Saturday 16th November 2024 at 4pm
Teesside High School,
Eaglescliffe
Whitbourn: Son of God Mass
Brahms: Requiem (with piano accompaniment)
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir & Soloists Sam Hird (baritone), Anna Dias (soprano) and Matthew Politz (Clarinet)
Accompanists:
Alison Gill
Andrew Christer
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Experience the choir’s first performance at Teesside High School, with its comfortable balcony for audience, giving a good view of the action. It’s an afternoon concert which we feel is more attractive at this time of year.
The Whitbourn piece, lasting just over 20 minutes, may be new to you. It was loved by the audience when it was performed in Durham a few years ago. Composed in 2001, it features an amazing saxophone part (we are using a clarinet, which works well). The instrument soars above the choir, giving an eastern, almost jazzy feel, The choir sings the words of the mass, sensitively set using harmonies which are easy on the ear,
After the interval, when tea and coffee will be served, we perform the Brahms Requiem in the version accompanied by piano, played by the four hands of skilful pianists Alison Gill and Andrew Christer. We will sing in English, words which plead for the peace of the souls of the departed and comfort for those who grieve,
Friday 28th June 2024 at 7:30pm
Stockton Baptist Church
"Thank you for the Music"
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir & Soloists
Accompanist: Andrew Christer
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
John Forsyth is retiring from his conducting work in 2025, and this is his last summer concert with the choir. It’s going to be a great celebration of pieces we have loved singing with him – and those you have enjoyed, too.
There’s something for everyone in this concert of short pieces, some full of energy, others more peaceful - Byrd and Monteverdi, Elgar and Bruckner. You’ll hear Stanford’s The Bluebird and the joyous My spirit sang all day. We’ll include a selection from The Mikado, with new words promised for the Lord High Executioner’s ‘little list’!
In tribute to John, we will sing music he wrote recently for St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and also his arrangement of Paul McCartney’s Long and Winding Road. Solos include an oboe piece from Daniel Fergie who plays with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, an organ tribute from accompanist Andrew Christer and delightful guitar pieces from John himself.
Saturday 16th March 2024 at 7:30pm
Stockton Baptist Church, TS181TE
JS Bach: St John Passion
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
Mowbray Orchestra
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Chamber Organ: Andrew Christer
Evangelist: Michael Bell (tenor)
Jesus: Patrick Owston (baritone)
Ava da Costa (soprano)
Lauren Bagge (mezzo)
Max Robbins (tenor)
Nick Stoner (bass)
Saturday 9th Dec 2023, 4:00pm
Stockton Baptist Church
TS181TE
A Family Christmas Carol Concert
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir & Junior Choir
Fishburn Band
Accompanist: Andrew Christer
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Christmas songs from the choirs, seasonal music from the splendid band and carols for everyone.
Saturday 25th Nov 2023, 7:30pm
St Barnabas Church
Linthorpe, Middlesbrough TS56JR
"A Concert of French Treasures"
Fauré, Poulenc, Duruflé, Saint-Saëns
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
Megan Moffit: soprano
Ben Noble: baritone
Organist: Andrew Christer
Cello: Jermy Harbottle
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Duruflé: Requiem
Fauré: Cantique de Jean Racine
Saint-Saëns: The Swan (Jeremy Harbottle - cello)
Poulenc: Gloria
Saturday 24th June 2023, 7:30pm
St Hilda's Church,
Hartlepool Headland, TS240PW
"Sail the Seven Seas"
A concert with lots of variety to mark the return of the Tall Ships to Hartlepool.
Cleveland Philharmonic Choirs
Megan Hill (soprano)
Boris Baros (baritone)
Accompanist: Andrew Christer
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Saturday 25 March 2023
7:30pm
Stockton Baptist Church
Handel: Messiah, parts 2 & 3
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
Megan Hill (sop)
Rosie McMurrow (mezzo)
Benedict Munden (tenor)
Alex Li (bass)
Thomas Parker (bass)
(All soloists from the Samling Institute for Young Artists)
Andrew Christer (organ)
James Corking (trumpet)
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Sunday 26 February 2023, 5:00pm
Sage, Gateshead
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir & Durham University Choral Society
Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts (tenor)
Anna Huntley (mezzo-soprano)
Morgan Pearse (baritone)
The Mowbray Orchestra
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
Saturday 19 November 2022, 7:30pm
Middlesbrough Town Hall
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir and Youth Choir
Alison Gill (piano)
Emma Morwood (soprano)
Edmund Danon (baritone)
Tia Radix-Callixte (mezzo-soprano)
Nathanael Thomas Atkin (tenor)
The Mowbray Orchestra
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Rutter: Mass of the children
Interval
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini
Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music
Friday 24th June 2022 - 7:30pm
St Mary's Cathedral, Coulby Newham
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
"Songs of Life and Love"
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
Austin Gunn (tenor)
Heather Jill Burns (mezzo-soprano)
Accompanist: Andrew Christer
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Opera, operetta, ballads, folk song, classics, .... and some humour!
