A Handful of Singers

A Handful of Singers | Bath's quality chamber choir

A Handful of Singers, Bath's highly acclaimed chamber choir of 20 voices, has been performing in and around Bath since its inception in 2012, and in 2010 it was awarded a substantial grant by the BBC through its Performing Arts Fund Choral Ambition Scheme.

The choir is directed by its conductor Christopher Finch, winner of the 2010 BBC Choir of the Year with his choir The Wellensian Consort. Under his direction, A Handful of Singers has developed a wide repertoire of music, classical and contemporary, serious and not too serious, and has gained an enviable reputation for the quality and vibrancy of its performances.

Recent highlights

Recent performances have included the major works for chamber choir, including the requiems of Faure and Durufle, Britten's St Nicolas and Hymn to St Cecilia, Barber's Adagio, Byrd's Mass in five parts, and Kodaly's Missa Brevis. However the choir also enjoy performing the lighter repertiore and the second half of concerts have encompassed Chilcott, close harmony jazz, the Beatles and many other such.

In March 2011, the choir gave a well-received performance of Howard Goodall's A Requiem and other contemporary music at St. Stephens Church, Lansdown, Bath etc. And in October the choir gave the first performance of Requiem composed for the choir by its accompanist, Jamie Hamilton in front of an invited audience - an extraordinary occasion for both performers and audience.

Forthcoming concerts

The 2012 programme opened in March at St. Michael's Without with a very well received "best of American" choral music programme which included Leonard Bernstein's great composition, the Chichester Psalms, Eric Whitacre's moving Five Hebrew Love Songs, and works by other contemporary American composers.

The choir will be performing twice in the Bath International Festival. First as the semi chorus in Holst's Planets Suite, and then in the Party in the City. At the end of June the choir will give a summer concert at Prior Park, followed by a concert in the autumn and an Advent concert in early December.

About the Handful

Next Concert

Saturday 30th June 2012

John Wood Chapel, Prior Park

A summer musical celebration, drinks on the lawn and music to match.

The Handful in the International Festival

The Handful will be performing in the Assembly Rooms at 6:30 on Friday June 1st in Party in City.

And they will also be performing in the Planets Suite on the 31st May with the Bath Philharmonia under the direction of Jason Thornton.