Help the Byrds Bach

Our Goal

With your help, we plan to raise £5000 in 4 weeks in order to fund our once in a lifetime 50th anniversary performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Matthäus Passion (St Matthew Passion), in the Stoller Hall of Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester, on April 2nd 2022. The project is a collaboration led by the William Byrd Singers (‘the Byrds’), along with the 18th Century Sinfonia, world class professional soloists and the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Atherton.

After a year of cultural and social isolation, this performance will bring music-lovers together once again. Professional musicians will join amateur choristers and local school-children to celebrate the healing power of classical music, through one of Bach’s most powerful works

Bach’s Matthäus Passion Bach’s great sacred oratorio, the Matthäus Passion, tells the story of Christ’s Passion: the Easter story of His betrayal and crucifixion, and was first performed in Leipzig in 1727. The forces required for a performance are substantial: a double choir, supplemented by an additional treble choral line, a double orchestra, and soloists. After Bach’s death in 1750, the work was neglected for many years until it was revived by Mendelssohn in the nineteenth century.  Even today, performances are major musical events.

Why are we performing Bach’s Matthäus Passion?

The William Byrd Singers, a leading Chamber Choir in the North West, were formed just over fifty years ago (we missed our actual 50th year due to Covid!) under their first conductor, the great Stephen Wilkinson MBE who sadly passed away at the beginning of August this year. (The picture shows Stephen celebrating his own centenary with the Byrds in 2019!)

Of our project, Stephen said:

"I think the St Matthew Passion will prove to be a splendid celebration for the Byrds' 50th Anniversary, and a natural climax to the succession of great Bach works given over the years. For me, Bach has always proved the ultimate challenge and joy, and I am delighted that Keith has chosen this great work to mark our emergence from these dark times when we have all been so sadly deprived of making music together. The Byrds and The 18th Century Sinfonia are joined by a  team of top class soloists under Keith's dynamic direction, and I have every confidence that this will be an evening to remember." Stephen Wilkinson MBE

Under Stephen and his successor and current conductor, Keith Orrell, the Byrds have performed almost 300 concerts in Britain and in Belgium, France, Poland, Finland and Italy, and made several recordings. 

Over the years, the Byrds have performed almost all of Bach’s major choral works, including the Mass in B minor, the St John Passion, the Magnificat, the six Motets, several Cantatas and the four Lutheran Masses. Some of these, particularly the Motets, have been performed many times, and few seasons have passed without a performance of one of Bach’s works. Where our Bach performances have required orchestral accompaniment, we have been privileged to work with the 18th Century Orchestra, whose instruments and performance practice recreate Bach’s sound world. 

However, we have never had the opportunity to perform Bach’s Matthäus Passion, the work many regard as one of the pinnacles of sacred music, and, indeed, of European culture. The Byrds are therefore seeking to celebrate and commemorate their fiftieth anniversary season by doing just that! 

About the Project Partners

The William Byrd Singers is a chamber choir comprising around 30 singers. Although we are amateur choristers, many of the singers are music teachers or professional musicians in other capacities. Such is the reputation of the Byrds that many of our members journey from out of the region to attend weekly rehearsals (which of course require sustenance in the form of tea and cake!), Here, Rosemary Thomason, our Chairman, explains the importance of tea and cake to the Byrds.

As you might imagine, therefore, the sound we make is  exemplary and we have, for fifty years, established a unique reputation in the North West for innovative and challenging programmes performed to high standards.

In addition to the classic works of the chamber repertoire, the choir has, over the years, commissioned or given first performances of thirty compositions, including works by John McCabe, Alan Bullard, Elizabeth Maconchy and, naturally, Stephen Wilkinson and Keith Orrell. Recent programmes have included major works rarely, if ever, performed in the North West, including Rachmaninov’s the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, Hindemith’s Apparebit Repentina Dies, Bax’s Mater Ora Filium and Stravinsky’s Mass.

Keith Orrell, our Musical Director since Stephen Wilkinson’s retirement in 2009, is an established and highly experienced choral conductor and was formerly chorus master of the Hallé Choir.