Programme includes solos, duets and choruses:
Howells - King David
Arr. Atkinson - Ma Bonny Lad
Quilter - To Wine and Beauty
Arr. Gunn - Bonny at Morn
Verdi (La Traviata) Lunge da lei...de miei bollenti spiriti
Sullivan (Pirates of Penzance) - O False one you have deceived me
Brodsky - Be My Love
Finzi: Haste on my joys; My spirit sang all day
Elgar: My love dwelt in a northern land; The Dance
Purcell: When I am laid in earth (mezzo solo); With drooping wings
Some songs from Broadway shows
Verdi: Brindisi from La Traviata (soprano, tenor and choir)
Rhythm of life.
Saturday 2nd April 2022 - 7:30pm
Durham Cathedral
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir & the Mowbray Orchestra
Bruckner: Mass No 2 in E Minor
Bruckner: Motets
Mozart: Wind Serenade in C Minor
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
John Forsyth - Music Director
Isaac Conroy - Assistant Music Director
The Mowbray Orchestra
Saturday 20th Nov, 2021 - 7:30pm
Stockton Baptist Church
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir & the Mowbray Orchestra
Haydn: Symphony No 49 (La Passione)
Mozart: Great Mass in C Minor
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
John Forsyth - Chorus Master
- Emma Morwood - soprano
- Helen Sherman - mezzo-soprano
- Dominic Bevan - tenor
- Robin Crinson - bass
Thomas Neal - conductor
A Family Christmas Carol Concert
St Barnabas Church - Sunday 15th December 2019, 3:00pm
Cleveland Philharmonic Choirs
Fishburn Band
Alison Gill (piano)
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Sunday 8th December 2019 - 7:00pm
Middlesbrough Town Hall
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
Handel: Messiah
Keri Fuge - soprano
Victoria Simmonds - mezzo-soprano
Nick Pritchard - tenor
Henry Waddington - bass
The Mowbray Orchestra
John Forsyth MBE - Conductor
Saturday October 12th 2019 - 7:45pm
Ripon Cathedral
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 - "Resurrection"
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir are delighted to have been invited, along with Darlington Choral Society, to provide the choral forces for this monumental work in a Special Gala Concert by the St Cecilia Orchestra.
Friday 28th June 2019 - 7:30pm. St Mary's Cathedral, Coulby Newham
Homeward Bound! A tour of the British Isles in Song
A relaxed evening of songs from around the British Isles - lighter music, beautifully sung.
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir is joined by its two young choirs, with conductors Isaac Conroy and John Forsyth MBE. The amazing Andrew Christer provides the accompaniment.
- Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
- Cleveland Philharmonic Junior Choir
- Andrew Christer (piano/organ)
6th April 2019
Stockton Baptist Tabernacle
Mozart: Vespers
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Mozart: Requiem
Katherine Broderick (soprano)
Anna Huntley (mezzo)
Tyler Clarke (tenor)
Gavan Ring (baritone)
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
Mowbray Orchestra
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
10th November 2018
Sage, Gateshead
Britten: War Requiem
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir is proud to present this major concert in Sage Gateshead on a weekend which coincides with the centenary of the armistice at the end of The Great War. We will be joined by renowned soloists:
Roderick Williams
Mark Padmore
Rachel Nicholls
Our choral forces will include:
- Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
- Newcastle Choral Society
- Northern Spirit Singers
- Cleveland Philharmonic Junior Choir
- Choristers of Durham Cathedral
- Choristers of St Peter's, Stockton
Leader: Iona Brown
Conductors:
John Forsyth MBE
Gary Matthewman
Daniel Cook
22nd June 2018
St Mary's Cathedral, Coulby Newham
An Evening of French Music - Classics, opera and popular song!
