In music, we tend to remember the highlights of a piece. The big climax, the final cadence. However, these moments are meaningless without the gathering of energy that comes before them. All music is tension and release, arsis and thesis. CBS forty-ninth season promises to be one of great energy and full of music that expresses these ideas.
Our October concert will give us the chance to revisit works that CBS has performed in the past that have become part of their signature repertoire, enjoyed by both singers and audience members. This programme includes Bach's Komm Jesus Komm and Stanford's beloved motets alongside new works by Judith Bingham, Samuel Barber, Kevin Siegfried, and others.
We also look forward to welcoming audiences once again to our December concert which gives our community the chance to not only hear some seasonal classics, but to join us in singing traditional Christmas carols. The December concert will feature music by Will Todd in anticipation of his workshop with us come 2026. We hope that you will not miss the chance to come sing many of the composer's works under his direction on January 31st!
Following what promises to be a very exciting workshop, March gives us a moment to pause and reflect as CBS performs Lenten motets alongside two of the great choral works; Tallis' Lamentations of Jeremiah and Bach's Jesu Meine Freude. The choir as a whole is very excited to be able to sing this music and we hope that you will find it equally fulfilling.
The concert in May will look quite different to what has come before it. While CBS remains deeply committed to performing works of what is generally recognised as part of the "standard" choral canon to the highest standard, we are also interested in other styles of music and forms of performance. To that end, we have programmed our May concert as a homage to jazz and its influence. Some of this influence will be subtle, modal harmonies in Vaughan Williams for example, or Chilcott's delicate choral setting of Walton's Touch Her Soft Lips from Henry V. Others will be more overt, including the performance of some of Will Todd's works scored for choir and jazz combo.
Whether you are interested in jazz, choral music, or a mixture of the two, we hope that you will enjoy this concert, as well as the rest of what promises to be a wonderful 49th season!
Dates for your diary:
AUTUMN CONCERT
CBS Favourites Past & Present
Saturday 18th October 2025, 4:00pm
Wesley Church Centre
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Make We Joy!
Saturday 20th December 2025, 3:00pm
St Werburgh’s Church
CHORAL WORKSHOP with Will Todd
Saturday 31st January 2026
Workshop: 11:30 to 6:00pm;
Performance: Approx. 5:00pm
Saint Mary Without-the-Walls
SPRING CONCERT
Music of Sorrow & Triumph
Saturday 14th March 2026, 3:00pm
St Werburgh’s Church
MIDYEAR CONCERT
You must believe in Spring!
Saturday 16th May 2026, 4:00pm
Wesley Church Centre
