Recent Concerts

The Creation

Joseph Haydn’s glorious masterpiece, The Creation, is a three-part oratorio composed in 1798, celebrating the creation of the world as depicted in Milton’s Paradise Lost and the Biblical book of Genesis.

It is brought to life in this performance by the Northampton Philpharmonic Choir accompanied by Simon Earl on the organ and three wonderful soloists; Molly Cochrane - Soprano, Jacob Clarke - Tenor and Dominic Skingle - Bass.

Tickets are £17.50 and £6 for U16s and are available on-line or on the door.

Carmina Burana

Come along and join us on Saturday 23rd November at St Matthew's Church, The Drive, Northampton for a performance of Carmina Burana performed with two pianos and the Backbeat percussion ensemble. Also on the programme is Elgar's Enigma Variations performed on two pianos.

A Christmas Celebration

Come and join us for a feast of music and carols for Choir and Audience.

Venue: St Michael and All Angels Church Perry Street Northampton NN1 4HL

Ticket Prices – No Booking Fee: Adult - £13 U16 - £6 Family Ticket - £32 (2 adults and 2 children) Ticket includes a programme and interval refreshments

Feel the Spirit

On 11 November 2023 Northampton Philharmonic Choir were joined by internationally renowned Mezzo Soprano Melanie Marshall for a concert in St Michael’s Church. This was our first concert with our new MD Tom Moore and we pulled out all the stops for a very memorable event. It was the eve of Remembrance Sunday and we started the evening with Fauré’s Requiem, superbly accompanied by the newly assembled Nene Sinfonia Orchestra and featuring Baritone Ben Drouet.

The Requiem was composed in 1888, when Fauré was in his forties, possibly in response to the recent death of his father. Shortly after its first performance, Faure’s mother also died, giving the work an added poignancy. In 1900, under some pressure from his publishers, he reluctantly agreed to the release of a revised version containing additional instrumental parts designed to broaden the work’s appeal. NPC has sung Fauré’s Requiem on many previous occasions but with new recruits and an expanding audience it is always a pleasure to introduce this music which conveys a message of eternal rest and consolation.

After the interval the mood changed considerably when The Nene Sinfonia struck up the opening movement to “Joshua fit the battle of Jericho” and our male voice parts followed suit. The great heritage of the African-American spiritual has fired the imagination of composers, performers, and audiences for more than 100 years. Each generation has produced interpretations of many kinds, yet, curiously, few composers have combined the resources of soloist, choir, and orchestra. John Rutter was inspired by the vocal artistry of Melanie Marshall to build a set of spirituals crafted to her personal style, partnered by choir, with the orchestra to supply a further dimension of colour and emotional depth.

Some audience members were visibly startled by the sudden change in tone and their interest was sustained throughout the rest of the programme with particular highlights being Melanie Marshall’s “Steal away” and, of course “When the Saints go marching in” at the end of the concert. This is Northampton, after all, and most of the choir members and audience would have sung this at the rugby and so the rousing finale was met with a standing ovation. This probably helped the Soprano parts reach the dizzying heights of a top B!

The concert features the Faure Requiem and John Rutter's Feel the Spirit. The soloist will be Melanie Marshall. John Rutter built a set of spirituals crafted to her personal style, with the choir and orchestra supplying a further dimension of colour and emotional depth.

A Christmas Tradition

Our Christmas concert in 2023 was performed at St Michael's Church on Wednesday 20 December. We were joined by wonderful local organist Ivor Linford and together we performed a variety of Christmas music, with selected pieces arranged with audience participation. In addition to classic carols such as "Hark! The herald angels sing!" and "Once in Royal David's City" our musical journey brought us through several centuries. From "The Coventry Carol" (15th Century) and "Up! Good Christen folk and Listen" (music from Pia Cantiones 1582) via 19th Century "The Shepherd's Farwell" by Berlioz the repertoire took us right up to contemporary composers (John Rutter's "Nativity Carol" and Andrew Padmore's "People Look East". We also enjoy singing Christmas music with different cultural heritage and this year we performed the German carol "Still, still still" as arranged by Philip Ledger. NPC usually performs a Christmas Concert every year, so we all eagerly await in anticipation of what our MD Tom Moore may have in store for us next time!