Including Fauré, Poulenc, Gounod, Delibes, Offenbach and Bizet.
Soldiers' Chorus, Flower Duet, Carmen choruses, Toreador's March, and much more!
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
Cleveland Philharmonic Junior Choir
Andrew Christer (piano/organ)
Dominic Bevan (tenor)
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Saturday 17th March 2018 at 7:30pm
Stockton Parish Church
JS Bach: Mass in B Minor.
Surely Johann Sebastian Bach's greatest choral work, and one which many people feel is the pinnacle of man's musical endeavour. You decide for yourselves...
The concert is performed by Cleveland Philharmonic Choir and the Mowbray Orchestra, conducted by John Forsyth MBE.
Soloists:
Emma Morwood - Soprano
Carolina Krogius - Mezzo
Joseph Doody - Tenor
Philip Smith - Baritone
Andrew Christer - Organ
Sunday 17th December 2017, 3pm
St Barnabas Church, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough
Come and join us for a Family Christmas Carol Concert!
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
Cleveland Philharmonic Junior Choir
Fishburn Band
Alison Gill (piano)
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Seasonal music from a superb brass band, Christmas songs from the choirs and well-known carols for everyone.
Saturday 2nd December 2017
Stockton Parish Church
Christmas is Coming!
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Christmas Carols
Britten: Ceremony of Carols, St Nicolas
Andrew McAllister (tenor), Neil Turnbull (baritone)
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir and Junior Choir
Oslo Voices
Egglescliffe School Senior Choir
The Mowbray Orchestra
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
21st October 2017
Ripon Cathedral
Beethoven - Symphony No 9
We were delighted to join Ripon's St Cecilia Orchestra in a spectacular concert which included Beethoven's Choral Symphony. The concert was in Ripon Cathedral on Saturday October 21st at 7:30pm. The programme was:
Wagner: Prelude & Liebestod - Tristan & Isolde
Beethoven: Symphony No 9
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
(Music Director: John Forsyth MBE)
Soprano: Ilona Domnich
Mezzo Sop: Media Bienek
Tenor: Elgan Llyr
Bass: Sam Pantcheff
St Cecilia Orchestra
Conductor: Xenophon Kelsey MBE
Friday 30th June
St Mary's Cathedral in Dalby Way, Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, TS8 0TW.
Italian Music - Classics, opera and popular song!
Verdi and Monteverdi, Vivaldi and Gabrieli.
Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, the Brindisi from La Traviata, Nessun Dorma, Santa Lucia, Sorrento, and much more!
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
Cleveland Philharmonic Junior Choir
Andrew Christer (piano/organ)
Chris Griksaitis (tenor)
Rhianne Kent and Inés Antunes (sopranos)
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
7:30pm, April 1st 2017, 7:30 pm
Princess Alexandra Auditorium, Yarm School
A 70th Birthday Concert for John Forsyth!
Music full of life to celebrate Music Director John Forsyth?s 70th Birthday:
Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No 2(with Alison Gill as soloist)
Pieces by Rutter, Vivaldi & Bennett - performed by Cleveland Philharmonic Junior Choir
Rutter: Magnificat(soprano soloist Penelope Randall-Davis)
With Cleveland Philharmonic Junior Choir and The Mowbray Orchestra.
John Forsyth MBE conducts.
John Forsyth has encouraged and helped countless young musicians and singers to realise their potential and to gain a lifelong love of music, in many cases leading to professional careers.
He continues to be an inspirational figure in the north-east region and beyond.
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir is proud and delighted to have John as our Music Director.
Sunday 18th December 2016, 3pm
St Barnabas Church, 1a St Barnabas Road, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, TS56JR.
Family Christmas Carol Concert
This was an afternoon event for people of all ages to get in the mood for Christmas. There was the opportunity for the audience to join in with some favourite carols and other seasonal songs.
We were partnered by Fishburn Brass Band and joined by the Egglescliffe School Senior Choir and our own Cleveland Philharmonic Junior Choir.
