The Music Director

Jane Money
Born in Portsmouth, Jane studied singing from an early age and received some of her most influential choral training in the Portsmouth Festival Choir, then under the direction of John Eliot Gardiner. A Choral Scholarship took her to Royal Holloway College, University of London, from where she graduated with a BMus Honours degree, and she was then appointed Director of Music at the Marist Convent School, London. Further awards enabled her to continue her vocal studies as a post-graduate at the Royal Northern College of Music and subsequently with Sylvia Jacobs.

A word from the Music Director...

"What an exciting 20th anniversary year we have had! We will long remember our first concert of 2010 when we were joined by the excellent Linden Baroque Orchestra for a performance of the Bach Mass in B minor at St Michael and All Angels, Brighton. The church was full, the choir and orchestra were thrilling and we had four glorious soloists in Fiona Baines (soprano), Thomasin Trezise (mezzo-soprano), Anthony Hawgood (tenor) and Darren Jones (baritone). The girls from Brighton and Hove High School also made a fine contribution to the performance and it was great to observe their faces when they first put their part in the Sanctus together with the BCC and orchestra; it made all those weeks of note bashing really worthwhile!

Next was something totally different! The Brighton and Hove (Actually) Gay Men's Chorus invited us to join them in 2 performances of The Mikado which they pulled off with great finesse and terrific humour (lines from the show are still ringing in my ears all these months on!). For some of the choir this was their first experience of Gilbert and Sullivan - and definitely not their last! Jane Money, Music Director The now thriving CMP Festival provided us with a platform for our summer Birthday Concert. We were able to revisit some of our favourite pieces and explore new territory, giving the premier performance of choir founder, Guy Richardson's setting of There be none of beauty's daughters which captured the imagination of both choir and audience alike. We look forward to including this in future programmes. Gemma Boyd (double bass) re-joined us for a rousing performance of John Rutter's Birthday Madrigals and Nicole Ginart (flute) made a very welcome return as our soloist in John Rutter's beautiful setting of Hoagy Carmichael's Skylark.

We hope that our final concert of 2010 will prove just the beginning for Tim Nail's beautiful setting of the Requiem Mass, which he completed for the choir's anniversary. As many of you know, Tim is our accompanist and has already gained a reputation as a fine composer. This work proved an inspiration and our aim now is to make it part of the mainstream choral repertoire. The audience were enthralled by it and the fine scoring for organ, played by James Lloyd Thomas, and strings, led by Helen Browne, gave both mystery and colour to the movements. Soloists Katherine Nicholls (soprano) and Janet Ormerod (mezzo-soprano) were the perfect duo for this work and Janet also sang with soprano, Fiona Baines, in the Pergolesi Stabat Mater which opened the concert. The 2 works complemented each other perfectly and we were very flattered when an audience member who particularly loves the Pergolesi made a point of telling me that she had never heard it sung better. Bravo!

2011 promises to be another exciting year. I guess that, at 21, the BCC will be officially "coming of age" so we are looking forward to new challenges and a wide variety of music ahead. Our first project is to present a very special concert at St Bartholomew's (Barts) Church in Brighton on Saturday 26th March. Entitled "O Magnum Mysterium" it will explore some glorious music by Gabrieli, Lauridsen, Howells, Arvo Pärt and Britten, to name but a few, before the BCC joins forces with the BHAGMC for a performance of the magnificent double choir Mass by Widor. This work is a real tour de force. It was composed for one mixed choir and one male voice choir made up of seminarians at the awe-inspiring church of St Sulpice in Paris. Unusually, it also employs two organs. I invite you to come and experience this unique setting for yourselves! Please keep looking at our website as we hope to keep you up-to -date with all our plans.

Thank you for all your support.




Tim Nail

Assistant director and accompanist.

Tim Nail studied Music at Glasgow University before taking the post-graduate Music Therapy Course at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

He has lived in Brighton since 1987 and works as a Music Therapist, repetiteur, accompanist and piano teacher. He also enjoys composing.

His Mass was recently premiéred in Brighton and we have recorded his Requiem Mass. Tim studies piano with Tony Purkiss.

 

More about Jane...

Jane has worked with many of the world's leading conductors, including Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink and Andrew Davis. She has sung regularly for Glyndebourne Festival and Touring Operas, with performances including a well-reviewed Madame Larina in Graham Vick's highly acclaimed production of Eugene Onegin. She has also sung with Kentish Opera, Opera South East and Dublin Grand Opera, and toured with the Earls Court arena production of Carmen to Japan, Switzerland and Germany.

She is much in demand on the concert platform, with solo engagements taking her over much of Britain and Europe. Her extensive oratorio repertoire encompasses Handel, Verdi and Tippett, and she recently made her American debut in a concert of Vivaldi and Bach. Jane has accepted several invitations to sing at the Queen's private chapel in Windsor Great Park, and she took part in a special Morning Service there in the presence of the Royal Family to celebrate the late Queen Mother's 100th birthday.

Recordings include the mezzo-soprano role in the premiere performance of Michael Finnissy's This Church, directed by the composer himself.

Jane now divides her "musical" time between singing, examining for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, teaching and choral conducting. Contact Jane here.