AyLesBuryFestivalChoir.org.uk
Title
Aylesbury Festival Choir - AFC Home Page
Description
For well over forty years the Aylesbury Festival Choir (formerly the December Festival Choir) has been enriching the musical life of Aylesbury as well as providing a worthwhile weekly evening activity for between eighty and ninety people and, sometimes, over a hundred. The choir owes its existence to the vision and determination of David Aylett who, in 1958, realised that Christmas music was missing from the overall concert programmes for the town. On the 14th December of that year he brought together and conducted a choir of some sixty singers, with a small string orchestra and organ, in the then Congregational Church in the High Street (now the site of Hale Leys shopping centre) to perform Christmas carols, the Vaughan Williams Fantasia and parts of Handel's Messiah. After this concert it was evident that the singers and audience had enjoyed themselves and wanted the venture to continue. Next December a much more ambitious concert was arranged, the venue moved to the
and Isobel Baillie, who had just retired as the leading international soprano of her day, was booked as star soloist. The concert was a huge success and, more importantly, launched the choir as a new choral entity in Aylesbury. For the next six years an annual festival of music was held at the Grange. The title "December Festival" had become well established by the end of this period and, with encouragement and financial support from the then Borough Council, the annual concerts moved to the old Borough Assembly Hall. The Civic Centre opened in 1975 and this continues to be the main venue for regular concerts by the choir, normally accompanied by professional soloists and orchestral players, featuring a wide range of works from the choral repertoire.
Recent Times
In 1985, after the choir's silver jubilee season, David handed over as conductor to Helen Blakeman, Buckinghamshire County Music Advisor. 1986 saw the choir granted charitable status and a proper constitution established with a Chairman and managing committee. Due to an ever increasing work load in her professional life, Helen reluctantly had to stand down as conductor in 1994 and it was decided that this was the right moment to advance the choir's development by engaging a professional conductor. In May 1995 Piers Maxim became conductor and artistic director and quickly established his reputation by conducting an electrifying performance of the oratorio Saul by Handel in November. Concerts featuring Vaughan Williams's Sea Symphony, Elgar's Dream of Gerontius and a notable performance of Messiah followed, all of which attracted critical acclaim. Pier's professionalism and friendly approach to our rehearsals assured his popularity but, after six rewarding years with the Choir, his place was taken by Justin Doyle who had already been guest conductor for two previous concerts. Meanwhile, in October 2000, it was decided to change our title to Aylesbury Festival Choir, which established a clear reference to our location while still maintaining a link with our historical past. We are delighted that we have been successful in our application for a ‘Positive about Equal Opportunities’ Award from Making Music, The National Federation of Music Societies. Making Music were so impressed with our application that they have featured us in a recent edition of their national magazine - click here to view the article. David Aylett recently won the prestigious Lady Hilary Groves Prize awarded by Making Music. Click here for more detail about David's award.
Languages
English
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