12th November 2016
Sage Gateshead
Verdi Requiem
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
Egglescliffe School Senior Choir
Linda Richardson (soprano)
Amanda Floyd (mezzo soprano)
David Butt Philip (tenor)
Philip Smith (baritone)
The Mowbray Orchestra
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Saturday 2nd July 2016, 7:30pm
Stockton Baptist Tabernacle
"Green & Pleasant Land" - a musical celebration of the English countryside
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
Cleveland Philharmonic Junior Choir
Andrew McAllister (tenor)
John Forsyth (guitar)
Andrew Christer (piano / organ)
Conducted by: John Forsyth MBE
Songs that evoke the English countryside in summer, including music by:
Finzi, Bennett, Vaughan Williams, Britten, Carter and others
12th March 2016
Middlesbrough Town Hall
Mendelssohn: Elijah
International baritone Alan Opie stars in the title role of this dramatic retelling of the story of a prophet with the power to bring down fire – or rain – from the sky.
Alan Opie (baritone)
Nathan Vale (tenor)
Sinéad O’Kelly (soprano)
Charlotte Heslop (mezzo soprano)
Mowbray Orchestra
Conducted by John Forsyth MBE
"There came a fiery, chariot,
with fiery, fiery horses"
20th December 2015
Middlesbrough Town Hall
Christmas Carol Concert
The Choir was joined by the Fishburn Band and Vox to perform seasonal music. The audience also got the opportunity to sing along with favourite Christmas carols.
Saturday 21st November 2015, 7:30pm
At Stockton Baptist Tabernacle
Haydn: Te Deum
Brahms: Variations on a theme of Haydn (St Anthony Variations)
Brahms: A German Requiem (sung in English)
Emma Morwood (soprano)
Dominic Barberi (bass-baritone)
The Mowbray Orchestra
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
27th June 2015 at 7:30pm
Stockton Parish Church
America! Folk, classical and the Great American Song Book
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
Andrew Christer (piano, organ)
Soloist: Alison Gill (piano), playing Gershwin and Scott Joplin
28th March 2015 at 7:30pm
Stockton Parish Church
Goodall: Eternal Light
Mozart: Requiem
Hazel McBain (soprano)
Charlotte Heslop (mezzo)
James Slimings (tenor)
Andrew McTaggart (bass-baritone)
(All soloists from Royal Scottish Conservatoire)
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
The Mowbray Orchestra
Alison Gill & Andrew Christer (organ/piano/keyboard)
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
21st December 2014
Middlesbrough Town Hall
Family Christmas Concert
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir, along with Fishburn Band and singers from North East Youth Chorale.
Saturday 1st November 2014
The Sage, Gateshead
Walton: Belshazzar’s Feast
Sir Thomas Allen (baritone)
Northern Spirit Singers (semi-chorus)
Orff: Carmina Burana
Ruth Jenkins-Róbertsson (soprano)
Mark Wilde (tenor)
Philip Smith (baritone)
Young Choirs: Quay Lads and Quay Lasses
The Mowbray Orchestra.
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
North East Youth Chorale joined Cleveland Philharmonic Choir in the main chorus for both works.
Saturday 28th June, 7.30pm
Stockton Baptist Tabernacle
Poulenc: Litanies à la vierge noire (Ladies’ choir)
Fauré:Requiem
Interval
Rutter: Requiem
Chorusmaster: John Forsyth, Conductor: Thomas Neal
Organ: Andrew Christer
Clare Tunney (soprano), Ben Craw (baritone)
The Gentlemen of St Peter’s Choir
Sat 12th April 2014
Stockton Parish Church.
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir with The Mowbray Orchestra
Conductor: John Forsyth
Vaughan Williams: Benedicite
Penelope Randall-Davis (soprano)
Shostakovich: Concerto No 1 for piano and trumpet
Alison Gill (piano), John Gill (trumpet)
Schubert: Mass no 6 in E flat D950
Penelope Randall-Davis (soprano)
Charlotte Heslop (mezzo-soprano)
Michael Bradley and Christopher Griksaitis (tenors)
Ben Craw (bass)
7th Dec 2013, 7:30pm
St Joseph's Church, Hartlepool,
St Pauls Road, Hartlepool, TS26 9EY
Handel's Messiah
A performance of this perennial favourite, accompanied by organ and trumpet.
