A Winter Meditation
All Saints' Church, Eastbourne, February 2025

In the fast-paced times we live in, Phoenix Choir invites you to stop for a while and to enjoy an evening of peace and reflection. Building on our rich choral heritage in sacred music, the likes of Willcocks and Rutter have led the way for a new generation of talented composers. Phoenix Choir’s forthcoming programme spans the centuries from Hildegard of Bingen to the present day. The meditative tone for the evening is set by Mozart’s Ave Verum and continues with Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine and Barber’s Agnus Dei, before arriving at the present day with a piece by the choir’s own Samuel Ives ~ Black, Black Night.
The evening goes on to showcase the work of American composer Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943) and Norwegian/American composer Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978 & pron: Yay-Lo). Both composers are known for their beautiful melodic lines, their thick harmonies and rich textures. Lauridsen draws inspiration from the likes of Schubert and other composers of chamber music. He described his Lux Aeterna as an ‘intimate work of quiet serenity’ that expresses ‘hope, reassurance, faith and illumination in all of its manifestations’. Gjeilo leans more to the big, symphonic, lush timbres of film scores but took inspiration from Duruflé’s use of plain chant in his Ubi Caritas. He wanted his music to feel “uplifting and meaningful without being sentimental, superficial or manipulative."
With Michael Fields conducting, Phoenix Choir will be accompanied by members from the Consone Quartet, Gavin Stevens on piano and in a late change, Colin Hughes on organ.
There will be a retiring collection in aid of Family Support Work.