Page 100 - RPS Awards 2023 Coverage Book

The orchestra was reformed after the pandemic to support a talent pool of
first-rate northern musicians and provide a cultural voice for the North.

This is the first time BFCS has collaborated with the reformed YSO, renewing a
partnership that flourished in the 1950s.

The historic choir is one of the oldest in the UK, performing four major
concerts throughout the year, alongside its programme of community work,

running ‘learn to sing concerts’, and the city’s choir for refugees and asylum
seekers, Bradford Friendship Choir.

The choir was recently shortlisted for the ‘Baftas of classical music’ - the Royal
Philharmonic Society’s Inspiration Award. Thomas Leech, BFCS musical
director, says: “Joining forces with the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra will
create a powerhouse of sound, showcasing the choir’s vibrant tone and the
orchestra’s brilliance and some of the best vocalists in the UK.”

Conductor, founder and artistic director of YSO, Ben Crick, says: “Yorkshire
has a proud and illustrious record of creating art of the highest calibre and
historically Bradford has been at the centre of it.

“What’s great about working in the city at the moment is that there’s a real
feeling of artistic optimism around. As we move towards the City of Culture
year creating national level art locally must be a real focus, groups like BFCS
and the YSO will be vital in achieving this aim.”excited about the concert at St

The concert will feature Mozart’s Requiem, written during the final weeks of
the composer’s life. Says Ben: “It’s a central masterpieces of the choral

repertoire; the fact that it is used so often in films, TV shows and I’ve even
heard it in a computer game, shows how easy it is for people to respond to
this work.”

Vocal soloists include Opera North star soprano Lorna James, mezzo soprano
Hannah Mason, who has performed with the Skipton Building Society
Camerata, Shipley-born tenor Joseph Doody, who has performed with leading
opera houses and festivals, and leading American bass James Creswell. The
programme includes Handel’s Zadok the Priest and Coronation anthem The
King Shall Rejoice. The orchestra is led by one of the country’s leading
violinists, David Greed.

Visit bradford-theatres.co.uk