Eternal Peace – Saturday 30th November 2024

We have a programme of fabulous music for you, all under the baton of our inspiring Music Director, Richard Laing. Duruflé’s Requiem probably needs little introduction: beautiful, impressionistic, modal harmonies forming a glowing support to ancient plainsong-inspired melody lines.

This work will be performed in memoriam Graham Wright, a former Chair of LBC for 15 years and long serving singing member, who sadly passed away earlier this year.

Also in the mix will be equally rewarding music by Frank Martin and Marcel Dupré.

The choir have been captivated and enchanted by the warmth, serenity and passion of Frank Martin’s Mass for unaccompanied Double Choir, a work which he described as ‘a matter entirely between God and myself’ – probably a reason why it lay neglected in a drawer for over forty years until it was rediscovered and performed in 1963.

Marcel Dupré (Pictured left) was a virtuoso organist and composer. His setting of the Four Motets Op 9 was originally written for choir with two organs. We suspect that’s why Richard has engaged Simon Hogan (from Southwark Cathedral – Pictured below) to accompany us on just the one organ as he always seems to perform as though he is equipped with at least four hands and four feet!

We continue to support outstanding young artists in launching their careers and will be joined, both in the Requiem and in their own cameo performances, by two prize-winning postgraduate soloists from the Royal Northern College of Music: Iona Kaye (mezzo soprano) and Samuel Snowden (baritone).

Our new LBC Rising Stars initiative will be offering a platform for young, gifted musicians from across the country. We’re thrilled to have two vocal soloists for this concert, both first class honours graduates from the Royal Northern College of Music. As well as their solos in the Duruflé Requiem they will be delighting us in works by our namesake, J.S Bach.

Iona Kaye is a mezzo-soprano who graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music with first-class honours. She is delighted to be a Song Easel Young Artist and Boyne Music Festival Young Artist this year, winner of the RNCM English Song Competition (2023) and third prizewinner in The Dorothy Richardson English Song Prize (2022 & 2023).

Cellist, Rebecca Burden, soloist in the Duruflé, graduated with a Masters with Distinction from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire and now has an exciting career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral player.