City of London Sinfonia, Wimbledon Choral & Neil Ferris
Biographie City of London Sinfonia, Wimbledon Choral & Neil Ferris
Cecilia McDowall
Born in London, 1951, Cecilia McDowall has won many awards, been short-listed eight times for the British Composer Awards and in 2014 won the Choral category of the British Composer Awards for her haunting work, Night Flight, which celebrates the pioneering flight of the American aviatrix, Harriet Quimby, across the English Channel. McDowall’s distinctive style speaks directly to listeners, instrumentalists and singers alike. Her most characteristic works fuse fluent melodic lines with occasional dissonant harmonies and rhythmic exuberance. Her music has been commissioned and performed by leading choirs, including the BBC Singers, The Sixteen, Oxford and Cambridge choirs, Kansas City Chorale, ensembles, and at festivals worldwide.
Recent commissions include When time is broke (Three Shakespeare Songs) for the BBC Singers and Adoro te devote for Westminster Cathedral Choir, London. Three Latin Motets were recorded by the renowned American choir, Phoenix Chorale, conductor, Charles Bruffy; this Chandos recording, Spotless Rose, won a Grammy award and was nominated for Best Classical Album. The National Children’s Choir of Great Britain commissioned a work focusing on ‘children in conflict’, called Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo. This cantata is based on the real-life escape of Nujeen Mustafa (who is wheelchair-bound) and her sister from war-torn Aleppo; it tells of their harrowing journey across 3,500 miles, through seven countries, eventually arriving in Germany with relief and great gratitude.
In May, 2019, Wimbledon Choral Society and the Philharmonia Orchestra premiered McDowall’s large-scale choral work, the Da Vinci Requiem, to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death. The work received its first performance on 7 May in the Royal Festival Hall, London. McDowall’s works are regularly broadcast on BBC Radio and readily available on CD.
In 2013 Cecilia McDowall received an Honorary Doctorate from Portsmouth University and in 2017 McDowall was selected for an Honorary Fellow award by the Royal School of Church Music. In 2019 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from West London University. In 2021 the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, will release a CD of her choral music on the Hyperion label. In 2020 McDowall was presented with the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for ‘outstanding music collection’ for a ‘consistently excellent body of work’. This was a ‘Gift’ from The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Composers’ Academy).
In 2021 McDowall was given the coveted annual commission by King’s College, Cambridge, to write the carol for the Choir of King’s College and their music director, Daniel Hyde, to be part of the much-lovedFestival of Nine Lessons and Carols broadcast world-wide on Christmas Eve. The carol, There is no rose, is published by Oxford University Press.
“She constantly tweaks the ear with her range of spicy rhythms and colours then suddenly produces a highly atmospheric and grippingly expressive interlude which is just as compelling.” (GRAMOPHONE)
Neil Ferris
has been Music Director of Wimbledon Choral since 2009. He is also Artistic Director and Conductor of the professional chamber choir Sonoro and was appointed Chorus Director of the BBC Symphony Chorus in 2017. In 2019 he made his BBC Proms conducting debut, celebrating the 90th Anniversary season of the BBC Symphony Chorus with the premiere of Jonathan Dove’s specially commissioned piece We Are One Fire.
With Sonoro Neil has appeared at the St Magnus International Festival, the Wimbledon International Music Festival and at King’s Place in London. In demand as guest conductor with some of the finest choirs in the UK, Neil has worked with London Symphony Chorus, Choir of the Age of Enlightenment, BBC Singers, London Voices, the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, and the National Youth Choir of Wales. Orchestras that Neil has conducted include London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, London Mozart Players, City of London Sinfonia and Orchestra of the Swan. Formerly Director of Choral Studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Neil is recognised as one of the country’s leading teachers of choral conducting and has led masterclasses in the UK, USA, Ireland, Denmark, China and Singapore.
Recordings include an album of the choral music of Jonathan Dove (Naxos), Fauré Requiem (Convivium), and a regular programme of recordings with Sonoro on the Resonus label. Their album Christmas with Sonoro was Christmas album of choice in the BBC Music Magazine and followed on from their critically acclaimed debut album Passion and Polyphony featuring works of James MacMillan and Frank Martin. In 2019 there were two further releases, Choral Inspirations and an album of the choral music of Martin Bussey.
City of London Sinfonia
Firmly established as one of the UK's leading chamber orchestras, City of London Sinfonia (CLS) was founded in 1971 by the late Richard Hickox and celebrates its 40th anniversary this season. The Orchestra has earned a reputation for strong, distinctive programming, outstanding performances and recordings, and a passion for music featuring the voice.
Performing throughout the UK and abroad, CLS makes regular appearances at all the major London concert halls and venues, as well as St Paul's Cathedral and other venues in the City of London. It has been resident orchestra at the capital's popular Opera Holland Park since 2004 and holds a long-standing residency in High Wycombe, as well as being a regular guest at major UK festivals. In addition the Orchestra performs lively Crash, Bang, Wallop! family concerts offering young listeners an exciting and interactive introduction to classical music.
Wimbledon Choral
has been described as 'one of the most substantial and formidable choirs in London … a vigorous and sophisticated choral ensemble'. The choir is over 100 years old, re-founded in the early stages of the First World War, but its earliest recorded roots go back to 1870. Today we are a modern, dynamic group of singers, always ready to stretch ourselves and try new things, making sure we keep up our reputation as one of the finest amateur symphonic choirs in south-east England.
Under Neil Ferris’ inspiring musical direction, we perform regularly with professional orchestras and soloists in major concert venues in and around London. We work with well-established soloists and leading orchestral groups, such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, Florilegium and the London Mozart Players, as well as with rising stars in the early years of their career. Our recent repertoire ranges from major classical choral works, old and new, to smaller, less well-known compositions, a cappella pieces and jazz. We enjoy performing new works from the rich repertoire of contemporary composers and, as well as the Da Vinci Requiem, have commissioned works from Michael Higgins, Chris Hutchings and Owain Park.
Our television work includes recording the BBC 1998 World Cup theme Pavane as well as numerous appearances on BBC’s Songs of Praise and The Big Sing, and it has been our great honour to sing many times in the presence of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Majesty King Charles III at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
The Da Vinci Requiem had its genesis in our centenary which was not just about looking back to our First World War origins but also about optimism for the future. That’s why we decided to commission a major new work, our own piece of choral history, part of the wonderfully vibrant modern British choral tradition. We were thrilled that Cecilia McDowall accepted the commission. It was very exciting indeed to perform the world première of her Da Vinci Requiem to a packed audience at the Royal Festival Hall, London, in 2019, just a few days after the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death.
