Hackney Singers will sing The Creation this Saturday for the first time in over two decades (Credit: Hackney Singers)
Renowned choir Hackney Singers will perform Haydn’s classic masterpiece, The Creation, for the first time since 1988 at St John-at-Hackney Church on Saturday.
Joining professional soloists Elizabeth Roberts (soprano), Mark Chaundy (tenor) and Colin Campbell (bass) for the performance, the choir will be conducted by musical director, Mark Shanahan. “It feels like our home crowd. It’s a boomy, cavernous interior so we have to be extra disciplined,” he said.
The Creation, composed in the 18th century, boasts some notoriously complex passages, but the difficulties are what makes the process worth it, Mr Shanahan explained. “All great pieces are a challenge, but that’s what keep us going through weeks of rehearsals – you can’t do that with mediocre music.”
Mr Shanahan’s work includes broadcasts and concerts with the BBC as well as being the Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra. He has led the Hackney Singers for 16 years, during its high-profile success representing the borough at the opening ceremony of London’s Paralympic Games in 2012, singing on the soundtrack for the 2013 film The Christmas Candle, and celebrating the choir’s 40th anniversary last year.
Members’ ages range from 20- to 80-years-old. Some come from as far as Mill Hill and Morden. Although the choir often warms up to Abba and Take That, its repertoire mainly comprises of classical religious works. “It’s such joyous, uplifting music – even if you’re not religious. Rehearsing it is like a yoga class,” said Sarah Marks, a soprano in the choir.
“It’s nice to be ‘coming home’ to St John-at-Hackney; we’ve been performing there for so many years. We’ve had great support – a local resident brought in some chocolate for the choir to thank us for the lovely music he hears on Thursday evenings,” fellow singer Helen Coupland added.
