The Gabrieli Choir
Would you like to sing in a choir that specializes in English sacred music?
The Gabrieli Choir is the only choir in Hungary to specialize in the study and performance of Anglican cathedral music. It choir currently has around 24 members, rehearses weekly (Sunday evenings, from 5 to 8 pm) in St. Stephen’s Basilica, and gives concerts in some of Budapest’s finest churches, including the Basilica and the Mátyás Templom. The choir’s Musical Director is Richárd Sólyom; its organist is László Gesztesi-Tóth.
The focus of the choir’s repertoire is on English music from the 16th century to the present day (e.g. Tallis and Byrd; Purcell and Handel; Parry and Stanford; Bairstow and Howells; Taverner and Rutter). In keeping with performance practice in England, old works are frequently juxtaposed with new, English with non-English (e.g. Guerrero, Bach, Fauré, Kodály, Poulenc, Kocsár, Sisask), and concert programmes are arranged within the overall context of the Anglican tradition.
In April 2009, the choir undertook its first foreign engagement - a highly successful eight day tour to Sheffield, Carlisle and Keswick in the North of England. It has also premiered several new works, and its performances have twice been broadcast by Hungarian Radio; in October 2009 it performed James Whitbourn’s Son of God Mass for choir, organ and saxophone (soloist: Kristóf Bacsó). Its plans for 2010 include: two concert performances of Fauré’s Requiem and motets by 20th-century French composers; Beethoven’s Choral Fantasia - to be performed jointly with another choir and orchestra; summer concerts featuring exclusively British choral music in Tata and Gyöngyöspata; and, in the autumn, performances of Howells’ Requiem and a Mass by Lajtha.
To accomplish all this, the choir is looking to expand its membership, and is seeking enthusiastic new singers in all voices. There are solo opportunities for suitably qualified applicants.
If you are an experienced singer, are good at sight-reading, and would enjoy the challenge offered by studying and performing this demanding repertoire, we would like to hear from you.
Further information: Richárd Sólyom, Artistic Director, tel.: +36-23-451787