Testimonials

Just to say thank you again for the opportunity to sing with Malvern Chorus last Saturday. It was very well organised, the catering was smashing and the singing a delight.
Best wishes
Paul and Alison

Just a quick message from me to tell you how much I enjoyed Saturday's Come-&-Sing. Such joyous music! I was amazed at what a good sound Jonathan was able to get from us all and it was so exciting to be part of it.
I enjoyed catching up with you and Jackie too - plus making friends with my neighbouring soprano. All in all, a very special day...I walked home with a rare feeling of contentment!
All best,
Rachel

Thank you so much to you, Jonathan and all members of the committee and choir for making Saturday such a lovely day. Apart from the joyous music, I was amazed at and very appreciative of the great warmth of everyone's welcome for my first return to Malvern after a year away.
I will definitely aim to make the summer Come Sing an annual visit!
Best wishes to all and thank you again
Mary

Thank you so much for a wonderful come and sing yesterday . It was great with your fantastic singers,your brilliant chorus master and wonderful young soloists. Thanks for providing a yummy tea too!!
Let me know when you're next one will be !
Janet
(Stratford Upon Avon Choral Society)

I wanted to thank you for being next to me last Saturday for your assistance.
Also, for that fantastic performance of 'The Creation' and to the rest of your team for their hospitality, the food and friendly Choir members were super.
Importantly, many thanks to your great Conductor for his talent in getting the best from us all.
Finally, the brilliant Organist. A fabulous day, thank you again.
Very kind regards,
Jenny, Bromsgrove

Mozart Requiem Come & Sing 2023
Thank you all so much for making us so very welcome on Saturday. It was a wonderful musical experience in a beautiful setting with excellent players and soloists and we appreciated David's clear and encouraging direction. Most of all everybody was so friendly, welcoming and appreciative. We would like to thank those who prepared and served the excellent tea and worked so hard for everyone's benefit.
All good wishes
Hazel
( I came from St Albans, my sister Claire from Much Marcle, her friend Becca from Newport and our cousin Sarah from Helston.)

Thank you so much for a wonderful day
Rosamund

Come and Sing Handel's Messiah – Holy Trinity Church, Malvern, Saturday 25 June 2022
To mark the end of what had been a very challenging season, with regular concerts hard to organise and audiences still a little wary of coming out, Malvern Festival Chorus held a Come & Sing version of Handel's Messiah at Holy Trinity Church, Link Top. The choir was joined by members of Leominster Choral Society and other local singers.
One of the many things which made the day special was the presence of a chamber orchestra and four young soloists from Birmingham Conservatoire. Everyone had the benefit of an afternoon rehearsal with MFC conductor Jonathan Brown to iron out tricky corners.
After an excellent tea, they were joined by a small audience for the performance.
One of our members, Deirdre Brook, who came for the concert wrote:
“Having suffered COVID and its after-effects I was unable to sing but was so glad I came. There was a kind of magic in the way things came together so well. The choir was lifted by the orchestra and we could see that the soloists were encouraging each other. We in the audience were clearly appreciative too, and responded with enthusiasm, which had an effect on everyone. At the centre of things throughout was Jonathan who spoke movingly at the end about the power of live music to move us and bring us together, especially after such a difficult time. We all felt it. The real winner was Handel's great work, which never fails.”

Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man A Mass for Peace – Saturday 7 May 2022
Timely performance of The Armed Man
The performance by Malvern Festival Chorus of Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace was poignant for two reasons. Firstly, it was the choir's first public performance since lockdown caused the last-minute cancellation of their centenary performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion in Worcester Cathedral in March 2020. Secondly, no one could have anticipated, when the music was chosen, how painfully relevant it would be.
The work was commissioned for the beginning of the new millennium, and dedicated to the victims of the conflict in Kosovo. This performance was dedicated to the victims of the war in Ukraine, with a collection which raised over £500 for the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
The performance was preceded by a workshop, for which MFC was joined by singers from other choirs. Under the skilful direction of their conductor and musical director Jonathan Brown, the singers took the audience on an emotional journey from armed preparation and prayer before action to the inexorable outcome of the charge, followed by a spine-chilling wail of grief and horror. Evocations of the horrors of Hiroshima and an ancient Hindu conflict, and the grief of bereaved survivors, were followed by the consolations of the Agnus Dei and Benedictus, the latter with an exquisite cello solo.
The mezzo-soprano soloist Katie Leaver sang with great clarity, beauty and commitment. The excellent flautist was also nimble on the piccolo, and
the percussion and brass of the Regency Sinfonia were magnificent.
The irony of the piece lies in the false optimism of the final chorus, “Better is peace than evermore war, ring out the old, ring in the new, ring out the false, ring in the true, ring in the thousand years of peace”, sadly belied by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The only enduring consolation offered is in the words of the beautiful final chorale, “God shall wipe away all tears and there shall be no more death.”
Heather Williamson – Malvern Gazette, 20 May 2022

Verdi Requiem, Southwark Cathedral – 09 November 2019
Could I ask you to convey my thanks to the MFC singers who joined my choir for the Southwark Cathedral Verdi Requiem concert.
It was a fabulous occasion. I was personally delighted with the choir, soloists and orchestra and atmosphere. Many people commented that it was both exciting and moving.
Alison Hunka, Musical Director 1885 Singers

NSSO 25th Anniversary Concert – Birmingham Symphony Hall
Malvern Festival Chorus was delighted to be invited to join the National Schools' Symphony Orchestra in Verdi's Requiem as they celebrated their 25th anniversary.
Click here to experience the concert