Harpenden Choral Society has an established reputation for high quality performances with professional soloists and orchestras. We give four concerts a year including a carol concert and hold an open workshop or ‘Come and Sing’ event once a year. Most of our concerts are in the Harpenden area.  Since our formation in 1975 the choir has grown from strength to strength and our repertoire now includes most of the major choral works as well as some lesser-known works and contemporary pieces.  

---

HARPENDEN CHORAL SOCIETY FORTHCOMING EVENTS

TICKETS

Join us  for an exhilarating ‘Come and Sing’ of Mozart’s Requiem. The enduring popularity of the Requiem over two hundred and twenty-six years, confirms that this music has the power and beauty to appeal to the hearts of all who hear it. This surely marks it as one of the great sacred works of choral music.

Registration is from 1.30pm and scores will be provided. The workshop will start at 2.00pm and run until 6.00pm with a break for refreshments. There will be a final run through at 5.15pm which friends and family are welcome to attend. Please discuss any questions or dietary requirements with the Membership Secretary by email membership@harpendenchoralsociety.org

FORTHCOMING CONCERTS

Saturday 22nd March 2025 7.30pm, St John’s Church, St Johns Road, Harpenden AL5 1DJ

Marianna Martines was a prominent composer in the Classical era, and her “Dixit Dominus” is considered one of her masterpieces. It’s a significant piece in the history of women in classical music, showcasing her talent and contribution to the genre.

The composition itself is a grand motet, setting Psalm 110 for choir, soloists, and orchestra. It’s known for its rich vocal writing, intricate ornamentation, and powerful fugues. The music is both beautiful and expressive, demonstrating Martines’ mastery of counterpoint and harmony.

Mozart composed the Solemn Vespers K339 in 1780. He was constrained by Archbishop Colloredo’s strictures and expectations regarding the form of music for performance in Salzburg Cathedral; nevertheless, his characteristic melodic beauty, harmonic richness, and masterful orchestration are unmistakable.

While it’s a “solemn” vespers, the work isn’t uniformly monumental. There are moments of great power, balanced by passages of delicate beauty and lyrical expression, especially the Laudate Dominum solo for soprano voice

Michael Haydn was a prolific composer who wrote over 800 works, including 40 symphonies and 36 masses. His Missa Sancti Francisci Seraphici in C major is one of his most celebrated works, and it is considered to be one of the finest examples of the Classical mass.

The mass is a setting of the traditional Latin text of the Ordinary of the Mass. The music is reverent, and joyful, and utilises attractive melodies accompanied by effective orchestration.

Although it is a masterpiece, the Missa Sancti Francisci Seraphici is not as well-known as some of Michael Haydn’s other works. It deserves to be heard by a wider audience.

Saturday 21st June 2025, 7.30pm, Joanna Forbes L’ Estrange: A Season to Sing and works by Bach, Ireland, Bruckner and Vaughan Williams, St Nicholas’ Church, Harpenden, AL5 2TP.