Enjoy an evening of English choral music! Featuring John Rutter’s joyous Gloria, the programme also includes Vaughan Williams’ O Clap Your Hands and Psalm 100, and Parry’s majestic I Was Glad. The brilliant Onyx Brass join Twickenham Choral, and organ for what promises to be a memorable concert of choral and instrumental splendour.
John Rutter – Gloria
Vaughan Williams – O Clap Your Hands
Eleanor Daley – Upon Your Heart
Vaughan Williams – Psalm 100
Parry – I was Glad
Onyx Brass
Conductor – Howard Ionascu
Onyx Brass
Photo: Thomas Bowles.
Celebrating its 30 anniversary in 2023, Onyx Brass continues to be the leading light in establishing the brass quintet as a medium for serious chamber music, combining “staggering virtuosity” (Sarah Walker, BBC Radio 3) with the entertaining and articulate style that has become the group’s trademark.
The group’s extensive discography has received huge critical acclaim, Gramophone hail “some of the most thrilling chamber brass-playing of its kind” and Record Review (R3) describing the group as a “wonderful, virtuosic brass quintet”.
Education has always been central of the remit of Onyx Brass: workshops and master-classes have from Primary School to the Juilliard School, and the group has held several residencies, including 15 years at Imperial College, London.
Niall Keatley, Alan Thomas (Trumpets); Andrew Sutton (Horn); Amos Miller (Trombone); David Gordon Shute (Tuba).
Howard Ionascu - Conductor
After a degree in music at Manchester University, Howard’s diverse career began as a professional singer in Wells Cathedral Choir, performing on many recordings, broadcasts and international tours.
Choral conducting began in 1997 when he founded The Laudate Choir, which continues to perform regularly in venues across the south east of England. Howard is also Musical Director of the Exeter Philharmonic Choir.
Past conducting roles have included Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir, Finchley Children’s Music Group Trebles Choir and The Esterhazy Singers of London. Howard is also in regular demand as a guest rehearsal conductor, and in recent years has worked with Choir of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, Orlando Chamber Choir, City of London Choir, Rodolfus Choir, Guildford Choral Society, Winchester Philharmonic Choir and on Eton Choral Courses.
Howard has conducted a number of the leading UK orchestras and ensembles, including Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players, English Chamber Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, New London Orchestra and Onyx Brass.
Howard has a long association with music education, having led departments at some of the UK’s finest educational establishments and directed the choirs at Winchester College, King’s Canterbury and Junior Royal Academy of Music.
