The Chanticleer Singers, a mixed-voice choir based in Malton, will present a special concert celebrating Palm Sunday and the arrival of spring. This event is scheduled for March 28, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. and will be held at All Saints’ Church in Kirkbymoorside. The evening’s program offers a unique blend of sacred choral works alongside folk-inspired music that captures the themes of renewal and the natural world associated with springtime.
Concert Program Highlights
The first half of the performance centers on Palm Sunday, featuring pieces by Renaissance composers such as Orlando de Lassus and Orlando Gibbons. The choir will also perform selections from the 20th century by Grayston Ives and Benjamin Britten. Among the highlights are motets and anthems that span several centuries, including two distinct versions of “Hosanna to the Son of David” composed by Gibbons and Thomas Weelkes. The program also includes Britten’s evocative “A Hymn to the Virgin” and de Lassus’s sacred setting of “Ave Verum Corpus.”
Transitioning into the second half, the choir will focus on music inspired by spring. Ernest Moeran’s “Songs of Springtime,” which features texts drawn from Shakespeare and other poems filled with imagery of birdsong and lively melodies, will be performed. Contributions from composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams, Donald James, and contemporary Grammy Award winner Paul Halley add to this vibrant seasonal selection. Yorkshire composer Philip Wilby’s “North Country Folk Songs” introduces traditional melodies like “The Farmer’s Boy” and “Byker Hill,” offering a regional folk perspective that reflects the lives of coal miners.
The concert also includes two brief organ solos played by Geoffrey Coffin, the choir’s accompanist, alongside seasonal readings that complement the musical themes. The choir is led by director William Dore for this occasion. A retiring collection will be taken in support of Cancer Research UK, honoring Andrew Carter, who served as the choir’s long-standing president.
Tickets for this enriching evening are priced at £12 for adults, while children and students may attend free. They can be purchased in advance from Hoppers in Malton or at the venue on the night of the concert. This event promises to be a moving celebration of both spiritual reflection and the joyous spirit of spring through music.
