The Emsworth-based Renaissance Choir celebrates its 50th anniversary with two concerts in July.

Songs of Hope (conductor: Peter Gambie; piano: Karen Kingsley) will be on Saturday, July 11 at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Southsea, PO4 0DY at 7.30pm and on Saturday, July 18 at Boxgrove Priory Church, PO18 0EE at 7.30 pm.

Chairman Simon O’Hea said: “The Renaissance Choir is marking its 50th anniversary by presenting some of its favourite choral works in two concerts over two consecutive Saturdays. They are also the two last concerts conducted by Peter Gambie, who has been the choir’s music director for 34 years.

“Audiences can expect to experience everything from soaring polyphony and moving sacred music to bold modern harmonies and innovative soundscapes. These special concerts honour our heritage, creativity and enduring love of choral music while looking ahead with hope and celebration.

placeholder image — The Renaissance Choir (contributed pic)

“In Southsea, we include Allegri’s scintillating Miserere Mei, with its famous soaring soprano solo. As a contrast, we’ll perform Sir James MacMillan’s Miserere, widely considered as one of the most challenging choral works. There’s also the chance to hear the choir’s anniversary commission, Schofield’s Songs of Hope. The gentle music of Eric Whitacre sits alongside one of William Byrd’s greatest pieces, Ne Irascaris. Homage is paid to Victoria’s great Officium defunctorum mass. John Cage gets a look-in too, with a Zen-inspired work of inner peace.

“The Boxgrove concert, part of the Festival of Chichester, features Poulenc’s Gloria, accompanied by Karen Kingsley on piano, alongside MacMillan’s Miserere, Byrd’s Ne Irascaris and Laudibus in Sanctis, and Bach’s Komm, Jesu, Komm.

“Each piece provides a strong sense of the spiritual, capturing the beauty of the human voice.

“Each concert offers the choir the opportunity to make good use of the gorgeous acoustic of these magnificent buildings.”

Simon added: “The Renaissance Choir is one of the South’s most accomplished chamber choirs, known for its purity of sound and beautiful blend of voices.

“We are an auditioned, non-professional SATB / SSAATTBB choir of around 30 members. As our name implies, although we have a special interest in a cappella music from the Renaissance period, we present a varied, ambitious repertoire from many periods and traditions, sacred and secular, ranging from the Renaissance through to contemporary works. We aim to perform lesser-known music or to premiere new works or arrangements, some of which we’ve commissioned.”

Full price tickets are £18 until the Saturday evening before each concert, then £20. Children/students pay £3. Available from https://www.ticketsource.com/renaissancechoir

Further info, including preview notes, from https://renaissancechoir.org.uk.