About 24 and Why Classical A Cappella?
On a mission
As Joni said - you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone...
and during Lockdowns we tried everything to keep our spirits up - singing in gardens, balconies, even a polytunnel (you had to be there). It was a painful lesson to find out what a silent world would be like.
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So we've grabbed the chance to remind people what classical a cappella can really do.
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We're all auditioned and semi-professional singers from the Oxford-Stratford-Northampton area with a love of singing in small groups unaccompanied. The repertoire is Renaissance, Classical, and Contemporary - from Taverner to Tavener - with an emphasis on making these glorious pieces come to life. From not being allowed to move air at all, we are now all about moving air to move souls.
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We aim to have three voices per eight parts and sing in double choir, quartet, octet, upper and lower voice sub-choirs - whatever works to get the composer's heartfelt intentions across. We intentionally bring both younger singers and veterans together to find a mix of experience and energy too.
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In our first concert we compared Allegri's Famous Sistine Chapel Allegri with McMillan's sublime contemporary view, in a program ranging from Rachmaninoff to Tallis and from Whitacre to Gibbons. We tackled Martin's Mass for Double choir, alongside Barber's Agnus, Purcell's Dido, and Tavener's haunting Athene. The epic peak of Rachmaninoff's Vespers was a triumph, well-suited to the choirs rich and dynamic sound. Currently, we're countering romantic sweep and scope with the discipline and energy of Bach - tackling all of the motets over two concerts, and ranging from Monteverdi to MacMillan in the process. Bringing these superb pieces to life is the aim. Challenging pieces, sure, but all designed to move hearts, and that's the performance element we're aiming for most.
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We promise you dynamic and engaging interpretations of beautiful music to feed the soul - helping you face the world refreshed and renewed.​
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PS Just as we're a fresh and enthusiastic approach to accessible (if challenging to learn) music, we always offer a fully open bar at every concert. It's refreshment for the body and the soul, and we avoid the usual Aldi-bottom-shelf fare to bring alcoholic and non-alcoholic options to everyone - hopefully it's the sort of tea, coffee, wine or fizz that you'd buy for yourself and your friends (special thanks to M&S and Naked Wines). You will be welcomed with a glass of fizz at the start, can sip throughout if that's your wish, and we time concerts to hopefully ensure you can still get to a restaurant or bar afterwards without any fuss (we perform early evenings now typically, ie from 5pm). Do join us for a relaxed and engaging start to a lovely evening.
Our Musical Director
Helen Swift started her singing career in Liverpool as a member of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain at the age of fourteen and had early success in the BBC Choirgirl of the Year competition. She then went onto win a choral scholarship to Clare College Cambridge where she studied music and then studied opera in London and Dublin.
Now based in Oxfordshire, she has an accomplished international reputation while also leading choirs locally. She believes passionately in the power of music to uplift and transform.
