Composed in 1741, and in only 24 days, Handel’s immortal oratorio has secured a place in history as one of the most frequently performed Oratorios of all time. Perhaps best remembered for its exuberant “Hallelujah” chorus, this English oratorio unfolds over the course of three hours, setting liturgical texts that celebrate the prophecy, birth, death, resurrection and glorification of Jesus Christ.
The Easter weekend is an entirely perfect occasion to experience Handel’s Messiah.
Jonathan Willcocks will be conducting this year’s performances. His father, Sir David Willcocks was our Honorary President and Patron of the choir from 1974 until his passing in 2015.
Willcocks was born in Worcester, the son of conductor and composer Sir David Wilcocks. He was a chorister at Kings College, Cambridge, and an Open Music Scholar at Clifton College. He graduated with an Honours degree in Music from the University of Cambridge in 1974, where he held a choral scholarship at Trinity College.
He is conductor and musical director of Guildford Choral Society and Chichester Singers, and of the professional chamber orchestra Southern Pro Musica. From 1998 to 2008 he was the director of the Junior Academy, Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2016, Willcocks was appointed Festival Conductor of the Leith Hill Music Festival, the 5th since Ralph Vaughan Williams and succeeding Brian Kay who held the post for 21 years.
We look forward to working with him again.
Soprano: Antoinette Blyth
Alto: Jacobi de Villiers
Tenor: Given Nkosi
Baritone: Donal Slemon
The Philharmonia Choir of Cape Town
The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra
Friday 30 March 2018 7:30pm Rondebosch Boys High School Memorial Hall
Sunday 1 April 2018 3pm NG Kerk, Onrus
Tickets available online on Quicket. PLEASE NOTE there are 2 different Quicket pages for bookings: one concert is in Rondebosch, Cape Town, and the other is in Onrus.
Rondebosch Concert:
Onrus Concert:
(Should you wish to advertise your business in our concert programmes, please email communications@philharmoniachoir.capetown before 14 March 2018. Our reach is around 1700 people for the programmes.)