and may have found this a bit of a contrast!
Click on the picture to enlarge it
- The choir consists mainly of Methodists from churches in the Leeds District, but membership is open to anyone who wishes to join, and new members will be welcome.
- Rehearsals are held from June to September on Tuesdays, 7.15 to 9.30 pm, at Oxford Place Methodist Church (click here for map), for a single concert in September, usually at Leeds Town Hall.
- There are no auditions, and there's no need to memorise the music as we sing from copies.
- You do not need to be a member of the Methodist Church or even a church-goer.
- Prospective members are welcome to come along for a couple of weeks to see whether the choir is right for them before deciding whether to join.
- The social life of the Choir is held to be an important part of its work: refreshments are served at Enrolment Night and the Annual General Meeting and once a month the rehearsal ends in a Coffee Evening.
- Two singing days are also held during the season.
- Annual subscription: £37.50
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