A Season to Sing LAUNCH
March 23rd 2025
Delighted faces all round after the launch concert of A Season to Sing on Saturday 22nd March 2025 at St Bartholomew-the-Great church in London
I’m still on a high from last night’s official launch concert of A Season to Sing, my choral re-imagining of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. If I’m completely honest, I’m also a tad hung over, for which I blame entirely the friends who took me to the pub afterwards and insisted I drink gin. They know who they are.
If ever you’ve considered joining your local choir but not quite got around to it then last night’s stunning performance by the Hampshire-based choirs of LUMINOSA would have been all the impetus you needed to fill up your water bottle, sharpen your pencils and sign up. Expertly directed by the choirs’ founder, Rebekah Abbott, the choirs’ core philosophy of the power of community and collective music-making shone through.
“What a great choir...and they’re not even London-based”
Personal highlights for me were the whistling birdsong chorus in the first movement of Spring which drew some titters - pardon the pun - from the audience; the body-percussion evocation of Summer’s rain and thunder also went down a storm - stop it - especially when the conductor added to the illusion by putting out her palm as if to catch the imaginary raindrops. However, my favourite season of the concert was Winter. So convincing were the singers’ shivers and chattering teeth that one almost forgot that outside in the churchyard the sun was setting on what had been a beautiful spring day.
I also very much enjoyed hearing a tourist remark during the afternoon rehearsal , “What a great choir…and they’re not even London-based!”
I’ll never forget the feeling of standing by the choir at the end of the performance to see the audience clapping and cheering in the stunning setting of St Bartholomew-the-Great. This piece’s journey has well and truly begun and I’m excited to hear many more of the 40 performances happening as this 300th anniversary year unfolds.