Exmouth Choral Society

We have a NEW MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Laurence Blyth has been appointed as our new Musical Director.
He will take up his new post at the first rehearsal after our summer break, i.e. on September 6, 2010.
New singers will be very welcome.

The committee would like to thank Brian Northcott enormously for the dedication, enthusiasm and musical expertise which he has given to Exmouth Choral Society for more than 25 years.
We shall all miss him.

Laurence Blyth was a scholarship holder at the University of Exeter (where he read music) and director of the University Singers. He graduated in 2007 and subsequently worked as Master of the Choristers at Bramdean School and director of Exeter University Brass Ensemble. Laurence has been the Musical Director of Exeter Choral Society since 2008 and in 2009 lead a collaborative project with the choir of St Sidwell's School Exeter supported by a grant from Making Music. He is a postgraduate student at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff where he studies Choral Conducting with Adrian Partington and Simon Halsey. This year his studies are supported by the Busenhart Morgan Evans foundation.Laurence is also a member of staff at the International Acappella School which gives choral singers from around the world a chance to immerse themselves in ensemble singing with King's Singer Stephen Connolly.
In 2009 he directed the choir for the studio recording of "And a little child shall lead: Santiago's dream" with iconic saxophonist Raphael Ravenscroft and conducted the first public performance at Exeter Cathedral in September 2009 with the choir of The Gasparini Ensemble and Raphael Ravenscroft (saxophone).
As a countertenor Laurence spent a year in the choir of Truro Cathedral and has since taken masterclasses with Emma Kirkby at Dartington Summer School in 2007, supported by the Heathcoat Trust. He is a Lay Vicar in Exeter Cathedral Choir and has performed a wide range of repertoire across the South West as a soloist including works by Bach, Haydn, Vivaldi and Purcell including the duet 'Sound the Trumpet' with James Bowman in 2007.

Laurence Blyth
Musical Director - Exeter Choral Society
Alto Lay Vicar - Exeter Cathedral Choir
Postgraduate - RWCMD (MA Choral Conducting)

> Visit Laurence's own web page

Exmouth Choral Society is a mixed voice choir of approximately 70 members who rehearse during the autumn and spring terms, for two main concerts a year. The repertoire is based around masses and oratorios, e.g. in January 2010 we sang Monteverdi's Vespers.
Our musical director Brian Northcott has been keen to introduce the occasional rarely heard but singable pieces, for example Zelenka Masses. From September 2010 we will rehearse in Glenorchy Church on Exeter Road in Exmouth town centre; our concerts are held in Holy Trinity Church which has good acoustics for choral music. All our concerts are with orchestras and good soloists. We also have purpose made staging for the church, so visibility for all choir members is good. Members also have the opportunity to join in with the two or three social events that we hold during the year.
More information: contact Kate on 01392 877537

> View the choir ready to perform at Holy Trinity Church

Our Accompanist - Sandra Jepps

Sandra has been our accompanist since 1995 when she answered our advertisement, in order to escape three toddlers! She now accompanies two other choirs and is the organist at the Royal Marine Training Centre in Lympstone while teaching in a local primary school is her day job. She obtained her music degree from the University of Huddersfield and her piano teaching diploma from Trinity College of Music. She studied piano with Peter Donohoe and composition with Richard Steinitz.

Brief history of the Society

The Exmouth Choral Society was founded by William Vinnicombe, who was organist of Withycombe Raleigh Church, in 1867. It was reorganised in 1896 by Raymond Wilmot and by 1910 the Society had performed 37 different works. During the First World War concerts were abandoned but from 1920 to 1934 regular performances were given in the Church Hall, Exmouth. However, support waned after that and no more concerts were given until 1937, when Archibald Marcom took over as conductor. There have been no further gaps in continuity of performances. The Society performed regularly during the Second World War and in the immediate post war period hosted two music festivals. We have only had two musical directors since 1948; Donald White from 1948 to 1983 and Brian Northcott, our present Musical Director since then.