CELEBRITY GUEST CONDUCTOR TO JOIN TOP CHESTER CHOIR FOR JOYFUL FESTIVE CONCERT

Final rehearsals are underway for a special festive concert by one of Chester's leading choirs which will be led by a musical director and vocal coach who recently worked with Hollywood star Ralph Fiennes on a film which tells the story of a choir in a small Yorkshire town during WW1.

Staged by Chester Bach Singers, 'Make We Joy' will take place at St Werburgh's Church, Grosvenor Park Road, on Saturday 20th December at 3.00pm. 

The choir will be joined by Conductor Joseph Judge who worked closely with acclaimed stage and screen director Sir Nicholas Hytner and composer George Fenton CBE on and off set as Choral Music Director on the Alan Bennett penned film 'The Choral' which starred Ralph Fiennes as choirmaster Dr Guthrie.

The concert will feature much-loved carols and festive favourites by composers including Felix Mendelssohn, Sir William Walton, John Rutter and many more. There will also be lots of opportunities for the audience to join in the singing. The Choir will be accompanied during the concert by organist Neil Taylor. Ticket admission also includes seasonal refreshments afterwards. 

A Graduate of The Royal Northern College of Music, Joseph Judge is Chorus Director of Leeds Philharmonic Chorus, Artistic Director of the Exon Singers Festival, Musical Director of Chester Festival Chorus, Director of the Hallé Choral Academy and Score Reader/Orchestrator with the Northern Film Orchestra. Joseph also frequently deputises for rehearsals with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé Choirs, and St George’s Singers, where he is also Vocal Coach.

Joseph's recent projects also include working with English National Opera and Walk the Plank for a large-scale project bringing opera to the community in Manchester. Joseph has also conducted Manchester Camerata and assisted the BBC and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras. Joseph has led session recordings for Sony PlayStation, and produced Northern Lights – an album of contemporary choral works with BBC Choir of the Year winners, Voices of Hope. As a Countertenor he continues to perform as an oratorio soloist.

Speaking about the concert, Joseph Judge said:

"I'm really happy to be leading the well-established Chester Bach Singers at their Christmas Concert this year. The combination of Christmas favourites - such as Ding Dong! Merrily on High, Deck the Hall, and Jingle Bells, beautiful arrangements of some known and lesser-known carols - such as In the Bleak Mid-winter by Becky McGlade, In The Stillness by Sally Beamish, My Lord Has Come by Will Todd, seasonal readings, and the sheer power and beauty of Ave Maria by Anton Bruckner should be enough to make us all feel suitably warm and festive in the week of the day itself. No Christmas concert is complete without a sprinkling of John Rutter, and there is also opportunity for everyone to join in with some audience carols. I am thoroughly enjoying working with the choir, and I hope that you will continue to follow us, as exciting performance plans for next year are soon to be released!"

Full details of Chester Bach Singers Christmas Concert can be found at: 

www.chesterbachsingers.org.uk 

...where tickets can be booked online.