Join us for a traditional concert of music and carols for choir and audience. Please note the earlier start time and family ticket option.

Come and Sing Choral Classics

On a spring day in March, we welcomed 42 singers who joined us for our Come & Sing – Choral Classics event. There was an air of anticipation as Thomas Moore, our Musical Director, took us through a variety of warm up exercises – both conventional and some not quite so conventional – before we started rehearsing our varied programme of music.

As the title suggests we were to enjoy a day of singing some of the great classics in the choral canon, including excerpts from Vivaldi’s Gloria and Zadok the Priest to pieces by Hubert Parry, Mozart and Handel to name but a view. Along the way we embraced ‘If ye love me’ by Tallis and the ethereal ‘Bluebird’ by Charles Villiers Stanford. This was followed by another piece by Stanford called ‘Quick! we have but a second’ which caused much hilarity during rehearsal as it is a sung at a very quick tempo and the challenge was to ensure all the words were in the right place.

With a break for lunch and then, before the concert, a break for tea it was soon time for the concert which was enjoyed by all and brought a pleasurable day to a conclusion.

An opportunity to sing some beautiful and rousing music with the choir. The day will conclude with a free concert at 6pm with a retiring collection.

Spirit And Souls

Our 'Spirit & Souls' concert on the 22nd June 2024 is to be held at St Matthew's Church, The Drive, Northampton at 6:30 pm. Doors open at 6pm.

Join us for two contrasting works.

Bob Chilcott’s “A Little Jazz Mass” is a unique and engaging piece that combines the traditional Latin Mass text with jazz rhythms and harmonies. It’s a highly original concert setting of the Latin Missa brevis, where the movements embrace a variety of jazz styles.

In contrast, in the second half, the Choir will perform Andrew Carter’s “Benedicite”. “Benedicite” is a choral composition that sets the hymn “Benedicite” from the Book of Common Prayer to music, along with additional free texts. For the performance the Choir will be joined by the choir of All Saints CEVA Primary School, Northampton.

Pleasures of Fancy

Christopher Mabley| Pleasures of Fancy

The first performance of this new music for choir and solo violin setting six poems by the Northamptonshire poet John Clare

plus choral music by Felix Mendelssohn and Benjamin Britten and violin solos

St Mary's Church 9 Pytchley Road Orlingbury Kettering NN14 1JQ

A Christmas Celebration

Music by Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric Handel Plus Christmas carols for choir and audience

Ending with best loved excerpts from Handel's Messiah

Sea Fever!

A sea themed programme to include: Eric Thiman ‘Songs of Sailors and of the Sea’ , C.V.Stanford ‘Songs of the Fleet’ plus sea-themed solo-songs by John Ireland

Dvořák Mass in D

Antonín Dvořák - Mass in D. In 1887 Dvořák wrote about this piece: "I am pleased to announce that I have finished the work and that I am supremely pleased with the result. I think it will be a work that will fully suit its purpose". The concert will also include short organ works by Dvořák’s friend, Johannes Brahms

In Every Corner Sing

St Gregory's Church Park Avenue North Northampton NN3 2HS

Welcome, Our Messias!

We celebrate both our return to singing together and also the Christmas season with an hour's smørgåsbord of choral music, including selections from Edward Elgar's oratorio Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf of 1896 and from Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, plus short works by Camille Saint-Saëns (d. 16 December 1921) and Gerald Finzi, and some Christmas carols including the first performance of Welcome, our Messias! for choir and harp by our Musical Director, Christopher Mabley

St Michael's Church Perry Street Northampton NN1 4HL