After seven years, Aled Jones is stepping down as presenter of Radio 3's Sunday evening programme, The Choir. During his stint at the helm of the 90-minute show, the ebullient Welshman has showcased choral classics ancient and modern, hosted choirs from Africa, Denmark and Fiji, and fronted a memorable special on Richard Rodney Bennett.
Since apparently no single individual could replace Jones (yet), Radio 3 has lined up six special editions of The Choir, each of them presented by a notable name from the choral music sphere. Conductor Suzi Digby (pictured below), who specialises in working with youth ensembles, gets the ball rolling on 3 February with a programme devoted to youth choirs.
Paul Mealor, who composed "Ubi Caritas et Amor" for William and Kate's wedding and "Wherever You Are" for the Military Wives (and was duly voted "the nation's favourite living composer" by Classic FM listeners), steps up on 10 February, and will talk about the knack of writing pieces for special occasions. Harry Christophers, energetic supremo of The Sixteen, will discuss three composers of sacred choral music whom he particularly admires, Poulenc, James MacMillan and Victoria (24 February).
Eclectic composer and conductor Ken Burton, founder of such ensembles as Tessara and the London Adventist Chorale, examines the impact of gospel singing on other choral styles (17 February), while Mary King, vocal coach and Artist in Residence at the Southbank Centre, looks at choral music that was influenced by traditional folk music, including pieces by Janácek and Bartok.
A couple of the programmes feature special live recordings. On 3 March, Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents a programme of Baroque choruses from Maida Vale studios, where amateur singers will perform with the BBC Singers and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The final show in the series on 17 March features Eric Whitacre introducing performances of his own and other composers' works which he will conduct with his Eric Whitacre Singers, in a performance recorded at St Luke's, Chelsea.
- The Choir is on Radio 3 on Sundays at 5pm