Beethoven’s Sonata in E major Op.109 Nocturnes Op. 15 N.1 and Op.27 N.1
Chopin’s Scherzo Op.39 N.3
and a selection from Albeniz’s The Iberia Suite
St. Michael’s welcomes Alexander in a break from his busy schedule as an internationally renowned soloist and chamber musician, to bring us this special event as part of our Stewardship Campaign.
About Alexander-
Appreciated for the sensitivity and integrity of his interpretations,
Alexander Boyd enjoys a busy career as both soloist and chamber
Born in 1972 he made his Concerto debut in 1983 with the BBC Scottish
Symphony Orchestra, and since his London Wigmore Hall debut in 2001
he has frequently performed at the UK and Australia’s leading recital
halls, as well as giving concerts and appearing in international music
festivals in the US, Canada and throughout Europe.
Recordings include works by Chopin, Debussy and Schumann for the
Abbas and Chartreuse record labels and more recently a recording of
the Iberia Suite by Albeniz for Claudio Records and Naxos, due to be
released in late 2015. He has also broadcast on numerous occasions for
ABC and BBC Radio amongst others.
2015/16 includes recital engagements in the UK, Australia and the USA
as well as performances with cellist and brother Nathaniel Boyd, cellist
Richard Jenkinson, and the Navarra String Quartet.
Alexander is also passionate about teaching and is on the staff at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is a visiting lecturer at the
University of Birmingham.
World class chamber music in the heart of North London! With the theme ‘Ode to Joy!’ this year’s festival focuses on the positive sides of human nature including Humour, Love, Gifts,Youthful energy and Celebrations. This concert includes works by Clara Schumann, Janáček and Dvořák’s wonderful Piano Quintet No.2 in A major, Op.81.
Highgate Choral Society‘s annual Christmas concert invites the whole community to join us, with the St Michael’s School junior choir and also the New London Children’s Choir and make merry. Carols and music will include some old favourites as well as some you may not know. It’s just the event to begin the run up to Christmas, so join us!
12th to 21st May
Jacksons Lane Theatre, Archway Rd, Highgate
Director – Simon Iorio
Musical Director – Oliver John Ruthven
With period orchestra Musica Poetica
Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, the third of his three surviving operas, rightly occupies an elevated position in the history of the genre. It is a masterpiece of text setting and musical invention, at a time when opera as we know it today was very new, and certainly not performed in anything like the same way. Monteverdi was blessed to be able to set a particularly fine libretto, written Giovanni Busenello, perhaps the first great opera librettist, and Da Ponte’s literary forefather.
For HGO, performing this wonderful work is a very important milestone, particularly given that we coincide with the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth. Indeed, we will be performing it on Monteverdi’s exact birthday, Thursday 18th May. This production also marks the first time that HGO will perform an opera in its original language (other than English), together with the first time that we will perform with surtitles. This is an indication of our pledge as a training opera company to give our singers a complete experience of performing opera, as well as giving our audiences a presentation of this work with not only the authentic music, but also the authentic text.
HGO will be joined by an array of period instruments for Poppea; two harpsichords, chamber organ, two theorbos, viola da gamba, violone and violins. This promises to be a vibrant and exciting production of one of the greatest works of art of the seventeenth century, and one not to be missed.
12th to 21st May
Jacksons Lane Theatre, Archway Rd, Highgate
Director – Simon Iorio
Musical Director – Oliver John Ruthven
With period orchestra Musica Poetica
Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, the third of his three surviving operas, rightly occupies an elevated position in the history of the genre. It is a masterpiece of text setting and musical invention, at a time when opera as we know it today was very new, and certainly not performed in anything like the same way. Monteverdi was blessed to be able to set a particularly fine libretto, written Giovanni Busenello, perhaps the first great opera librettist, and Da Ponte’s literary forefather.
For HGO, performing this wonderful work is a very important milestone, particularly given that we coincide with the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth. Indeed, we will be performing it on Monteverdi’s exact birthday, Thursday 18th May. This production also marks the first time that HGO will perform an opera in its original language (other than English), together with the first time that we will perform with surtitles. This is an indication of our pledge as a training opera company to give our singers a complete experience of performing opera, as well as giving our audiences a presentation of this work with not only the authentic music, but also the authentic text.
