Two concerts coming up (scroll down for details)
Easter Festival – women composers
Tuesday 31 March, 1.05pm, Smith Square Hall
An Easter Festival favourite, the Civil Service Choir returns with a programme of sacred works by distinguished women composers.
At its heart are two compelling cantatas by Fanny Hensel, the exceptionally gifted sister of Felix Mendelssohn whose works are increasingly – and rightly – celebrated today. Her cantata Hiob movingly traces Job’s journey from anguish to restored faith, foreshadowing the Easter themes of suffering transformed into hope and darkness giving way to light, while her Lobgesang (“Song of Praise”) bursts with joyful choral energy, celebrating renewal, gratitude, and the triumph of divine love central to the Resurrection.
The programme also includes Cecilia McDowall’s luminous Ave Maris Stella, a serene and expressive setting of the ancient Marian hymn that evokes themes of guidance, hope, and dawning light.
This uplifting concert is free with ticketed admission. A charity collection will be taken in support of the Charity for Civil Servants, the Cardinal Hume Centre, and Sinfonia Smith Square.
Full programme
Fanny Hensel – Hiob (Job)
Fanny Hensel- Lobgesang (Song of Praise)
Cecilia McDowall- Ave Maris Stella (Hail Star of the Sea)
Book free tickets via Sinfonia Smith Square or visit the box office
Civil Service Choir & Brandenburg Sinfonia
Haydn – The Creation
Sunday 26 April, 7pm, Smith Square Hall
Experience the grandeur of Joseph Haydn’s masterpiece, The Creation.
Published in 1800, it is one of the most exalted achievements in choral and orchestral music and the first choral work to be published with both German and English texts. In this performance it will be in English. Inspired by the Book of Genesis and Milton’s Paradise Lost, Haydn’s oratorio captures the emergence of light, life, and order with sublime artistry. Through radiant choruses, masterful orchestration, and expressive solo passages, The Creation affirms the beauty and majesty of the natural world. Join us for an evening of transcendent music that continues to inspire awe and reverence over two centuries after its premiere.
At Smith Square, the Civil Service Choir has recently given performances of Mozart’s Requiem with “impressive power and emotion” and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem – after which Jools Holland OBE exclaimed “this choir is one of the best I’ve ever heard”. Do not miss this outstanding choir’s performance of The Creation.
Tickets are £15 to £30 on-line via here
Past performances
Click here to see details of our past performances
