Bach Cantata Cycle – 2025 choral workshop
Back by popular demand, choral maestro David Hill MBE directed our 2025 choral workshop.
Our annual workshop on 25 January featured Bach’s Cantata Die Elenden sollen essen (BWV 75), part of the Leipzig Cantata Cycle which also enthralled last year’s workshop attendees, and Jauchzet, frohlocket from the Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248).
As Musical Director of The Bach Choir, David is well-known for his exacting performance standards, sensitive musicality and wry sense of humour – ideal qualities in a workshop director. We had a great day of fun, camaraderie and musical learning under his leadership.
For the final sing-through we were joined by Benedict Collins Rice (tenor) and two choral scholars from the Oxford Bach Soloists – Daisy Livesey (soprano) and Hera Protopapas Wettergren (mezzo-soprano).
The workshop was being held at St Swithin’s Church, The Paragon, Bath, BA1 5LY, close to the centre of Bath.
“
I can’t imagine a more enjoyable day
than studying Bach and his amazing
cantatas. They represent his whole
being as a musician and man of God.
We will work at the technical demands
of his music and learn together why
Bach continues to be the musical guide
for so many in their lives.”
David Hill
I can’t imagine a more enjoyable day
than studying Bach and his amazing
cantatas. They represent his whole
being as a musician and man of God.
We will work at the technical demands
of his music and learn together why
Bach continues to be the musical guide
for so many in their lives.”
David Hill
Renowned for his fine musicianship, David Hill is widely respected as both a choral and orchestral conductor. His talent has been recognised by his appointments as Musical Director of The Bach Choir, Music Director of Leeds Philharmonic Society, Associate Guest conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Principal Conductor of Yale Schola Cantorum. He was Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers from September 2007 to September 2017 and is a former Music Director of Southern Sinfonia.
Born in Carlisle and educated at Chetham’s School of Music, of which he is now a Governor, he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at the remarkably young age of 17. Having been Organ Scholar at St John’s College, Cambridge, David Hill returned to hold the post of Director of Music from 2004–2007. His other appointments have included Master of the Music at Winchester Cathedral, Master of the Music at Westminster Cathedral and Artistic Director of the Philharmonia Chorus. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Southampton for Services to Music.
He has a broad-ranging discography covering repertoire from Thomas Tallis to a number of world premiere recordings. As well as achieving prestigious Grammy and Gramophone Awards, many of his discs have been recommended as Critic’s Choices. His ongoing series of English choral music for Naxos has received particular acclaim including being shortlisted for the 2010 Gramophone Awards.
In January 2019 David Hill was awarded an MBE for services to music.
Daisy Livesey is a soprano oratorio singer supported by the Josephine Baker Trust. She is in her fourth year as an undergraduate at the Royal Academy of Music. She has been a regular contributor to the Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata series. She is proud to be the Jennifer Vyvyan Scholar for the academic year 2024–25. Already she has undertaken many solo engagements with internationally renowned orchestras and conductors, recently performing amongst many other works Bach St Matthew Passion and St John Passion and Haydn’s Nelson Mass. She is a former choral scholar with the Oxford Bach Soloists (2022–23).
Hera Protopapas is a Swedish-Greek mezzo soprano with a passion for storytelling. She is particularly interested in Baroque and contemporary music and fascinated by narratives that transcend time periods and styles. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with first-class honours in 2022; whilst there she was a regular contributor to the Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata series, through which she worked with conductors such as Philippe Herreweghe, Masaaki Suzuki, Rachel Podger and John Butt. Hera is a former choral scholar with the Oxford Bach Soloists (2023–24).
Bach Cantata Cycle – 2024 choral workshop
2024 marked the 300th anniversary of J S Bach’s appointment at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig and, as our name suggests, we in Bath Bach Choir have a particular love of the great composer’s music. At our 2024 choral workshop we focused on the ones Bach wrote as his audition for the job in Leipzig. We sang in large and small groups throughout the day as we explored Cantatas BWV 22 and BWV 23, ending with an informal performance of both cantatas.
For the final sing-through we were joined by Clement Collins Rice, tenor, Choral Scholar with Oxford Bach Soloists. Clement has toured widely, including singing at the first ever Anglican evensong at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. He has also sung with ensembles including the Oxford Bach Choir, The Facade Ensemble, The Rodolfus Choir, and Ipswich Chamber Choir.
Over the coming years, we will be studying all of Bach’s magnificent and well-loved Leipzig cantata cycle, described as “one of the greatest contributions to Western Civilisation”. These future workshops will be led by some of the most recognised exponents of Bach, starting with David Hill, Musical Director of the Bach Choir, as guest conductor in 2025.
Benedict Collins Rice workshop director
The workshop was being held at St Swithin’s Church, The Paragon, Bath, BA1 5LY, close to the centre of Bath.
Come & sing with Voces8 coaching – 2023 choral workshop
The BBC Workshop 2023 was led by our new Musical Director & Conductor Benedict Collins Rice. Benedict was joined by Katie Jeffries-Harris, the alto from Voces8, to help us hone our smaller-group ensemble skills.
The musical works studied were Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir and Eric Whitacre’s Alleluia. Martin wrote his mass in 1922, considering it a deeply personal work between himself and God and not for public scrutiny. Perhaps for this reason it was not performed until 1963, since when it has gone on to be popular with choirs across the world. Eric Whitacre’s Alleluia was premiered at Sidney Sussex Chapel, Cambridge University, in 2011, with Benedict in the choir. The work simply sets the one word, Alleluia, and embodies Whitacre’s trademark style.
The workshop was being held at St Mary’s Church, Bathwick. As ever, there were cake, drinks and Di’s famous raffle. Some things never change.
Benedict held two conducting scholarships at Cambridge University, before continuing his studies with the Heads of Conducting at the Royal College of Music, Royal Northern College of Music, Vienna University of Music and Birmingham University where he studied under Simon Halsey. He has since performed throughout Europe and the US, recorded for several labels, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and founded a chamber group, The Facade Ensemble. Halsey describes him as: “A musical extrovert with a formidable intellect, who has already done extraordinary things.”
Katie discovered her love of choral music as part of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain. An alumna of Chetham’s School of Music, she went on to study Music at Oxford University. Later she took part in both Voces8 and The Sixteen’s choral training programmes – the Voces8 Scholars and Genesis Sixteen – coupled with freelance singing and working with amateur choirs, including the award-winning Peterborough Sings! charity.