HARLOW Chorus will wrap up its 50^th anniversary season in spectacular style with two major summer performances. The choir will sing at the reopening of the Harlow Town Park Bandstand in a free ‘Proms in the Park’ style concert on July 4, before staging its golden anniversary gala concert at Saffron Hall on July 11.

The community event in Harlow will conclude with a programme of classic Last Night of the Proms favourites, including Rule Britannia, Land of Hope and Glory, and Jerusalem, performed by Harlow Chorus alongside the internationally-acclaimed Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. 

Harlow Council is billing it “a huge night of music, celebration and community” as the town marks the rebuilding of the iconic Bandstand after the original was destroyed in an arson attack last year. 

Just one week later, Harlow Chorus – conducted by Musical Director James Potter – will join forces with the British Sinfonietta, guest voices from the New Cambridge Singers and four top soloists for a performance of Mendelssohn’s super-dramatic oratorio, Elijah, at the region’s world-class concert venue, Saffron Hall. 

“We’re all really looking forward to singing at both the Harlow Prom and at Saffron Hall,” says Harlow Chorus Chair, Rosemary Davis. “Both events are happening within the space of a week, and are an absolutely wonderful, if breathless, finale to our golden anniversary season.”

In a series of stirring choruses and high-octane solos, Elijah recounts a biblical battle between good and evil: Old Testament prophet against the wicked priests who have persuaded the people to worship false gods. Fasten your seatbelts for fire, floods, earthquakes, mighty winds and a fiery chariot headed heavenward! 

“Elijah has it all,” says James Potter. “It’s the perfect showcase for a Chorus still in rude health at 50, and will help set the scene for another 50 years of quality music-making and dynamic performances. I hope many of you will join me, our massed voices, orchestra and four brilliant soloists in July.”

Harlow Chorus exploded onto the local music scene at its inaugural concert at St Mary’s Church, Old Harlow, in January 1976.  The programme of English music by Gibbons, Britten and Handel was clearly music to the ears of the Harlow Gazette’s Arts critic, who wrote, “…the new Harlow Chorus is on the way to becoming a very fine instrument indeed

But the Harlow Chorus story nearly ended before it started. In 1974 an ambitious Cambridge music scholar, Michael Kibblewhite, was appointed to lead the then Harlow Choral Society, an assortment of unauditioned amateur singers. After a year in post – in a move that sounds like a movie plotline – the frustrated conductor offered his resignation unless reforms were made. 

The result was the creation of a revitalised, auditioned choir, renamed Harlow Chorus, which over time became one of the largest and most accomplished amateur choirs in the region, putting on extravagant concerts at the now-defunct Harlow Sportcentre, performing in London and touring abroad. Michael Kibblewhite led the Chorus for the first 20 years and it has continued to thrive ever since under successive musical directors.

Astonishingly, the choir still has among its ranks a few stalwarts who were there at the very start. Among them is bass, Ron Ball, who’s now 83 years young. He remembers the excitement of the first concert… and one time when things didn’t quite go according to plan:

“We did a tour to Italy many years ago and we sung right up in the mountains, but only had an audience of ONE old lady – who sat there and burst into tears because she loved the music so much! For me, there really have been very many highlights over the years. But I’m now focussing on the 50^th anniversary concert. I really am keen to do that one.” 

These days, Harlow Chorus has a roll-call of 80 singers of all ages and performs four times a year with professional musicians and soloists in venues across West Essex and beyond. The choir recently took part in a tour of Valencia, this time featuring very large and appreciative audiences!

You can book tickets for Elijah at www.saffronhall.com. The concert starts at 7.30pm. For more information about the Prom visit www.harlow.gov.uk/events/proms-town-park