Conductor: John Forsyth
Rowan Pierce (sop)
Catriona Morison (mezzo)
David Lee (tenor)
Dominic Barberi (bass-baritone)
John Gill (trumpet); Andrew Christer (organ)
16th Nov 2013, 7:30pm
Stockton Parish Church
"100 Voices" - Concert of Choral Music
Some wonderful pieces of music, mainly unaccompanied, sacred and secular, ranging from the 16th century to the present. The works included settings of Ave Maria by Bruckner,Victoria, Josquin and Stravinsky; and works by Palestrina, Viadana, Grieg, Reger and Guerrero. We also performed the moving Songs of Farewell by Parry.
Also there were solo recitals from two outstanding young musicians from the region - Andrew Snell (Cellist, NYO) and Charlotte Heslop (Mezzo, Samling Academy).
Something for everyone to enjoy!
29th June 2013 - 7:30pm
Middlesbrough Town Hall:
A concert to mark the 60th anniversary of the Coronation
Saturday 23rd March, 7.30pm
Stockton Parish Church
Dvořák: Hussite Overture
Dvořák: Stabat Mater
Jessica Leary (soprano)
Laura Margaret Smith (mezzo-soprano)
Raoni Hübner (tenor)
Dominic Barberi (bass-baritone).
The Mowbray Orchestra
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
8th December 2012, 7.00 pm
Stockton Baptist Tabernacle
Handel: Messiah
Rowan Pierce (sop), Anna Barry (mezzo), Michael Bradley (tenor), Dominic Barberi (bass)
Andrew Christer (organ), Graham South (trumpet)
Conductor: John Forsyth MBE
Saturday 10th November
Stockton Parish Church.
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis
Dona Nobis Pacis
Elgar: The Music Makers
Saturday 30 June 2012, 7:30 pm
Stockton-on-Tees Parish Church
The Glory of Gabrieli
Choral and instrumental music to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of Giovanni Gabrieli, including music by him and composers who were influenced by him.
- Faye Newton (soprano), Peter Morton (tenor)
- Gentlemen of St Peter's Church Choir, Stockton-on-Tees
- Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
- Ensemble of sackbuts, cornetts, dulcian, viola da gamba and organ, directed by Claire McIntyre
- Conductor: Thomas Neal. Chorus master: John Forsyth MBE
31st Mar 2012
Stockton Parish Church,
JS Bach: Mass in B Minor
Our Spring 2012 concert featured Johann Sebastian Bach's magnificent Mass in B Minor, which many regard as his finest choral work.
The concert was performed by Cleveland Philharmonic Choir and the Mowbray Orchestra, conducted by John Forsyth MBE. Our soloists were:
- Emma Morwood - Soprano
- Carolina Krogius - Mezzo
- Ben Kerslake - Tenor
- Allan Smith - Baritone
- Andrew Christer - Organ
This performance was dedicated to John Hillier, choir committee member and author of our concert programmes, who died at the end of August 2011.
Comments received following the performance of Bach B Minor Mass in March 2012....
Alex Cunningham MP: Thank you for the kind invitation to attend Saturday evening concert which both Evaline and I enjoyed very much. I had never heard the piece before but warmed to it, like the audience clearly did and will now seek a recording. Please pass on my thanks to John and everyone involved. They all made a wonderful noise in our Parish Church.
About the Mayor of Stockton, Paul Baker, the mayor is a huge fan of CPC and JF. At the end of the first half, the mayor pronounced that he thought he had died and gone to heaven!
Audience member: Your Mass in B Minor at Stockton Parish Church on March 31st, was memorable, many many thanks.
Ben Kerslake, tenor soloist: The service and warmth we received from all sections of the choir was fantastic. Thanks for all your organisation, it all ran smoothly due to the finer details being looked after.
Carolina Krogius (mezzo soloist) I enjoyed the concert very much , it was a lovely experience to perform the B minor mass with you all! I was very thankful for the opportunity to perform this wonderful piece and to come and sing in the UK again! I think the choir and the orchestra did a wonderful job! Anne and her husband took good care of Allan and me, it really was very nice to stay at their place and to get to know them a little bit.
Jane Lomax who fixes the orchestra: All the new orchestra players (mostly Opera North) said how lovely and friendly Cleveland was to play with - sheer delight at the coffee, tea and biscuits! You always do us proud and are a delight to work with, I hope you know that.
David Crookes (Making Music NE) What a splendid concert with which to end my 'official' connection with Cleveland Philharmonic Choir. It was most enjoyable - the sound of the chorus was especially good.
Cleveland Philharmonic Choir
