CHRISTMAS 2011

Friday December 16th at 7.30pm

OLDHAM PARISH CHURCH

OLDHAM CHORAL SOCIETY

Conductor: Nigel Wilkinson Accompanist: Angela Lloyd-Mostyn

FAMILY CHRISTMAS CONCERT

With guests

OLDHAM BAND

(LEES)

Conductor: John Collins

If you would like to sing with the choir please visit

our website : www.oldhamchoral.org.uk

or contact me: Fred Jones on 0161 205 4638

Rehearsals are held

every Monday evening at the New Baptist Church

Chaucer St.

We aim to sing / promote quality choral music with first class soloists and professional orchestral

accompaniment

Annual membership fee is low

We are a very friendly

and sociable organisation

YOU COULD BE A PART OF OUR

EXCITING FUTURE

Chairman’s Notes

Welcome to our Annual Christmas Concert here in Oldham Parish Church. If this is your first visit, I’m sure you will enjoy your evening. If you have been before, you know that we will have a good time together as always.

Do please sing up in the carols – it’s your chance to become honorary choir members for the evening – although if you like to sing, you could always think about joining us! New voices are welcome in all parts, especially in the men’s sections. Ask any choir member for details. It is a great pleasure once again to be able to welcome the Oldham Band (Lees) as our guests this evening. The sound of a brass band leading the carols, is one of the magical sounds of Christmas, and I am sure that we will all enjoy their solo items too. They are a musical ensemble that Oldham should celebrate, and we feel proud that they are always so keen to link up with us. Our thanks, as always, go to the Vicar, Wardens and PCC of the Parish church for all their help, and to the ladies of the church, who will be serving seasonal refreshments again at the end of the evening. (Donations towards the cost would be welcomed). As we move into 2012, our efforts will be concentrated around J.S. Bach’s masterpiece – the “St Matthew Passion”, which we are due to perform in the wonderful Concert Hall of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester on Palm Sunday. Details of this event appear elsewhere in the programme, and we do hope you will join us. On Saturday March 3rd we will be holding a Workshop, (with Audio and Visual content), based on the “St. Matthew Passion”, and this is open to anyone – singers or not – details from choir members. Finally, on Sunday June 10th, we will be presenting another G & S Gala at the Arena, led by the inimitable Donald Maxwell. Thank you for all your support, and I hope you enjoy this evening’s concert.

Fred Jones.

PROGRAMME

HAIL SMILING MORN – a Glee written in 1810 by Reginald Spofforth

Jesus Child (John Rutter) Christmas Night (arr.John Rutter)

O Holy Night (Adolphe Adam arr. NW)

WE all stand for the CAROL: Once in Royal David’s City

Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed, Where a mother laid her baby in a manger for His bed: Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all, And His shelter was a stable, and His cradle was a stall;

With the poor, and mean, and lowly, lived on earth our Saviour Holy.

MALE VOICES ONLY And through all His wondrous childhood

He would honour and obey, Love and watch the lowly Maiden,

in whose gentle arms He lay: Christian children all must be mild, obedient, good as He.

FEMALE VOICES ONLY For He is our childhood's pattern;

day by day, like us He grew; He was little, weak and helpless, tears and smiles like us He knew; And He feeleth for our sadness, and He shareth in our gladness.

ALL And our eyes at last shall see Him through His own redeeming love;

For that Child, so dear and gentle, is our Lord in heaven above,

And He leads His children on to the place where He is gone. THE OLDHAM BAND (LEES)

March – Christmas Joy by Leidzen A Christmas Overture by John Golland

The Candlelight Carol (Rutter) (Choir arrangement NW)

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed

(from the “Messiah” by Handel)

WE all stand for the CAROL: Angels from the realms of glory

Angels from the realms of glory, wing your flight o'er all the earth; Ye who sang creation's story now proclaim Messiah's birth:

Gloria in excelsis deo! (2) Shepherds, in the field abiding, watching o'er your flocks by night, God with man is now residing, yonder shines the infant light; Gloria in excelsis deo! (2)

Sages, leave your contemplations, brighter visions beam afar; Seek the great desire of nations, ye have seen His natal star; Gloria in excelsis deo! (2)

Saints before the altar bending, watching long in hope and fear, Suddenly the Lord, descending, in His temple shall appear: Gloria in excelsis deo! (2)

THE OLDHAM BAND (LEES) Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson

arr. Ernest Tomlinson In The Bleak Midwinter by Harold Darke

arr. Jonathan Bates. Featuring tenor horn soloist - Arfon Owen

OCS: For unto us a child is born

(from the “Messiah”)

WE all stand for the CAROL: See amid the winter’s snow

See, amid the winter's snow, Born for us on Earth below,

See, the tender Lamb appears, Promised from eternal years.

Chorus: Hail, thou ever blessed morn,

Hail redemption's happy dawn, Sing through all Jerusalem,

Christ is born in Bethlehem.

Lo, within a manger lies He who built the starry skies; He who, throned in height

sublime, sits among the cherubim.

Ladies only Say, ye holy shepherds, say, what your joyful news today;

Wherefore have ye left your sheep on the lonely mountain steep? Chorus

Men only

"As we watched at dead of night, lo, we saw a wondrous light: Angels singing 'Peace On Earth' told us of the Saviour's birth."

