Past Performances

Sat, 29 Apr 2023

 

Wed, 7 Dec 2022

 

Wed, 29 Jun 2022

 

Wed, 6 Apr 2022

 

Sun, 3 Apr 2022

 

Wed, 8 Dec 2021

 

Thu, 18 Nov 2021

 

Wed, 4 Dec 2019

The Choir's traditional Christmas programme of choral works, festive readings and carols performed in private, due to coronavirus restrictions, and filmed for online viewing. 

Wed, 13 Nov 2019

This performance of "The Dream of Gerontius" took place exactly a month after Cardinal John Henry Newman, the author of the poem set to music by Elgar, was canonised by Pope Francis. It is fitting that Elgar's most famous and beloved choral work was performed in Westminster Cathedral after Newman became the first English saint since the Reformation. It was also where Elgar himself conducted the first London performance. 
The Parliament Choir, was joined by Coventry Cathedral Chorus, Mosaic Chamber Choir, members of St Albans Bach Choir, and Southbank Sinfonia, conducted by Simon Over, the Parliament Choir's Founder-Conductor and Southbank Sinfonia's Music Director.  Soloists: Robert Murray (tenor), Catherine Wyn Rogers (mezzo soprano) and Sir Thomas Allen  (baritone). Sir Thomas Allen, a patron of the Parliament Choir, recently retired from the Royal Opera House after forty years. This was his final perfomance with the Parliament Choir.  

Sat, 9 Nov 2019

Elgar wrote of 'The Dream of Gerontius' - "This is the best of me". Completed in 1900, this monumental work is perhaps the greatest choral masterpiece of the 20th century.
This performance in Coventry Cathedral featured Coventry Cathedral Chorus with the Parliament Choir and St Albans Bach Chorus, together with the acclaimed Southbank Sinfonia and internationally renowned soloists Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Robert Murray and Thomas Allen.

Wed, 3 Apr 2019

The sparkling music of Haydn in the "Missa Sancti Nicolai", was written as a gesture of thanks to Prince Nikolaus Estehazy for taking the hint dropped in the "Farewell" Symphony. The effervescent "Trumpet Concerto" was composed for his friend Anton Weidinger to play on his ground-breaking keyed trumpet. Both works performed at this concert are full of this composer's characteristic wit and invention. 
The concert also featured the first performance of "A Certain Everlasting Polyphony" by Nicholas O'Neill, the Parliament Choir's Composer in Residence, setting a text by the renowned astronomer Johannes Kepler in which he describes how the music of the universe finds its expression in choral singing. 

Wed, 5 Dec 2018

Choral works, festive readings and audience carols with the Parliament Choir and Gallus Aeturnus (Slovenian choir in London).

Wed, 31 Oct 2018

Parliament commemorated the centenary of the Armistice which ended the First World War, with a landmark concert in Westminster Hall at the Houses of Parliament. The chiors of the UK Parliament and the German Bundestag performed together, joined by singers from the Anghiari Festival Choir. The concert was conducted by Simon Over, and featured Southbank Sinfonia, Parliament Choir Chorus Master and Composer in Residencre Nicholas O'Neill, and soloists Soraya Mafi (Soprano), Alison Rose (Soprano), Gwilym Bowen (Tenor) and Gareth Brynmor John (Baritone).

Wed, 13 Jun 2018

• Anthony Ritchie - 'Gallipoli to the Somme' (London première)
• Vaughan Williams - 'The Lark Ascending'
• Jessie Montgomery - 'Banner'
• Vaughan Williams - 'Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis'

Celebrating the unsung heroes of the Great War, Anthony Ritchie's exquisite oratorio resounds with the music of everyday folk, including carols and ballads sung in the trenches. A solo violin abounds, depicting a fabled New Zealand soldier who took his instrument to the frontline.
Music's capacity to cross cultural, political divide was celebrated in the Parliament Choir, comprising peers, MPs and staff of all parties. They were joined by guest singers from New Zealand’s City Choir Dunedin, the acclaimed Southbank Sinfonia which unites outstanding graduate musicians from all over the world, conducted by Simon Over, the Allegri Quartet, Anna Leese (soprano), and Jon Stainsby (baritone). 

