Choir of the Earth to bring Messiah on world tour
Ben England BEM and Mark Strachan BEM announce Choir of the Earth’s inaugural ‘come and sing’ tour, bringing Handel’s Messiah to singers around the UK and beyond in 2022/23.
Choir of the Earth is excited to announce how it plans to further its mission to “bring us together, from all corners of the world, to sing glorious choral works” , as it launches an international Come and Sing Messiah Tour, kicking off on 22 October 2022 in London.
Choir of the Earth began life as The Self-Isolation Choir in March 2020, bringing Handel’s Messiah to more than 3,500 global singers stuck at home and missing singing with their local choirs due to the pandemic. The Messiah At Home performance made headlines around the world and, since then, the Choir has grown to 7,000 members and delivered more than 70 unique choral experiences online. Yet Messiah has always remained close to the Choir’s heart, and so was the natural choice for its foray into in-person events.
As Choir of the Earth continues to thrive well past its second birthday, its international members, who call themselves a “choral family”, have grown eager to meet the team and other singers who have become such an important part of their lives. However, Founder Mark Strachan BEM and Musical Director Ben England BEM were keenly aware that organising a physical event in just one central location could exclude many members who are unable to travel, and that the carbon footprint of so many singers travelling – some for thousands of miles – would have too damaging an impact on the environment.
Instead they hatched the plan to bring Messiah on tour, with a small team travelling to singers to host Come and Sing events in locations around the world, rather than having singers come to them. They hope everyone who wants to join in will have the opportunity to sing with them in a location closer to home, saying,
We are so excited to be taking Messiah on tour, starting in London on 22 October this year and coming to a town or city near you. We can’t wait to get on the road so that we can all enjoy singing Messiah together!
Each event will begin with an introduction by Mark before handing over to Ben to lead singers through a selection of choruses from Messiah in three workshops throughout the day. Ben will then conduct the singers in a concert performance with soloists and organist that evening. Subject to venue capacity, a live audience may attend free of charge.
The team and musicians are delighted to offer this opportunity to informally meet and chat with Choir of the Earth singers, but all Come and Sing Messiah Tour events will be open for everybody to book, whether or not they have ever sung with Choir of the Earth before.
The first Come and Sing Messiah event will take place in St Gabriel’s Church Pimlico in London, England on Saturday 22 October 2022. A ticket to attend costs £50 and includes a resource pack with everything singers will need to learn and practice their parts in preparation for the event (further details below). The number of tickets is capped at 280 and these are already selling quickly, so those interested in attending should reserve their place now to avoid disappointment.
The Choir is honoured to have the brilliant Richard Gowers accompany the Choir on piano for the workshops and organ for the concert. They will also be joined by soloists from world-class chamber choir Fieri Consort for the concert. The line-up is subject to change but is currently anticipated to include Lucy Cox (soprano), Nancy Cole (mezzo-soprano), Tom Kelly (tenor) and Ben McKee (bass).
For those who have not sung Messiah before, Choir of the Earth will provide a resource pack full of everything singers will need to learn and practice their parts before the event, including:
A digital score of the full Messiah oratorio (paper scores will NOT be provided)
Note-by-note recorded teaching sessions with Ben for each chorus, tailored to each voice part
Further recorded overview sessions with Ben for each chorus, tailored to each voice part
Learning tracks (mp3 format) with your voice part louder than the others to assist your learning
Learning tracks (mp3 format) with all voice parts at the same volume – test your learning
A complete recording of Messiah performed by Choir of the Earth (mp3 format) – practice singing with the full choir or just listen and enjoy
A series of six fascinating lectures on Handel and the Messiah, delivered by Ben in 2021 as part of Choir of the Earth’s Around Sound series
After the London event, the Come and Sing Messiah Tour will go on the road, giving more singers further afield the chance to sing Handel’s masterpiece with Ben and Mark. Further UK Come and Sing Messiah Tour events are subject to change but are currently planned for:
November 2022: Cardiff and Bristol
December 2022: Birmingham
January 2023: Manchester
February 2023: Edinburgh
March 2023: Belfast
The Choir hopes to announce further details about the dates and venues for the remaining UK events at its annual ‘Hallelujah Day’ celebration on 31 May, which marks the anniversary of its first Messiah At Home performance.
The last stop in the British Isles will be Dublin, for a very special Come and Sing Messiah event on 13 April 2023, celebrating the 281st anniversary of the first performance of Messiah in Dublin in 1742!
Mark and Ben then hope to take the Tour abroad with a series of international events, subject to practicalities, funding and local support. For those whose location is not listed, Mark would love to hear from anyone who would like the Come and Sing Messiah Tour to visit them and feels there would be enough local demand for an event there. Indeed several members have already been in touch and additional dates may well be added to the above. Please email Mark at mark@choiroftheearth.com and he will be delighted to discuss this.
To minimise the environmental impact of the tour and benefit local musicians and economies, the Choir will use local soloists and organists for events outside the UK and Ireland. Singers are also being asked to consider the environment when attending and travelling to the events, such as travelling by public transport and using digital rather than printed scores. The Choir will not provide paper scores for these events but rather will ensure charging facilities are available at venues to facilitate use of digital devices.
Further information about Choir of the Earth’s Come and Sing Messiah Tour and booking for the London event is available at: https://choiroftheearth.com/come-and-sing-messiah.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
All media queries should be directed to Choir of the Earth’s Communications Director, Nikki Chilton, at communications@theselfisolationchoir.com.
Choir of the Earth began life as The Self-Isolation Choir, founded in March 2020 as a response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Its rebranding in 2021 reflects how the choir has grown and matured from pandemic phenomenon to an established choir, leading the way with digital singing innovation and environmentally-friendly music-making. It now has sung with more than 7,000 international singers from over 30 countries and has delivered over 70 choral experiences.
Information about past, present and future projects is available at www.choiroftheearth.com. Follow Choir of the Earth on social media: Choir of the Earth on YouTube | @ChoirOfTheEarth on Twitter | Choir of the Earth on Facebook | choiroftheearth on Instagram