Saturday, 13 June 2026, 7pm
at St. George's Church, Beckenham BR3 1AX
Summer Concert
Conductor: Mark Griffiths
Soprano: Sofia Kirwan-Baez
Mezzosoprano: Katherine Nicholson
Tenor: Adam Tunnicliffe
Bass: Jonathan Brown
For our summer concert we are delighted to bring you a jazz- and blues-influenced programme of English and American music, mostly dating from the middle of the last century.
Our principal work is the Candide Choral Suite, highlighting the satirical and dramatic themes from Bernstein’s 1956 operetta. The suite opens in optimistic vein, with The Best of All Possible Worlds and culminating in the thrilling anthem, Make Your Garden Grow.
The only contemporary piece of the evening, Bob Chilcott’s highly original A Little Jazz Mass successfully blends the Latin mass with the jazz and blues idiom, giving a relaxed and lyrical feel that builds to a powerful climax.
Also featured in the programme are the ever-popular Tippett Five Spirituals, powerful and moving in their simplicity, and a selection of Copland’s Old American Songs. Simple Gifts will surely be the best known, with other treasures to be discovered.
The pieces are accompanied by a Jazz Trio, led by our resident accompanist Aeron Preston, along with Frazer Pearce and Phil Chevassut. Aeron is the brains behind the instrumental arrangements of two of our four works and will be at the piano for all four.
Frazer plays jazz double bass (and also bass guitar) across many genres, both live and in the recording studio. Phil is a multi-instrumentalist, accomplished on guitar, piano, bass and saxophone. For this concert he completes the line-up on the drums.
Booking
We recommend booking your tickets online to avoid disappointment – we have sold out of tickets several times recently.
Tickets are £15 (nave) and £10 (aisle seats). The price of the ticket includes a free drink and a copy of the concert programme. Tickets are available online and also on the door on the day of the concert from 6.15pm.
Concessions: £5 tickets available for anyone in full-time education. Please contact boxoffice@beckenhamchorale.org.uk for conditions and how to book before trying to make an online booking.