MESSIAH
24 hour Drop-In
starting 7 September at 15:00 UK time
with conducting from
Ben England, Jennifer Johnston, Hugh Morris, Simon Over, Jamie Hall, Edward-Rhys Harry,
Matthew Watts, Richard Gowers, Ralph Allwood and John Rutter
THIS EVENT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS AND IS NOW OVER
Image: Handel conducting Messiah, generated by AI.
Handel came to live in Brook Street in London in 1724, just as St. George’s Church, Hanover Square, was nearing completion
and almost at once he was involved in the affairs of the new parish.
Recently it has suffered serious damage to its portico and they are fundraising to meet the costs of the repair.
Before
After
We want to help.
We are also sure that Handel would have wanted to help and we think that he would have suggested
putting on a performance of MESSIAH and donating the proceeds to the church.
So that’s what we are doing - with a twist.
From 15:00 on Thursday 7 September 2023 for 24 hours we are holding a
“Messiah Drop-In” at the church itself to raise funds towards the cost of the restoration.
We now invite singers and instrumentalists to a “24 hour Drop-In” performance of MESSIAH at St. George’s Church, Hanover Square, London W1S 1FX.
We’ll start at 15:00 on Thursday 7 September 2023 with AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD with whoever is there and we’ll work our way through the choruses until we get to the end. And when we get to the end, we’ll start all over again and repeat this for 24 hours until we finish at 15:00 on Friday 8 September 2023.
There will be a special picture taken of those who are there at the end.
Image opposite: Handel standing outside St. George’s Church supervising the renovation of the portico. Generated by AI.
Who will conduct?
We have a number of eminent conductors coming to conduct us in blocks of 60 minutes during the 24 hour Drop-In. We currently have the following conductors as confirmed attendees:
John Rutter was born in London and studied music at Clare College, Cambridge. He first came to notice as a composer during his student years; much of his early work consisted of church music and other choral pieces including Christmas carols. He holds a Lambeth Doctorate in Music, and in 2007 was awarded a CBE for services to music.
Ralph Allwood MBE DMus was for 26 years Director of Music at Eton College and is now a freelance choral director, teacher and conductor. In 2017, the Archbishop of Canterbury presented him with the Thomas Cranmer Award for Music and Worship and. He is Chair of the Choral Evensong Trust.
Ben England BEM has been performing and teaching music in Bristol since 1995 and is the Musical Director of Choir of the Earth. He was awarded the British Empire Medal by HM The Queen for services to choral music during the pandemic.
Winner of both the Royal Philharmonic Society's Singer Award and Gramophone Recording of the Year (Korngold's Die Tote Stadt / BSO Recordings), Jennifer Johnston is a former BBC New Generation Artist, and a graduate of Cambridge University and the Royal College of Music.
Hugh Morris has been Director of the Royal School of Church Music since August 2018. His role is to act as CEO of the charity, and as well having direct responsibilities for managerial and strategic leadership, also acts as a public figurehead for the RSCM.
Simon Over studied at the Amsterdam Conservatoire, the Royal Academy of Music and Oxford University. From 1992 to 2002, Simon was a member of the music staff of Westminster Abbey, and Director of Music at both St Margaret’s Church and the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster.
Bass baritone Jamie W. Hall is a versatile musician who occupies multiple roles on the concert platform. Foremost a soloist with a wide repertoire of oratorio and song, he is also an experienced consort and choral singer working with leading ensembles, including the BBC Singers, a choral director, coach, and chorus master, as well as a composer of published choral works which have been performed across the globe, recorded and broadcast on radio.
Matthew Watts, musical director of the London Classical Choir and Orchestra, and professional London Classical Singers quartet, was the winner of the Ricordi Conducting Prize. Matthew studied at Glasgow University and Trinity College of Music, London, and went on to study conducting with Cathal Garvey and Denise Ham from the Royal Academy of Music and singing with Lyndon Van Der Pump from the Royal College.
Richard Gowers, born 1994 in Cambridge, is a British pianist, organist and conductor. As a freelance keyboard player he regularly works for the BBC Singers, London Symphony Chorus and privately for leading conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Edward Gardner and Francois-Xavier Roth.