Chorus

Ladies only Sacred Infant, all divine, what a tender love was Thine,

Thus to come from highest bliss down to such a world as this. Chorus

ALL

Teach, O teach us, Holy Child, by Thy face so meek and mild, Teach us to resemble Thee, in Thy sweet humility.

THE OLDHAM BAND (LEES)

Away in a Manger by Peter Graham Featuring flugel horn soloist – Toni Heywood A Christmas Adventure by Darroll Barry

OCS: Christmas Lullaby (John Rutter)

Calypso carol (arr. Bertalot) Jingle bells

We all stand for the CAROL: O Come all ye faithful

O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come and behold him, Born the King of angels.

O come, let us adore him, (3) Christ the Lord.

God of God, Light of Light,

Lo! He abhors not the Virgin's womb: Very God, begotten, not created.

Refrain

Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation,

Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above; Glory to God in the highest;

Refrain

THE OLDHAM CHORAL SOCIETY AND THE OLDHAM BAND(LEES) WOULD LIKE TO WISH YOU ALL

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

OLDHAM CHORAL SOCIETY 2011 / 12

SOPRANOS

LINDA ALLARDICE SMITH LORNA ASHTON HELEN BANHAM

CHRISTINE BIRKS ANN BRAY

JILL BROMLEY § BRENDA BUCKLEY §

LINDA BUTCHER ALISON COATES

BRENDA COLLINGWOOD LYNN COTTON

MARY CROSSLEY EVA DALE *** VAL DAWSON

JO DEWHURST SUSAN DODD

SUSAN DONOGHUE CLAIRE ELLIS

FIONA FARAGHER BERYL FARRAR

MARGARET HALLAM MARGARET HALLETT

JILL HAMNETT FIONA HESTEN

MARGARET HOOD § MARGARET JONES § BERYL KILPATRICK

SYBIL LAMB MARGARET MARTIN

PAULINE O’DALY JUNE O’GRADY JOAN PEARTON SALLY POWELL

MAUREEN PRICE MARJORIE RICHARDS +

JULIA ROBINSON HILDA ROSEBURY §

ELAINE SHAW + JANEANE TAYLOR

SHEILA TOLLEY JACKIE TURNBULL

MARGARET ULYATT BRENDA WILDISH

BARBARA WILLIAMS §

ANNE WILLIAMSON

+ = 20 years service § = 30 years service

*** = 50 years service

ALTOS

JANET ALBISTON MARY ALMOND

SYLVIA ANDREW § PAT ASHWORTH

MARJORIE BARKER CAROL BEDFORD IRENE CADMAN

MARLENE CANBY ROSALIND CORSER §

ANDREE COLLOFF MAGGIE CULKIN JO-ANNA DOBBS

ROSEMARY GARVEY

TRICIA GOLDEN SUSAN GOLDTHORPE CHRISTINE GRIME + HELEN HALLIWELL

MURIEL HARDY BEVERLEY HARPER BARBARA HATFIELD

MARJORIE HIRST SUE HOWARD

SUE HUTCHINSON THELMA JONES +

ANN JOYCE JAN LOCKWOOD

IVA MOTTLEY NANCY MURPHY § SUSAN PADWELL

ANN PICKARD

BARBARA PLENDERLEITH MARGARET RAWLINS

HELEN RIGBY BRENDA ROBERTS

EILEEN SCOTT BRENDA SHARPLES

SYLVIA SMITH + BARBARA STAMP

JUDITH STOTT

LORNA SWEETMAN CLAIRE SULLIVAN CAROL VAUDREY

SALLY WHITEHEAD

ELIZABETH WIENER JOAN YOUD §

TENORS DAVID ALLEN

MEL BORSBEY MICHAEL CLARKE BARRY COTTON

LAWRENCE CROFT DEREK CLUTTERBUCK

JOHN DEARDEN GILES DENNIS JOHN DOYLE

ERIC FALLOWS

BRIAN FARRAR Wm. GERARD MARSDEN

ALAN MELLOR § RODNEY PORTER JOHN RICHARDS

DAVID RIGG ALAN SCOTT

PHIL SHAW + RAY SMITH

HELEN TAYLOR KEITH WIENER

BASSES

ALAN BACON DAVID BAIRD §

ALAN BARKER CHRIS BARRATT

VINCENT BIRTLES PHILIP BLANCHARD

ROBERT CANBY MICHAEL CLEGG

CHRISTOPHER DODD LIONEL DOSSETT

MIKE EDMONDSON PETER GARRITY GEORGE HARDY

MALCOLM HARDY HENRY HOPE

FRED JONES § KEN LEWIS

JOHN LIVESEY WILF MURPHY § JAMES OGDEN PAUL PASTORE

JOHN PRICE ALAN ROSE

TERRY QUINN DAVID SHIPP NEIL TAYLOR

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Sunday April 1st at 7.00pm A Palm Sunday performance of

The St. Matthew Passion (J.S.Bach)

In the R.N.C.M. Concert Hall With: John Pierce (The Evangelist)

Rhys Jenkins (Jesus), Nicola Howard (Soprano) Adrienne Murray (Alto) Andrew Greenan (Bass)

and the East Lancs Sinfonia

Sunday June 10th 7.30pm at the MIDDLETON

ARENA Another popular

‘G & S’ Double

Bill HMS

PINAFORE

&

THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD

With the National Festival Orchestra And a cast of G & S specialists led and narrated by Donald Maxwell

Including: Sarah Helsby Hughes (Sop.), Nick Sales (Tenor), and Philip Hindle