Author: citysounduk

CitySound Concert: That Music Always Round Me

CitySound Voices is delighted to announce the commission of That Music always Round me composed by Mark Boden to celebrate our fifth anniversary.

The world premier performance will take place on Saturday 6th May as part of our anniversary concert in St Stephen’s Chruch, Bath, conducted by Ruth McKibbin.

That Music Always Round Me

Walt Whitman, 1819 – 1892

That music always round me, unceasing, unbeginning, yet long
untaught I did not hear,
But now the chorus I hear and am elated,
A tenor, strong, ascending with power and health, with glad notes
of daybreak I hear,
A soprano at intervals sailing buoyantly over the tops of immense
waves,
A transparent base shuddering lusciously under and through the
universe,
The triumphant tutti, the funeral wailings with sweet flutes and
violins, all of these I fill myself with,
I hear not the volumes of sound merely, I am moved by the
exquisite meanings,
I listen to the different voices winding in and out, striving,
contending with fiery vehemence to excel each other in
emotion;
I do not think the performers know themselves—but now I think I
begin to know them.

About Mark Boden

Mark David Boden graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2008, continuing his studies as a scholar at the Royal College of Music studying with Ken Hesketh and graduating with Distinction from the MMus course in 2011.

During his time at RWCMD, Mark was the recipient of several awards including the Dr David Harries Memorial Award (2006), the Eirwen Thomas Scholarship (2007) and the Composition Prize (2008). He has since been awarded a Worshipful Company of Musicians Silver Medal (2008), the Composer’s of Wales William Mathias Composition Prize (2009), the British Composer Awards (BASCA) Student Competition (2010) and the University of St. Andrews 600th Anniversary Composition Competition (2011). In 2015 he was awarded the prestigious John Clementi Collard Fellowship from the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

Mark has been commissioned ensembles including London Philharmonic Orchestra, Hebrides Ensemble, Sinfonia Cymru and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Several works have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, including Six Degrees, Siegfried Stanzas, Fuochi Distanti and Ghyll. His music has been performed in festivals across the UK and Europe by a variety of musicians and ensembles including Camerata Nordica (Sweden), NEXUS Reed Quintet (Switzerland), Quatour Tana (Belgium) and violinist Bartosz Woroch (Poland).

Mark is currently a lecturer in music at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and was Sir William Walton Trust Junior Fellow in Composition between 2012 and 2014.

He is published by Cadenza Music
https://cadenza-music.com

http://www.markdavidboden.com

@MarkDavidBoden

CitySound in Concert: Christmas with CitySound

Christmas with Citysound PosterJPEG
CitySound Christmas Concert Poster
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CitySound Christmas Concert Programme

We are delighted to be sharing this concert with KES Soul!

KES Soul – Conductor Mark Boden

James Brennan, Will Denny, Mathew Chapman, Emma Jones, George le Coyte, Molly Phillips, Isabella Tann, Theo West, Benji Heffer, Adam Dudley-Friar, Charlotte Ghali, Bella Antcliff, Max Antcliff, Billy Harman, Bea Jones, Alba Hubbard, Edward Satterthwaite, Sophie Mayhew, Holly Davies, Gemma Roper, Lottie Phillips, Alasdair Meehan, Louis Miltion, Fran Barrett, August Pemberton, Jack Morgan Alex Llewellyn.

Citysound May 2015
CitySound Voices – 2015

We are CitySound Voices, around 30 singers who decided in 2012 that we wanted to form ourselves into a new choir. It has been an exciting journey. We knew that we wanted to sing as varied a repertoire as possible – everything from Monteverdi to Bohemian Rhapsody. We hope that our name CitySound shows that we are not rooted in any particular musical tradition.

We also knew that we wanted to be as good as possible, and were prepared to work hard at our rehearsals. We were lucky to persuade Australia-born Ruth McKibbin, now an enthusiastic resident of Somerset, to take us on. As our Musical Director she brings together her own experiences as chorister, operatic soloist and teacher, and insists on wasting no opportunity to develop our vocal technique and our musical sensitivity.

Joining together to make music is surely one of the finest things a community can do. We like to perform with other choirs, especially young musicians.

CitySound Reviews

Ben Cullum – CitySound Review

“CitySound was formed 3 years ago and their repertoire consists of a wide range of songs. From Billy Joel, Mercury to Mancini, Carol King to Jamie Cullum, Pucini, Verdi to Lauridsen – they certainly sing from an impressive and varied songbook.

I was very happy to be part of the audience at two Christmas concerts where I heard them perform secular pieces and even pop & jazz in the first half, followed by traditional and more unusual seasonal items in the second. I was extremely impressed by their ability and range. Though a relatively new choir they always strive to deliver a professional performance, whilst their ultimate desire is to entertain. And entertain is certainly what they do!”

CitySound in Concert: Down to the River

City Sound - Down to the river
CitySound ~ ‘Down to the River’ Concert Poster Downtotheriver-programmeJPEG CitySound ~ ‘Down to the River’ Concert Programme

CitySound are accomplished singers with many years’ experience of entertaining, both nationally and internationally.

CitySound has a wide range of music and our repertoire ranges from Mozart to Bohemian Rhapsody, Opera Choruses to Gospel and African songs.

Since making Somerset her home in 2006, Australian soprano and choral conductor Ruth McKibbin established a reputation for musical and stylistic sensitivity which has been in demand by local choirs and in opera productions. Ruth has collaborated with international musicians such as Baka Beyond and Jamie Cullum.

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Ruth McKibbin ~ CitySound Conductor

Ruth describes herself as a “singer’s conductor”. Her rehearsal methods bring together her experience and expertise as a chorister, soloist and teacher. Ruth is delighted to be invited to conduct CitySound and is committed to performing challenging and diverse repertoire and developing excellence in technique and interpretation.

Ruth holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Music (1992), Postgraduate Diploma in Education (1995) from The University of Queensland and Master of Music Education degree (2005) from James Cook University, Australia.

Take a listen to ‘Deep River’ performed by CitySound Voices:

Courage Youth Choir

C.Y.C (Courage Youth Choir) is a youth Glee Choir that rehearses on Friday afternoons at the Wiltshire Music Centre. With conductor, Felicity Courage, the group of 12-18 years olds learn to perform every style of music, whilst putting their own twist on harmonies. C.Y.C sing in four part harmony and there are some incredible voices in the group.

This is a new musical venture for young and local singers and C.Y.C. are looking for new members and performing opportunities to increase their experience.