Sat, 2 Jun 2018

• Anthony Ritchie - 'Gallipoli to the Somme'(European première)
• Vaughan Williams - 'The Lark Ascending'
• Augusta Holmès - 'La Nuit et L’Amour'
• Ravel - 'Le tombeau de Couperin'

Even in the darkest hours, music endures. In the same decade Europe was ravaged by the Great War, Vaughan Williams and Ravel wrote such cloudless masterworks. To find a way forward through such testing times, both composers drew upon earlier musical hallmarks, symbols of what once made mankind good, and would again. A hundred years on, New Zealand composer Anthony Ritchie in turn echoes the evergreen sounds of Vaughan Williams. His powerful oratorio remembers the everyday people who strived to retain hope and dignity as the First World War shattered their humanity.
Music's capacity to cross cultural, political divide is celebrated in the Parliament Choir, comprising peers, MPs and staff of all parties. They were joined for this performnce at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, by guest singers from New Zealand’s City Choir Dunedin, and the acclaimed Southbank Sinfonia which unites outstanding graduate musicians from all over the world, conducted by Simon Over, Annabel Drummond (violin, Anna Leese (soprano), and Jon Stainsby (baritone). 

Wed, 25 Apr 2018

An evening of music at St Clement Danes, the Central Church of the Royal Air Force, performed by the Parliament Choir together with members of the Choir of St Clement Danes, accompanied by Nicholas O’Neill (organ and piano). The repertoire ranged from 'God be in my Head' (Walford Davies, the first composer of the RAF), a commission by Paul Leddington Wright to mark RAF 100, to Walton’s 'Spitfire Prelude' and ‘Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines’.

Wed, 6 Dec 2017

A programme of choral works, festive readings and audience carols, with the Band of HM Royal Marines, Scotland, Louise Goodwin (percussion) and Nicholas O'Neill, (organ).

Wed, 22 Nov 2017

The Parliament Choir performed 'Carmina Burana' in an arrangement for two pianos and percussion, with soloists Cecilia Osmond (Soprano), Anthony Gregory (Tenor) and Dawid Kimberg (Baritone).

Wed, 17 May 2017

The Parliament Choir, the Bar Choral Society and St. Michael's Singers from Coventry Cathedral joined forces with Southbank Sinfonia to perform Walton's 'Belshazzar's Feast', following Benjamin Grosvenor's performance of Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue'.

Wed, 7 Dec 2016

The Parliament Choir, accompanied by the Royal Air Force Salon Orchestra, presented a programme of choral works, festive readings and audience carols. The programme included the première of 'This Light of Reason', a new commission by Nicholas O'Neill in memory of Jo Cox, MP.
Click here for Classic FM article and rehearsal video of 'This Light of Reason'
Click here for a Guardian article on the choral work, including the lyrics

Tue, 8 Nov 2016

The Parliament Choir performed Durante's 'Magnificat', 'The Human Seasons', a new work by Nicholas O'Neill, and Vivaldi's 'Gloria'. These works were interspersed with Southbank Sinfonia's performance of Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'.

Tue, 3 May 2016

The Parliament Choir's concert in the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris juxtaposed music from England and France in a programme to enthral and inspire. Poulenc's exuberant yet profound setting of the 'Gloria' was performed alongside extracts from Gounod's first major work, his 'Messe Solenelle', for the patron saint of music, St. Cecilia. The English side of the Channel was represented by the 'Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus' by Ralph Vaughan Williams, based on native folk tunes and Herbert Howells' coronation anthem 'Behold, O God Our Defender'. The concert also featured a new setting of 'Tu Es Petrus' by the Parliament Choir's Composer-in-Residence, Nicholas O'Neill, drawing on ideas from the composers of Notre Dame more than eight hundred years ago.

