‘Outstanding‘, ‘gripping‘, ‘rousing‘ – just some of the superlatives used by critics to describe Chorus performances in recent seasons, during which we presented concerts in Monte Carlo, Halifax, Manchester, Edinburgh, Middlesbrough, France, Germany and Sheffield. We sang with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Manchester Camerata, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Bruckner Orchester Linz, acclaimed organist Jonathan Scott on harmonium, three other Yorkshire choirs, two from France and one from Germany, and with the world famous Black Dyke Band. We presented little-known works by women composers, challenging works by Grace Williams and Schoenberg, Philip Wilby’s new oratorio The Holy Face, as well as Bach’s monumental B Minor Mass, and choral favourite Messiah in Sheffield’s twin town of Bochum in Germany.
Check out what’s on offer at Current Season. Attending a concert is one of the best ways of supporting the Chorus, so browse through the schedule and follow the links to find out more and book your tickets.
New to classical concerts in Sheffield?
Sheffield is a very friendly city and classical concert-going tends to be easy and relaxed. Wear anything that you feel comfortable in. Some people dress up because they are attending the concert as a special celebration; others go in jeans and T-shirt – it really is the case that anything goes! Most classical concerts last about an hour and a half to two hours with a 20 minute interval in between, during which time you can generally get a drink and a snack. Our audiences are made up of friendly people from a range of backgrounds – they certainly aren’t highbrow or anything!
People are sometimes confused about when to clap and when not to. We think it’s much more important that everyone feels comfortable and relaxed at our concerts than whether they are sticking to some rather old convention, so please don’t worry if it seems you’re clapping and others aren’t – most musicians are thrilled that you are enjoying the music and don’t mind at all! Symphonies, concertos and sonatas are usually split into three or four sections, and the convention is that the audience wait until the whole thing finishes before applauding. But don’t worry about it, it really doesn’t matter – audiences used to be far more rowdy and although musicians wouldn’t like to go back to those days, a bit less ‘stiff’ and conventional is fine. Take your cue from other people in the audience – except any who are eating sweets or chocolate with noisy wrappers – people really hate that, for obvious reasons!
Before each concert at the City Hall (except the Christmas carol concerts), BBC Radio Sheffield’s Trisha Cooper invites the conductor, soloist, or musicians connected with the concert to chat about their lives and music. This informal talk, which is usually around 6pm for a 7pm concert, offers a delightful look behind the scenes at the professional and private passions of the performers, with a chance for the audience to ask questions.
You can usually get a programme that provides lots of information about the music and the performers. At the City Hall this is often available at the bars so don’t be afraid to go to the front of the queue if you don’t want a drink and are just after a programme! We don’t always have a programme for our self-funded concerts at other venues, but if we do it’s usually free and when we don’t our Music Director Darius Battiwalla talks informally to the audience about what we’re about to perform.
Here are some guidelines for concerts at the City Hall where there are restrictions on filming etc
- turn off your mobile phone sound before the concert begins
- don’t video or record any part of the performance
- arrive in good time; if you’re late you may have to wait outside the hall for a while or sit at the back, to make sure audience members aren’t disturbed, so you might miss part of the concert.
See What’s On this week in Sheffield on the Classical Sheffield website
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