HGO will be joined by an array of period instruments for Poppea; two harpsichords, chamber organ, two theorbos, viola da gamba, violone and violins. This promises to be a vibrant and exciting production of one of the greatest works of art of the seventeenth century, and one not to be missed.
12th to 21st May
Jacksons Lane Theatre, Archway Rd, Highgate
Director – Simon Iorio
Musical Director – Oliver John Ruthven
With period orchestra Musica Poetica
Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, the third of his three surviving operas, rightly occupies an elevated position in the history of the genre. It is a masterpiece of text setting and musical invention, at a time when opera as we know it today was very new, and certainly not performed in anything like the same way. Monteverdi was blessed to be able to set a particularly fine libretto, written Giovanni Busenello, perhaps the first great opera librettist, and Da Ponte’s literary forefather.
For HGO, performing this wonderful work is a very important milestone, particularly given that we coincide with the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth. Indeed, we will be performing it on Monteverdi’s exact birthday, Thursday 18th May. This production also marks the first time that HGO will perform an opera in its original language (other than English), together with the first time that we will perform with surtitles. This is an indication of our pledge as a training opera company to give our singers a complete experience of performing opera, as well as giving our audiences a presentation of this work with not only the authentic music, but also the authentic text.
HGO will be joined by an array of period instruments for Poppea; two harpsichords, chamber organ, two theorbos, viola da gamba, violone and violins. This promises to be a vibrant and exciting production of one of the greatest works of art of the seventeenth century, and one not to be missed.
12th to 21st May
Jacksons Lane Theatre, Archway Rd, Highgate
Director – Simon Iorio
Musical Director – Oliver John Ruthven
With period orchestra Musica Poetica
Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, the third of his three surviving operas, rightly occupies an elevated position in the history of the genre. It is a masterpiece of text setting and musical invention, at a time when opera as we know it today was very new, and certainly not performed in anything like the same way. Monteverdi was blessed to be able to set a particularly fine libretto, written Giovanni Busenello, perhaps the first great opera librettist, and Da Ponte’s literary forefather.
For HGO, performing this wonderful work is a very important milestone, particularly given that we coincide with the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth. Indeed, we will be performing it on Monteverdi’s exact birthday, Thursday 18th May. This production also marks the first time that HGO will perform an opera in its original language (other than English), together with the first time that we will perform with surtitles. This is an indication of our pledge as a training opera company to give our singers a complete experience of performing opera, as well as giving our audiences a presentation of this work with not only the authentic music, but also the authentic text.
HGO will be joined by an array of period instruments for Poppea; two harpsichords, chamber organ, two theorbos, viola da gamba, violone and violins. This promises to be a vibrant and exciting production of one of the greatest works of art of the seventeenth century, and one not to be missed.
12th to 21st May
Jacksons Lane Theatre, Archway Rd, Highgate
Director – Simon Iorio
Musical Director – Oliver John Ruthven
With period orchestra Musica Poetica
Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, the third of his three surviving operas, rightly occupies an elevated position in the history of the genre. It is a masterpiece of text setting and musical invention, at a time when opera as we know it today was very new, and certainly not performed in anything like the same way. Monteverdi was blessed to be able to set a particularly fine libretto, written Giovanni Busenello, perhaps the first great opera librettist, and Da Ponte’s literary forefather.
For HGO, performing this wonderful work is a very important milestone, particularly given that we coincide with the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth. Indeed, we will be performing it on Monteverdi’s exact birthday, Thursday 18th May. This production also marks the first time that HGO will perform an opera in its original language (other than English), together with the first time that we will perform with surtitles. This is an indication of our pledge as a training opera company to give our singers a complete experience of performing opera, as well as giving our audiences a presentation of this work with not only the authentic music, but also the authentic text.