Wed, 27 Apr 2016

The Parliament Choir's April concert juxtaposed music from England and France in a programme to enthral and inspire. Poulenc's exuberant yet profound setting of the 'Gloria' was performed alongside Gounod's first major work, his 'Messe Solenelle', for the patron saint of music, St. Cecilia. The English side of the Channel was represented by the 'Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus' by Ralph Vaughan Williams, based on native folk tunes and Herbert Howells' coronation anthem 'Behold, O God Our Defender'. The concert also featured a new setting of 'Tu Es Petrus' by the Parliament Choir's Composer-in-Residence, Nicholas O'Neill, drawing on ideas from the composers of Notre Dame more than eight hundred years ago.

Wed, 9 Dec 2015

A programme of choral works, festive readings and audience carols.

Wed, 25 Nov 2015

In celebration of HM Queen Elizabeth II becoming our longest-reigning monarch, the Parliament Choir presented a feast of Coronation Music, choral and orchestral, in this historic year. Works for orchestra such as Vaughan Williams's arrangement of 'Greensleeves', thought to have been written by Henry VIII, Purcell's 'Trumpet Tune' and Walton's 'Crown Imperial' were presented alongside choral classics 'Zadok the Priest' by Handel, performed at every coronation since that of George II in 1727, and 'I Was Glad' by Parry. The programme included some lesser-known items by Herbert Howells and John Redford, as well as the première of a new setting of 'Te Deum Laudamus' for choir and orchestra by the Parliament Choir's Composer-in-Residence, Nicholas O'Neill. 

Wed, 18 Mar 2015

A sparkling and uplifting repertoire with works by the great composers of the early Baroque: Monteverdi: 'Beatus Vir', Purcell: 'O Come Ye Sons of Art' and Vivaldi: 'Magnificat'. The Choir also commissioned a new work by its Composer-in-Residence, Nicholas O'Neill: 'O God of Earth and Altar', which is in the style of a Restoration verse anthem reimagined for the 21st century.

Wed, 3 Dec 2014

The Parliament Choir and the London Chamber Brass presented an evening of choral works, festive readings and audience carols.

Wed, 26 Nov 2014

The Parliament Choir performed this dramatic work in the equally dramatic surroundings of Westminster Cathedral, joined by singers from the Malcolm Sargent Festival Choir, St. Michael's Singers, Coventry, and the Anghiari Festival Choir, and supported by Southbank Sinfonia.

Wed, 9 Jul 2014

The Choir performed Mendelssohn's 'Lobgesang', with members of the Bundestag Choir in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster. This was a highly successful venture, the two choirs singing to an audience of a thousand.

Wed, 4 Dec 2013

An evening of choral works, festive readings, and audience carols. The concert was broadcast on Classic FM on 24 December 2013.

Wed, 20 Nov 2013

The Parliament Choir and Southbank Sinfonia performed two stunning, and very different, masses - Haydn's Harmoiniemesse in B-flat major, and Francis Poulenc's Gloria. Soloists: Mary Bevan, Felicity turner, Benedict Coldstream, and Nigel Cliffe. The concert was broadcast by Classic FM on 21 January 2014. 

Wed, 15 May 2013

Performance in Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank. 

Wed, 5 Dec 2012

An evening of festive music, readings, and audience carols. The Parliametn Choir with London Chamber Brass, Broadcast on Classic FM on 24 December 2012. 

Wed, 14 Nov 2012

Brahms' German Requiem for Remembrance Day. The Parliament Choir was delighted to perform this 'message of hope' concert with Saint Michael's Singers and Southbank Sinfonia in Westminster Cathedral on 14 November 2012. 

Sat, 10 Nov 2012

Brahms' German Requiem for Remembrance Day. The Parliament Choir was delighted to contribute to this 'message of hope' concert with Saint Michael's Singers and Southbank Sinfonia in Coventry Cathedral on 10 November 2012. The concert was broadcast by Classic FM on 17 December 2012. 

