The arts are facing the most challenging time in a generation. If you love music, if you love Clonter, and if you are able to, please donate to protect Clonter’s future. Every little bit helps.
Gospel@Clonter
Sat 4 December, 7pm
‘The perfect choir’
– The Times
.
Promo – Gospel@Clonter – Virtual concert at St Mary’s Church, Ealing 2020
.
You are not too late to book for the long awaited return of the London Adventist Chorale.
Hailed as one of the world’s greatest gospel choirs, the London Adventist Chorale returns by popular request, to perform their annual Christmas special at Clonter.
We feel that we are back on the road to normality, illustrated by the return of the Chorale’s annual visit. Last year we beamed a bespoke Clonter concert to you digitally from London, but we couldn’t be happer to be able to get you all back in the same space once more again this year.
For those of you who haven’t met LAC before, they were formed in 1981, to bring together and develop the talents of singers from various Seventh-day Adventist Churches. Its current principal conductor, Ken Burton of BBC ‘The Choir’ fame, has conducted the choir for over two decades.
The choir’s first artistic director was the late John Tolman, who laid out the vision for the choir: high-standard performance of varied and challenging sacred repertoire, with a heavy leaning toward a cappella music. Fundamental to the original vision was that the choir would be of a standard to ‘stand before kings and queens’, a statement borrowed from a Bible verse.
Throughout its years, under several directors including Derek Hoyte and Tina Brooks, this dream has been realised; the choir has made a strong impact on the choral world internationally through its moving performances, combining, as one music critic put it, ‘discipline with fervour’. Its repertoire over the years has included music in Hebrew, African-American Spirituals, close harmony, and Western choral music, from Renaissance through to new commissioned work.
The Chorale’s performances have been experiences by tens of millions world-wide on stage, screen, recordings and radio appearances. The choir has performed in most of the UK’s major performance venues. Among the many notable venues and performances are Buckingham Palace on the occasion of Her Majesty The Queen’s Gold Jubilee, Toronto’s Sky Dome before an audience of seventy thousand , and BBC Proms concerts. One Times reviewer was so taken aback, he wrote in the newspaper that he had found ‘the perfect choir‘.
In 1994, the choir won the prestigious ‘Choir Of The Year’ title, and was awarded BBC UK Gospel Choir Of the Year by the BBC a year later. Even to the present day, many of the UK’s choral directors have stated that the London Adventist Chorale has had a profound effect and influence on the UK choral scene. By way of example, it is not uncommon to see the inclusion of African-American spirituals – a genre which has been almost unilaterally preserved in the UK by the Chorale – on choral programmes and in competition repertoire.
The choir has worked in collaboration with a number of notable artists, including Bryn Terfel CBE, Sir Willard White, Larnelle Harris, Wynton Marsalis, Wilhelmenia Fernandez and Lesley Garrett.
The choir performs yearly Christmas concerts at the Clonter Opera Theatre and celebrity chef Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons. It has also been involved with the Kijani Kenya Trust, which raises funds for HIV, Aids and Conservation projects in Kenya, through a music festival and ongoing education programme.
The Chorale’s performances have been experienced by tens of millions world-wide on stage, screen, recordings and radio appearances. The choir has performed in most of the UK’s major performance venues. Among the many notable venues and performances are Buckingham Palace on the occasion of Her Majesty The Queen’s Gold Jubilee, Toronto’s Sky Dome before an audience of seventy thousand, and BBC Proms concerts. One Times reviewer was so taken aback, he wrote in the newspaper that he had found ‘the perfect choir‘.
Recordings to date include the debut album ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus’, ‘Deep River’, ‘Steal Away’ (EMI), and ‘Live In Australia’.
.
Covid Safety Measures
Whilst the government has lifted all restrictions, further to our Customer Confidence Survey, and feedback from our Summer Opera Production, we have decided to maintain the policy adopted for the last 3 performances of the opera, which was that masks be worn at all times when moving around the foyer and other common parts, maintaining a 2 metre distance, where possible, and hand sanitising on entry, but once seated for a show masks may be removed. In addition we will still be leaving one seat empty between bubbles/groups. This latter measure will still mean that the capacity of the performance spaces (auditorium and Ramsey room) is reduced significantly. Whilst we did not quadruple (pre 19th July) and double (post 19th July) the ticket prices for the Barber of Seville, in order to have a sporting chance of being able to present a programme for 2022, it is necessary for us to consequently increase the price of the tickets for the remaining events planned for this year. We very much hope that this will not preclude you from attending this event. We pledge to review this in 2022, and restore the Early Bird and Group Discounts. We thank you in advance for your understanding, and very much hope you may be able to attend this event, and thereby help secure a future for Clonter.
.
Refund Policy
With the continuing, and fluctuating, pandemic situation, Clonter would like to reassure bookers that should you need to cancel due to Covid, a full refund will be offered.
.
Tickets £25, £33, £39, £44
Doors Open 6pm
Performance 7pm
Interval 70-minute interval
.