HGO will be joined by an array of period instruments for Poppea; two harpsichords, chamber organ, two theorbos, viola da gamba, violone and violins. This promises to be a vibrant and exciting production of one of the greatest works of art of the seventeenth century, and one not to be missed.
12th to 21st May
Jacksons Lane Theatre, Archway Rd, Highgate
Director – Simon Iorio
Musical Director – Oliver John Ruthven
With period orchestra Musica Poetica
Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, the third of his three surviving operas, rightly occupies an elevated position in the history of the genre. It is a masterpiece of text setting and musical invention, at a time when opera as we know it today was very new, and certainly not performed in anything like the same way. Monteverdi was blessed to be able to set a particularly fine libretto, written Giovanni Busenello, perhaps the first great opera librettist, and Da Ponte’s literary forefather.
For HGO, performing this wonderful work is a very important milestone, particularly given that we coincide with the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth. Indeed, we will be performing it on Monteverdi’s exact birthday, Thursday 18th May. This production also marks the first time that HGO will perform an opera in its original language (other than English), together with the first time that we will perform with surtitles. This is an indication of our pledge as a training opera company to give our singers a complete experience of performing opera, as well as giving our audiences a presentation of this work with not only the authentic music, but also the authentic text.
HGO will be joined by an array of period instruments for Poppea; two harpsichords, chamber organ, two theorbos, viola da gamba, violone and violins. This promises to be a vibrant and exciting production of one of the greatest works of art of the seventeenth century, and one not to be missed.
12th to 21st May
Jacksons Lane Theatre, Archway Rd, Highgate
Director – Simon Iorio
Musical Director – Oliver John Ruthven
With period orchestra Musica Poetica
Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, the third of his three surviving operas, rightly occupies an elevated position in the history of the genre. It is a masterpiece of text setting and musical invention, at a time when opera as we know it today was very new, and certainly not performed in anything like the same way. Monteverdi was blessed to be able to set a particularly fine libretto, written Giovanni Busenello, perhaps the first great opera librettist, and Da Ponte’s literary forefather.
For HGO, performing this wonderful work is a very important milestone, particularly given that we coincide with the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth. Indeed, we will be performing it on Monteverdi’s exact birthday, Thursday 18th May. This production also marks the first time that HGO will perform an opera in its original language (other than English), together with the first time that we will perform with surtitles. This is an indication of our pledge as a training opera company to give our singers a complete experience of performing opera, as well as giving our audiences a presentation of this work with not only the authentic music, but also the authentic text.
HGO will be joined by an array of period instruments for Poppea; two harpsichords, chamber organ, two theorbos, viola da gamba, violone and violins. This promises to be a vibrant and exciting production of one of the greatest works of art of the seventeenth century, and one not to be missed.
12th to 21st May
Jacksons Lane Theatre, Archway Rd, Highgate
Director – Simon Iorio
Musical Director – Oliver John Ruthven
With period orchestra Musica Poetica
Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, the third of his three surviving operas, rightly occupies an elevated position in the history of the genre. It is a masterpiece of text setting and musical invention, at a time when opera as we know it today was very new, and certainly not performed in anything like the same way. Monteverdi was blessed to be able to set a particularly fine libretto, written Giovanni Busenello, perhaps the first great opera librettist, and Da Ponte’s literary forefather.
For HGO, performing this wonderful work is a very important milestone, particularly given that we coincide with the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth. Indeed, we will be performing it on Monteverdi’s exact birthday, Thursday 18th May. This production also marks the first time that HGO will perform an opera in its original language (other than English), together with the first time that we will perform with surtitles. This is an indication of our pledge as a training opera company to give our singers a complete experience of performing opera, as well as giving our audiences a presentation of this work with not only the authentic music, but also the authentic text.
HGO will be joined by an array of period instruments for Poppea; two harpsichords, chamber organ, two theorbos, viola da gamba, violone and violins. This promises to be a vibrant and exciting production of one of the greatest works of art of the seventeenth century, and one not to be missed.
