[T]he Abbey Singers was formed in 1962 by Andrew Seivewright during his time as Master of the Music at Carlisle Cathedral from 1960-1991.
The choir takes its name from the Cathedral Close which is known as ‘The Abbey’ and makes the Cathedral the venue for some of its major concerts. The choir has earned a high reputation for choral singing under its three previous Directors, the second of whom, Elizabeth Lamb, did much to enhance the choir’s vocal technique.
Jeremy Suter, also Master of the Music at Carlisle Cathedral, was Director from January 2001 to July 2012, and has now been succeeded by Jonathan Millican. Jonathan is a professional singer, performer, composer, Musical Director and Educationalist. During the last 20 years, Jonathan has continued to perform around the country as a Baritone soloist including performances with Ida Maria Turri and Evelyn Tubb amongst others and has recorded for the BBC on multiple occasions.
The Abbey Singers have undertaken tours in the UK, Europe and the USA and Canada. In 1993 the Choir took part in the highly successful Festival of British Choral Music in Paris, singing in the churches of St Merri and St Severin. In 1997 the Choir visited North America, giving concerts from Vancouver and Seattle on the West Coast to New Mexico in the South. They have toured in Germany twice, most recently in 2010.
The choir is at home with large and small scale works, accompanied and unaccompanied, and with composers of every period of European (and American) music. The repertoire encompasses sacred and secular, classical and popular, spanning choral music of six centuries with diversity from Bach to the Beatles.
The choir will be performing in Threlkeld on Saturday 8th July at 7:30pm, bar and Box Office from 7pm. The programme will encompass a wide range of music, from great religious works to the musicals.
Tickets are £10 (£5 under 18s) and can be obtained from Threlkeld Village Hall Coffee Shop, P.O. or on-line by credit or debit card or by Paypal www.threlkeldvillagehall.org/whats-on. Box Office phone 07733 790308 for enquiries and if you cannot buy in person or on-line.
