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Details
St Peter's Church
Black Lion Lane
Hammersmith
London
W6 9BE
England
Tickets
Prices: £20 | £17 concessions | £7 age 30 and under
Book Tickets
Programme
Eric Whitacre – Animal Crackers
Amy Beach – Three Choral Responses
Morten Lauridsen – Nocturnes
Randall Thompson – Alleluia, motet (1940)
~ Interval ~
George Gershwin – I Got Rhythm
Leonard Bernstein – Candide: 'Make our garden grow'
Cole Porter – Midnight in Paris: 'Let's do it'
Frank Loesser – Guys and Dolls: 'Sit down you're rockin' the boat' (arr. Graystone Ives)
Fats Waller – Ain't Misbehavin'
Harold Arlen – Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Cole Porter – Miss Otis regrets (arr. Martin Pickard)
Richard Rodgers – Blue Moon
Duke Ellington – I'm beginning to see the light
Performers
Oliver Lallemant – jazz piano
Richard Bannan – Musical Director
Programme Note
From the enduring appeal of 20th century and contemporary composers to the sparkle of Broadway and jazz, this vibrant programme celebrates the many colours of American choral music.
The evening opens with wit and wonder in Eric Whitacre’s Animal Crackers, where poetry and playfulness collide, before moving into the serene beauty and spiritual depth of Amy Beach’s Three Choral Responses. A change of pace follows, with Oliver Lallemant playing a set of solo piano jazz and related works. At the heart of the first half are Morten Lauridsen’s radiant Nocturnes – lush and intimate meditations on night, love and light – culminating in the quiet triumph of Randall Thompson’s beloved Alleluia.
After the interval, the concert takes us to the heart of the popular American songbook. Expect toe-tapping Broadway classics, irresistible Gershwin swing, and show-stopping numbers from Bernstein, Porter and many more. Audience members are invited to suggest personal favourites, which Olly will reimagine through live jazz-style improvisation. The evening then closes with a series of timeless gems from Blue Moon to Over the Rainbow.
By turns reflective, playful and exuberant, our summer concert promises warmth, charm and a generous helping of musical sunshine on this special day which celebrates 250 years of American independence.
Petros Singers is a leading West London chamber choir, performing a wide variety of music – from baroque to contemporary, from large-scale works to exquisite miniatures – placing particular emphasis on vibrant and communicative singing.
Oliver Lallemant is Director of Music at St Stephen’s in Dulwich and runs several choirs, including Sloane Square Choral Society and South Dulwich Chorus. As a young chorister at Llandaff Cathedral, he sang Walking in the Air in Welsh on national television, and later won an organ scholarship to Trinity College Cambridge. An accomplished jazz pianist, Olly performs at weddings and parties, and was until recently a resident pianist at the Ritz.
Richard Bannan was a choral scholar at Clare College, Cambridge before embarking on a career as a professional vocal musician, arranger and teacher. He now sings as a Lay-Clerk at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, and with many of the country’s major professional ensembles.
