Welcome to Bath Cantata Group’s website. It contains information about who we are and what we’re doing. Under the baton of Edna Blackwell (celebrating her 30^th year as director of the choir), we have 3 concerts every year and a number of smaller events. We’re always looking for new members with singing ability in all sections of the choir, so if you like choral music, have some singing ability, can keep Thursday evenings free for rehearsals and a few Saturdays a year for concert performances, we look forward to welcoming you.

Call Bernadette on 01225 463979 for more information.

This edition of the website covers our activities from the beginning of 2008. For information about our November concert, click on  FUTURE EVENTS.

SPRING CONCERT

Bath Cantata Group's spring concert took place on Saturday, April 5 at St Stephen's Church, Lansdown, Bath.

Fifty years after Ralph Vaughan Williams' death the concert celebrated the work of the great English composer by performing his Five Mystical Songs for baritone solo (Paul Fletcher) chorus and an orchestra of strings and piano, written in 1911.

Choir and orchestra perform the Haydn mass

The orchestra then played Bach's second Brandenburg Concerto (No 2 in F) with Matthew Taylor (violin), Alexandra Woolner (oboe), Colin Bloch (trumpet) and Heather Rosotti (recorder). The concert ended with Haydn’s ‘Missa Cellensis’ with soloists Tracey Hansford, Gillian Clark, Bruce Evans and Paul Fletcher.

SUMMER CONCERT

The Summer extravaganza took place at the Village Hall in Freshford in front of an invited audience. It was a good excuse to thank Edna again for 30 years of unstinting devotion to the choir.

Here’s her personal take on the event….

 “I had a really enjoyable evening at Freshford Village Hall celebrating the end of my 30^th year ‘in charge!’ of the Bath Cantata Group.

Our rehearsal in the afternoon had been moderately successful but as our guests arrived and the Pimms were served things brightened up.

 We started with some fairly serious part songs which were certainly better than in the afternoon and really quite good. 

As an introduction to ‘Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo’, Judith, Alan and David ‘broadcast’ from Radio Freshford a very witty up to date account of the building of the Ark, and then into the main item. Many soloists and an enthusiastic chorus were greatly helped by Peter’s backcloth and dramatic effects with many cuddly animals fronting the stage, those first to be saved by captain Noah had to be my two cats of course.

The choir sings ‘Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo’

Then to the wonderful meal organised by Bernadette and the Committee with a pause before the fruit salad to sing one of our favourite pieces ‘Fruit Machine’. I had, of course, been surprised and delighted to see past members of the choir and present soloists but couldn’t understand why Mike kept hurrying me over my fruit salad (I really wanted a second helping).

Edna is presented with the Cantata Group ‘Book of Puddings’

First came the presentation of the Cantata Group’s Book of Puddings which is an absolute delight to look at and to imagine how all those recipes would taste.

Then I was dressed as a Pearly Queen and escorted to the stage by my Pearly King, Mike, who then compèred a programme of songs and duets by past and present members which made a fantastic conclusion to a wonderful day.

 Thank you all!  Edna”

The choir’s next concert is in November. Please see ‘FUTURE EVENTS’ for more details.

 If you want to know more about the choir, its history and membership policy, please click on the About the Choir Section.

See Future Events for more details of the concert in April.

Click Contact us for details of the executive committee members.

Have a look at our Archive section containing photographs, posters and programmes from all the events of the last 50 years.