Wed, 18 Apr 2012

Distinguished soloists In-Kyung Cha, Sung Eun Seo and Eugene Lee from Korea, Catrin Aur and Rhys Meirion from Wales and the Choir of the National Assembly of Korea united with the Parliament Choir and their partner orchestra, Southbank Sinfonia, in an international celebration of music. This feast of orchestral and choral music included Mendelssohn’s resplendent Song of Praise, Bruch’s Violin Concerto, and O’Neill’s Of All Persons and Estates, the latter written especially for the Parliament Choir by Composer-in-Residence and Chorus Master, Nicholas O’Neill.
(Sadly, a planned performance of this concert in St David's Hall Cardiff, on 21 April 2012 had to be cancelled). 
 

Wed, 7 Dec 2011

Festive music and readigns and audience carols, including an orchestral version of Nicholas O'Neill's Sweet Was The Song. The concert was broadcast by Classic FM on 24 December 2011

Wed, 6 Apr 2011

Performance in Cadogan Hall. 

Sat, 18 Dec 2010

A wonderful concert in St Vitus Cathedral in Prague. 

Wed, 17 Nov 2010

Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem – second performance in Westminster Cathedral, London.

Sat, 13 Nov 2010

One of the Parliament Choir's biggest challenges to date:  two performances of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem – the first in Coventry Cathedral on 13th November, the eve of the 70th anniversary of the bombing of the Cathedral. The concert was broadcast by Classic FM.

Wed, 17 Mar 2010

In 2010, its 10th anniversary year, the Parliament Choir performed for the first time within the Palace of Westminster (the official name for the parliament buildings), singing Mozart’s Requiem and O’Neill’s Of All Persons and Estates in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009

A performance at York Minster

Wed, 1 Apr 2009

Performed in Cadogan Hall.

Tue, 16 Dec 2008

Carols in the Atrium of Portcullis House at the Houses of Parliament. 

Wed, 26 Nov 2008

Performed in Westminster Cathedral.

Wed, 7 May 2008

Opera favourites at the Cadogan Hall.

Tue, 11 Dec 2007

Carols in the Atrium of Portcullis House ot the Houses of Parliament. 

Tue, 27 Nov 2007

Performed in Cadogan Hall.

Wed, 16 May 2007

Performance in Cadogan Hall. 

Tue, 12 Dec 2006

Christmas music in the Atrium of Portcullis House at the Houses of Parliament. 

Wed, 6 Dec 2006

Perfromance in Westminster Cathedral. 

Sat, 18 Nov 2006

Performance in Coventry Cathedral. 

Tue, 9 May 2006

Performed at Cadogan Hall. 

Mon, 23 Jan 2006

Conductor - Simon Over, organist - NIcholas O'Neill

Tue, 13 Dec 2005

Carol concert in the Atrium of Portcullis House at the Houses of Parliament.

Wed, 30 Nov 2005

Performance at the Cadogan Hall.

Sat, 1 Oct 2005

Concert to mark the the 200th anniversay of Admiral Nelson's death, in the Royal Gallery in the House of Lords. 

Tue, 8 Mar 2005

Performance in Cadogan Hall.

Mon, 13 Dec 2004

First carol concert in the Atrium of Portcullis House at the Houses of Parliament.

Tue, 30 Nov 2004

Performance in Westminster Cathedral

Sat, 13 Nov 2004

Perfromance in Coventry Cathedral.

Mon, 15 Mar 2004

Performance at St John's Smith Square

Thu, 6 Nov 2003

Performance at St John's Smith Square.

Mon, 30 Jun 2003

Recorded in Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster.

Wed, 18 Jun 2003

Sacred and opera choruses concert in Westminster Abbey (moved from Westminster Hall). 

Tue, 25 Feb 2003

Performance in St John's Smith Square.

Wed, 18 Dec 2002

At Royal Albert Hall. 

Wed, 20 Mar 2002

Concert in Central Hall, Westminster.

Sat, 8 Dec 2001

Performance in Central Hall, Westminster.

Wed, 21 Mar 2001

Performance in St Margaret's Church, Westminster.

Wed, 6 Dec 2000

The Parliament Choir's inaugural concert in St Margaret's Church, Westminster.