The Occam Singers

Spring Concert

Music by J S Bach and R Panufnik

Saturday 22nd February 2020 7.30pm

Including Missa Brevis in A, ‘Sheep may safely graze’ and 'Spring'

Pre-concert talk at 6.45pm

St Nicolas’ Church, Bury St, Guildford GU2 4AW

Tickets £15 on the door, pre-booked £12.50 (Students £7)

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Tickets are also available at: Record Corner, Godalming (01483 422006); Guildford Tourist Information Centre, 155 High St (01483 444333); The Occam Singers (01252 783977).

Spring is coming! Come and join the Occam Singers as we look forward to brighter days, with a programme of music by J S Bach and Roxanna Panufnik. Alongside a performance of Bach’s incredibly popular aria for soprano ‘Sheep may Safely Graze’, the choir will perform Bach’s joyous Missa Brevis in A, a redeployment of some of his most exquisite cantata material set to the Latin text of the Kyrie and Gloria. The orchestra will also play Bach’s Orchestral Suite no 2, full of lively dances and the bright sound of solo flute, suggestive of a happy court celebration.

Roxanna Panufnik’s setting of Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem ‘Spring’ is a piece full of evocative word-painting, portraying life bursting from the death of winter. It is a work characterised by optimism and hope. As the composer says in the preface to this music "Whatever winters lie ahead of us, they will always be followed by spring."

This year we are pleased to support the work of Oakleaf Enterprise, Guildford, a mental health charity who have been working to foster confidence and reduce social isolation in the Surrey community for the last 22 years. Oakleaf delivers work-related training courses in upholstery, horticulture and IT, to enable its clients to gain up-to-date qualifications and practical experience with the goal of returning to work. They also offer a range of activities that aim to promote confidence, physical health and wellbeing. Alongside a counselling service and job-seeking support, these activities benefit 400 members of the local community every single week.