The brand-new Chiltern Arts Festival is pleased to announce that its Christmas concert in Berkhamsted on Tuesday 12th December will feature Anton Lesser: best known as Qyburn from HBO’s Game of Thrones and British TV drama Endeavour’s Chief Superintendent Bright.
Lesser will join Hertfordshire Chorus, one of the country’s finest large choirs, for a programme of words and music at Christmas in St Peter’s Church, Berkhamsted. Alongside traditional favourites such as ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, ‘Stille Nacht’ (Silent Night) and ‘On Christmas Night’ (‘Sussex Carol), the programme features an array of contemporary music from composers such as John Rutter and Will Todd. The music is paired beautifully with poetry and prose by writers including William Blake, Christina Rossetti, Charles Dickens and John Betjeman.
The concert in Berkhamsted is the third and final launch event ahead of the inaugural Chiltern Arts Festival in February 2018, which brings a wide array of the leading names in classical music to the region.
Naomi Taylor, Chiltern Arts Founder and Creative Director commented: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Hertfordshire Chorus and their director, David Temple, alongside renowned actor Anton Lesser to one of the most beautiful market towns in our area, for a truly unique Christmas event.”
Hertfordshire Chorus, one of the country’s finest large choirs
NOTES TO EDITORS
Words and Music at Christmas with Readings from Anton Lesser
Tuesday 12th December 2017, 8pm
St Peter’s Church, Berkhamsted
Hertfordshire Chorus
David Temple (director)
Anton Lesser (reader)
A programme entwining traditional and contemporary Christmas music with poetry and prose exploring winter, Christmas and the joy of bringing a child into the world.
Chiltern Arts is an exciting and distinctive new initiative to bring music, literature and art to the towns and villages in and around the Chiltern Hills. Every February, churches, stately homes and outdoor spaces across the region will be transformed into stunning concert and arts venues, as a varied and exciting programme unfolds in beautiful surroundings: the Chiltern Arts Festival. This vibrant winter festival takes place 3rd–11th February 2018 and consists of 18 different events taking place in venues across the Chiltern Hills. Locations include Dorchester-on-Thames, Marlow, Hughenden, Henley-on-Thames, Great Missenden, Berkhamsted, High Wycombe, Wendover and Tring. The programme was created by Naomi Taylor with Chiltern Arts’ Artistic Partner, Grammy award-winning pianist, Christopher Glynn.
British actor Anton Lesser has played many of the principal Shakespearian roles for the Royal Shakespeare Company (Associate Artist since 1990), including Petruchio, Romeo and Richard III. He is very active in radio (BBC) and spoken word audio. Over a dozen recordings range from Paradise Lost and Homer to the title role in Hamlet. He is particularly known for the major novels of Charles Dickens – Great Expectations won the Talkie Award. TV roles include Qyburn in HBO’s series Game of Thrones, Chief Superintendent Bright in the British TV series Endeavour and he will appear in the next series of Netflix’s The Crown as Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
David Temple, one of the country’s foremost choral directors, founded and continues to conduct Crouch End Festival Chorus. Musical Director of Hertfordshire Chorus since 2000, he has been instrumental in building the choir to the highest standards. David has worked with many eminent conductors as well as collaborating closely with artists including Ray Davies, Oasis, Goldfrapp, and Basement Jaxx.
Hertfordshire Chorus is one of the country’s finest symphonic choirs. Known for commissioning new works from composers including Will Todd, James McCarthy and Orlando Gough, the choir perform frequently at St Albans Abbey and have also appeared in major venues such as the Barbican, Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall, St John’s Smiths Square and the Sage Gateshead. Hertfordshire Chorus’ recent release with Signum Records hit the top ten of the Specialist Classical chart. The album features two choral works commissioned by the choir: James McCarthy’s Codebreaker and Will Todd’s setting of John Keats’ poem, Ode to a Nightingale.