Edward-Rhys Harry is Artistic Director of Chamber Choir Wales, Musical Director of London Welsh Chorale, Harlow Chorus, and London Welsh Male Voice Choir, and Honorary Conductor of Sandgrenska Manskören. He directs the 1000-voice Male Choirs Festival, and has conducted in Australia, Argentina, and the USA. He is Conductor-in-Residence of the British Sinfonietta Orchestra, and has recently collaborated with Welsh National Opera and the National Theatre.
If there is a period with no conductor, we shall invite someone from the audience to lead us. You, maybe?
How do I take part?
Please pre-register for free so that we have an idea of how many people to expect and so that we can keep in touch with you by email. You can arrive and leave at anytime during the 24 hour period and there is no need to tell us when you will arrive - simply turn up whenever you wish. We shall publish the times when conductors are expected to conduct and this might affect the time you decide to attend.
And everyone who pre-registers will get a Certificate of Participation after the event by email.
What about soloists?
We invite soloists to come along at any time. If a soloist arrives, we’ll finish the chorus we are singing and slot in the soloist whether it’s in the right order or not. In this way, the soloist can “sing and go”. Could all soloists please register here as if you were singing with us, otherwise we shall have no way of contacting you.
What will this cost?
We are charging £5 an hour (or part hour) to attend the 24 hour Messiah Drop-In in aid of St. George’s.
If you come along for up to 60 minutes, that’s £5. If you stay for 5 hours, that’s £25 and if you stay for the full 24 hours, that’s £120.
If you cannot attend yet would like to donate straight to the Portico Fund, you can do that here:
https://givealittle.co/campaigns/0e5ac228-daf2-43b5-a7fe-0fa3bd32ee25
Picture: Andrea Liu
How do I pay?
Just turn up at the church at anytime during the 24 hour Messiah Drop-In.
We’ll ask you to start the timer on your phone when you enter the church so that when you leave, we can see how long you’ve been inside.
We’ll ask you to pay £5 per hour (or part hour) on exit by tapping your card on our machine.
How many people can sing at once?
The church has a capacity of 320 downstairs and we shall only use this part of the church - we shall not use the upstairs gallery. We shall monitor the number of people inside the church to ensure we don’t get over crowded. If the church is full at anytime during the 24 hours, we shall ask you to form an orderly queue and you will be let in when there is a space. If a queue does form, we shall encourage those who have been inside for an extended period to consider leaving to allow those outside to have their turn.
Can I practice beforehand?
If you pre-register, nearer the date we shall give you a free score and pre-recorded backing tracks for each voice part to help you prepare.
These tracks were used by our Choir of the Earth to create a full MESSIAH during lockdown.
Those who do not pre-register will not benefit from these excellent resources.
I play an instrument. How do I attend?
There will be an allocated spot for a small orchestra playing at concert pitch (A440), so just turn up (with your music) when you want and join in even during a number. You may leave when you wish.
This “play and go” system will mean that sometimes we may have a large orchestra and sometimes no one at all.
There will always be an organ playing, or maybe during the late/early hours, it may be our recorded baroque orchestra.
Instrumentalists will be expected to pay the same £5 an hour on exit (or part hour) as everyone else.
Why are you asking me to sign up?
We expect the 24 hour Messiah Drop-In to be a high profile event and may attract some publicity. It would, therefore, be helpful to have some idea of the numbers expecting to attend either in person or to the live-stream (see below). So we ask that you pre-register for free below and we can keep in touch with you by email. And you will receive our rehearsal tracks too.
Will the event be live-streamed?
Yes.
The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) will live-stream the event for free for those who are unable to make it in person.
It will be shown for the entire 24 hours live from St. George’s Church on the RSCM YouTube Channel.
Please register above and you will receive further details and you will have access to the rehearsal materials.
Where do the proceeds go?
We shall donate the net proceeds to St. George’s Church. The net amount will be after any relevant taxes and costs of putting on the event.
May I bring a friend just to watch?
Of course. They will be expected to pay the same amount as everyone else.
Who is Labrador Events?
Labrador Events is the events arm of the leading online choir, Choir of the Earth, which has members from all over the world.
It can be found at www.choiroftheearth.com