We are delighted to be working on this project with a number of internationally acclaimed professional soloists including: Elin Manahan Thomas, best known for her baroque works but also performed at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018; Peter Harvey, Nicholas Mulroy, Nick Pritchard, Tim Morgan and Damien O’Keefe. 

We are also thrilled to be supported by the 18th Century Sinfonia. 

Founded in 2001 18th Century Sinfonia (along with the 18th Century Concert Orchestra) is the only regularly playing, professional period instrument orchestra in the North West. The Sinfonia has enjoyed collaborating over the years with Keith Orrell and the wonderful Byrd Singers and is looking forward very much to joining with them to present an authentic performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion. 

In addition, our performance will be enriched by the addition of junior voices from the Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School in Atherton, a school renowned in Wigan for its excellent and authentic singing (the picture is taken from the school's Facebook page and does not necessarily include the actual children who will be taking part in the performance). 

This is an exciting opportunity for the children to sing a great work in a wonderful setting, as Helen, one of the William Byrd Singers explains. 

Why do we need your help?

Our performance of Bach’s Matthäus Passion is a celebration of our fifty years and of our love of Bach’s inspiring music. But our performance to professional standards, with a professional orchestra of period instruments, soloists and a youth choir, will involve lengthy and expensive preparation over several months with rehearsals in Wigan, Manchester and elsewhere. We have also secured a world class venue in the Stoller Hall.

                                           The Stoller Hall, Manchester

Ticket sales for the event in April 2022, even with a capacity audience (which is not at all guaranteed in these times of socially-distanced performances), will not cover the costs of the event itself, let alone costs associated with the rehearsal period, which are only partially covered by members’ subscriptions.  Fundraising is therefore essential for the event to go ahead. Your donation will help to fund fees for our conductor, the orchestra and soloists, and relevant rehearsal costs. 

As a charity, the Byrds can supplement many donations through the Gift Aid scheme.

We feel proud to not only have such wonderful professionals on board but to know we are providing an opportunity for these singers to return to the stage after lockdown; a period of social and cultural isolation which has had a devastating effect on professionals from the performing arts. Your donation will therefore not only help us realise our vision of performing Matthäus Passion but will support a large number of professional artists as they start performing once again.

Should our concert need to be postponed for a second time we will use your donations to pay for any upfront costs incurred and keep the remainder safely to one side for when we can finally perform the passion.

Rewards of thanks

A few of the Byrds would like to thank you...

One of our basses, Alan, was so enthusiastic about the project he has chosen to put it to . We felt he deserved a slot all of his own for his efforts!

We greatly appreciate any donation no matter how small, and ALL contributors will be mentioned in our special souvenir programme.

However we also have a wide range of rewards up for grabs including the usual Byrds merchandise (shown below) as well as some more unusual Singers' Specials such as photography, portraits, hand painted silks and even a website development package, to name just a few.  

                                    50th anniversary mugs in bone china.

All our rewards have now been uploaded to the rewards page. Due to word limitation on the rewards page we have provided a few further details below for a number of the rewards.

PASTEL PORTRAIT REWARD

These will be produced by soprano, Leslie, and here is a copy of her work

PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION WITH PRINTS

This will be delivered by soprano, Agnes, and here is a collection of her work.

WORKPLACE NOISE INSPECTION REWARD

A fully professional workplace noise exposure survey consisting of one man-day on site, during which employees’ exposure to noise will be assessed in line with HSE requirements under the Noise at Work Regulations. A complete report containing data, charts and recommendations for improved control will be provided within 3 weeks of the survey. The work will be undertaken by tenor, Brian, a highly qualified and experienced Charted Occupational Hygienist. Such a service would normally cost at least £700 (excl. VAT). This is a fantastic opportunity to save money, fulfill your business’s legal obligations, protect your workforce, and contribute to the William Byrds Singers all at the same time! (Note this offer is limited to sites within 40 miles of North Manchester. If desired, a dust exposure survey could be substituted for a noise survey. Note that the scope of the work cannot exceed what may be judged as reasonable in the stated time-frame).

ORIGINAL ACRYLIC PAINTING

Here is the painting of Bach which is one of the singers' specials painted by Leslie Robinson