Join Nonsuch Singers, organist Richard Pearce and our conductor Tom Bullard for this programme of celebratory English anthems of the 17th and 18th centuries.
The most well-known of these are Handel’s anthems written for the coronation of George II and Queen Caroline in 1727 (indeed, such was its popularity that this setting of Zadok the Priest has been performed at every coronation since). Alongside these we perform a selection of earlier works written for, or sung at the coronation of James II in 1685. We complete our programme with a selection of other anthems of note by that genius of the English baroque, Henry Purcell.
We look forward to welcoming you to the candlelit splendour of St Martin-in-the-Fields for this evening of magisterial music.
Coronation Anthems by Candlelight
Handel – Zadok the Priest
Child – O Lord, grant the King a long life
Purcell – O God, thou art my God
Purcell – My beloved spake
Humfrey, arr Boyce – Rejoice in the Lord
Blow, arr Boyce – Let thy hand be strengthened
Handel – My heart is inditing
INTERVAL
Purcell – I was glad
Handel – Let thy hand be strengthened
Organ solo – TBA
Purcell – Hear my prayer, O Lord
Purcell – Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes mei
Blow – Behold, O God our defender
Handel – The King shall rejoice
Nonsuch Singers
Tom Bullard Conductor
Richard Pearce Organ
Nonsuch Singers
High-quality singing, innovative programmes and communicative performances are the hallmarks of Nonsuch Singers. The choir has gained a reputation for stylistic versatility in a cappella and accompanied works ranging from the Renaissance to the present day.
Consisting of some 40 members, the choir typically gives six or seven concerts a year, mostly in prominent London venues but also further afield, and performs regularly with some of the UK’s leading instrumental ensembles and finest young vocal soloists.
Founded in 1977, the choir owes its name to the location of its first – informal – rehearsal, held on the site of Henry VIII’s long-demolished Nonsuch Palace in Surrey. Nonsuch Singers have given a number of world premieres, including John Tavener’s Exhortation and Kohima in the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
In 2016 the choir released its first commercial recording featuring Gabriel Jackson’s To the Field of Stars, a work on a theme of pilgrimage to the church of St James of Compostela, of which the choir gave the UK premiere in 2013. The choir celebrated its 40th anniversary in March 2017 with a sell-out baroque performance of JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion in Southwark Cathedral.
Tom Bullard – Music Director
Tom Bullard trained at King’s College, Cambridge, and enjoys a varied career as solo baritone, teacher, choral director and vocal coach. He studies singing with Russell Smythe. In January 2013 he took up a new appointment as Music Director of Nonsuch Singers.
Tom’s work as a solo baritone includes Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Bach’s St John Passion, and numerous performances of the Requiems of Fauré and Duruflé. He was a Britten-Pears Young Artist in 2010, studying English Song with Ann Murray and Ian Partridge, and in 2011 was chosen to compete in the Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation International Singing Competition. He has performed for private functions in venues ranging from The Ritz to 10 Downing Street.
On stage his roles include Marcello in the Olivier-award-winning production of Puccini’s La Bohème and Figaro in The Barber of Seville, both for OperaUpClose, and leading roles in HMS Pinafore, Ruddigore and The Sorcerer. Musical theatre appearances include Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls and Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd.
From 2001 Tom spent eight years with the Swingle Singers, the last four as Musical Director. Under his direction the group toured Europe, the USA, Asia and South America, and performed with some of the world’s finest orchestras and conductors in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and the Terme di Caracalla in Rome. Highlights included a 2007 BBC Proms performance of Berio’s Sinfonia with Antonio Pappano and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, and the world premiere of Azio Corghi’s opera, Pia, at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome. Tom’s own arrangements have been recorded on a number of Swingle Singers albums, and have proved popular with choirs and ensembles worldwide.
In addition to his post with Nonsuch Singers, Tom is Head of Singing at Eltham College and also teaches at Westminster Abbey and Westminster Under School. He also works as a Vocal Coach for National Youth Music Theatre and an Assistant Conductor of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain.
