University College School

Choir & Chamber Orchestra Tour to Poland
3 – 8 July 2008-08-22

Members of the UCS choir and chamber orchestra have just returned from a very successful tour to Krakow in Poland. Five concerts in four days is a hectic schedule by anyone’s standards, but we managed sight-seeing, singing impromptu in the King’s Chapel deep in the Wieliecka salt mine and shopping too!

The itinerary was cleverly put together by Specialised Travel in conjunction with Director of Music, John Bradbury, to include vastly differing venues both in and outside this beautiful city. The vast Gothic church of St Catherine in the Kazimiercz provided the splendid setting and marvellous acoustic for the opening concert which was well-supported and received – a relief as we were performing music by Polish composers: Gorecki – ‘Totus tuus’ and Lutoslawski – ‘Five Folk Melodies’.

The programmes were carefully designed to give both choir and orchestra some variation and, whilst repeating some items, the sense that each concert was unique.

The chamber orchestra, under Ian Gibson’s expert guidance, had one concert to themselves in the concert bowl in the delightful setting of Rabka Park, was supplemented by Robbie Stern’s exquisite performance of Ernest Bloch’s – ‘Nigun’ from Baal Shem. Later that day the choir and orchestra joined forces once again in the modern church in Rabka, for a performance of Mozart’s – ‘Trinitatis’ Messe.

The Old Synagogue in Krakow was the final venue for performances of Bernstein’s – ‘Chichester Psalms’, sung by the choir (soloist: Charlie St. John) in Hebrew, and directed by Simon Walton with John Bradbury at the organ; Sian Pateman and Gideon Wakefield with the chamber orchestra in JS Bach’s ‘Sheep may safely graze’; and Robbie Stern’s swan-song of the Bloch and an encore by Wieniawski. A memorable conclusion to a successful and musically rewarding tour!