12th to 21st May
Jacksons Lane Theatre, Archway Rd, Highgate
Director – Simon Iorio
Musical Director – Oliver John Ruthven
With period orchestra Musica Poetica
Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, the third of his three surviving operas, rightly occupies an elevated position in the history of the genre. It is a masterpiece of text setting and musical invention, at a time when opera as we know it today was very new, and certainly not performed in anything like the same way. Monteverdi was blessed to be able to set a particularly fine libretto, written Giovanni Busenello, perhaps the first great opera librettist, and Da Ponte’s literary forefather.
For HGO, performing this wonderful work is a very important milestone, particularly given that we coincide with the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth. Indeed, we will be performing it on Monteverdi’s exact birthday, Thursday 18th May. This production also marks the first time that HGO will perform an opera in its original language (other than English), together with the first time that we will perform with surtitles. This is an indication of our pledge as a training opera company to give our singers a complete experience of performing opera, as well as giving our audiences a presentation of this work with not only the authentic music, but also the authentic text.
HGO will be joined by an array of period instruments for Poppea; two harpsichords, chamber organ, two theorbos, viola da gamba, violone and violins. This promises to be a vibrant and exciting production of one of the greatest works of art of the seventeenth century, and one not to be missed.
Join the Godwine Choir for stunning a cappella works to celebrate International Women’s Day. Featuring music and poetry by female writers across seven centuries, this programme is guaranteed to uplift and inspire at the start of Spring. St. Michael’s Church is a magnificent venue, conveniently located just a few minutes walk from Archway or Highgate Northern line stations.
2018 marks the centenary of the birth of composer, conductor, author, music lecturer and pianist Leonard Bernstein, whose most famous scores include West Side Story, On the Town, Candide and On the Waterfront.
Commissioned from Bernstein by the Dean of Chichester Cathedral for the 1965 Southern Cathedrals Festival, the Chichester Psalms received its UK premiere on 31st July 1965 and has gone on to become a highly popular staple of choral societies to this day. Consisting of three short movements, the Chichester Psalms is sung in Hebrew.
Our programme of 20th- and 21st-century compositions is completed with choral works by Janacek, Morten Lauridsen and Vaughan Williams.
A festive selection of carols and music to get you in the mood for Christmas. The award winning Highgate Choral Society Choir will be joined by New London Children’s Choir and New London Performing Arts Centre.
Edward Batting on the organ and Alexander Wells will be accompanying on the piano all conducted by the illustrious Ronald Corp OBE.
Meera Maharaj (flute) and Dominic Degavino (piano) present a recital of music by Vitali, Karg-Elert, Scott and Jongen as part of St Michael’s Saturdays at Six concert series. Refreshments are available. Entry by donation.
Paul Dean (Director of Music, St Michael’s, Highgate) presents an organ recital of music by J. S. Bach as part of St Michael’s Saturdays at Six concert series. Refreshments are available. Entry by donation.
Chamber choir Voxcetera returns to St. Michael’s, Highgate, for a thrilling concert featuring Camille Saint-Saëns’ Requiem and four pieces by one of the best-loved and most distinctive composers of the 20th century, Benjamin Britten.
Saint-Saëns’ compelling and accessibly beautiful 1878 Requiem moves from quiet simplicity to unearthly fortissimi to shake you to the core. Originally scored for a vast orchestra, this version arranged for harp, strings and organ maintains Saint-Saëns’ heightened expression and heartfelt sincerity, but with the intimacy of chamber music. The performance features soprano Angela Henckel who has performed with notable ensembles all over the world, and in UK venues including the Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, St. Martin’s-in-the Fields and Symphony Hall, Birmingham, as well as on Radio 3.
Britten wrote in 1945, “One of my chief aims is to try to restore to the musical setting of the English Language a brilliance, freedom and vitality that have been curiously rare since the death of Purcell”. That vitality is abundant in his extraordinary cantata Rejoice in the Lamb, by turns as mad and as beautiful as the religious poems by Christopher Smart from which Britten took the text. Other short works on the menu are the joyful Jubilate Deo, the dramatic Missa Brevis in D, and Festival Te Deum which sets ethereal Gregorian chant against a progression of shifting organ chords.
A bar will be open before the concert and during the interval.
