Chiltern Arts are proud to introduce one of the first winners of this year’s Take Note competition: echo, a brand new choir made of 18 young professional singers from across the UK.
Take Note is Chiltern Arts’ new competition to introduce young musical ensembles to the world, with a platform for performing at our Chiltern Arts Festival and around the country.
echo came together in early 2017 as former members of Genesis Sixteen, a prestigious young artists programme run by one of the world’s greatest musical ensembles, The Sixteen, under Harry Christophers CBE.
Described as “Transformative, a breath of fresh air to the British choral scene”, echo aim to produce accessible, innovative performances of the highest quality, whilst challenging some of the preconceptions associated with choral music. Alongside the acoustic implications, the name stems from the idea of art being a reflection of society and politics. Recent concerts include a performance at the National Gallery as part of the The Sixteen’s ‘Sound Sublime’ festival, and a collaboration with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Magnus Lindberg at St. John Smith’s Square.
Naomi Taylor, Founder and Creative Director of Chiltern Arts said “We were blown away by the quality of applicants to our Take Note programme in its first year. What stood out for me with echo was not only the outstanding quality of the singers in the group, but the honest, genuine passion that was evident from the way they performed — particularly director Sarah Latto as she confidently and expertly directed the group. We were particularly taken by Echo’s rendition of a rather beautiful piece of Villette — the piece that planted the seeds of an idea for a programme of French motets and chansons to partner the Faure Requiem in Henley on 4th February.”
Christopher Glynn, Artistic Partner of Chiltern Arts commented “echo’s imaginative approach and innate musicianship are a delight and I’m very much looking forward to hearing them again.”
Sarah Latto, Artistic Director of echo said “echo are delighted to have been chosen as one of the young artists for the inaugural ‘Take Note’ scheme at the Chiltern Arts Festival, for what looks to be a fantastic and eclectic programme of concerts and events. We are busy planning our performance in collaboration with the team at CA at the moment and are really looking forward to next February. The Chilterns is an area close to our hearts, as many of the group have family in the area, and we are excited that Chiltern Arts Festival will be bringing world-class artists to this beautiful part of the country”
echo will be performing at the Chiltern Arts Festival on 4th February 2018 in Henley-on-Thames. The full programme for this concert and the rest of the festival will be announced in September at http://www.localhost:10038/festival. To be one of the first to hear, you can sign up to receive a free brochure at http://chilternarts.com/festival/request-a-brochure/.
Photography: Eliza Brown.