Inspire Mark Awarded To World Premiere Concert "Gods Of Olympus" At The Royal Albert Hall Featuring 2,000 Singers

by Jo Forrester

(PR For Less and WireNews+Co) - London, England - 15 May 2012

The world premiere performance of Karl Jenkins’ Gods of Olympustakes place at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 8 July. Roughly 2,000 amateur singers, all of them members of The Really Big Chorus (the UK’s largest choral society) will perform the piece alongside Jenkins’ iconic work The Armed Man: A Mass for Peaceunder the direction of Brian Kay, Principal Conductor of TRBC. The concert has been awarded the Inspire Mark, the badge of the London 2012 Inspire programme which recognises exceptional and innovative projects inspired by the 2012 Games.

Founder of TRBC Don Monro says “This is a fabulous opportunity for singers from all over the UK and the world to come to London to take part in the world premiere of a work that we commissioned specially to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic Games. It leaves a lasting legacy to the Games as in years to come choirs from around the globe will perform the work.”

Karl Jenkins describes his exploration of Greek mythology in Gods of Olympus: “I have based this piece on ancient Greece, birthplace of the Olympic games. The movements are inspired by four of the twelve Olympians, the mythical Gods that dwelt on Mount Olympus: Zeus, Ruler of Olympus; Hermes, the Winged Messenger; Aphrodite, Goddess of Love; and Hephaestus, Blacksmith and Fire God.”

Around five hundred members of TRBC will take part in a workshop in June to prepare for the concert, but many will have learnt the music with their own choirs or using practice music files. On the day itself, maestro Kay will lead a full day of rehearsals before the evening concert. Joining the singers will be the English Festival Orchestra and mezzo-soprano soloist Frances Bourne.

ENDS

Notes for editors

Website: http://new.trbc.co.uk/wp/?page_id=3302 (http://new.trbc.co.uk/wp/?page_id=3302)

Twitter: @ReallyBigChorus (http://www.twitter.com/ReallyBigChorus)

1. The concert starts at 19h30, Sunday 8 July at the Royal Albert Hall.

2. TRBC is the UK’s largest choral society with around 12,000 singing members. It began life in 1974 when Canadian Don Monro, a student at Imperial College, got together with fellow scientists to hire the Royal Albert Hall and fill it with amateur singers for the very first Messiah from Scratch®: no rehearsal at all for the chorus, just an electrifying, adrenaline-filled performance. Our other RAH concerts in May and July (‘the last night before the Proms’) have rehearsals on the day, and TRBC also organises singing breaks to prestige overseas venues, and relaxing choral cruises. 

3. As well as his voice being known to tens of thousands of music-lovers through his many presentations for BBC radio, Brian Kay is conductor of Vaughan Williams’ Leith Hill Musical Festival in Surrey, and of the Burford Singers near to his home in the Cotswolds. He was previously chorusmaster of the Huddersfield Choral Society, and conductor of the Cheltenham Bach Choir, and he frequently guest-conducts choirs and orchestras in many parts of the country. Further afield, in New Zealand he has conducted the Orpheus Choir of Wellington and the Auckland Choral Society, and in Sheffield, Massachusetts, the Berkshire Choral Festival. He is a Vice President of the Association of British Choral Directors and of the Royal School of Church Music.

4. About the Inspire Programme: The Inspire programme is run by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. It is an opportunity for everyone to be a part of the London 2012 Games – a broad participation programme spanning sport education, sustainability, volunteering, and business opportunities & culture. New opportunities are being created to inspire young people and the whole of the UK to join in. The Inspire programme has awarded over 1,400 different projects the Inspire Mark.

More information from:

Jo Forrest (Press & Publicity, The Really Big Chorus/Concerts from Scratch):

joforrestpr@btinternet.com (http://www.wirenews.co/mailto:joforrestpr@btinternet.com)

Tel: 07889 532688