Hastings Philharmonic Choir welcomes new talent for The Creation

Hastings Philharmonic Choir is performing Haydn’s hugely popular masterpiece – The Creation – on Saturday 17 November at Christ Church, St Leonards and preparations have been progressing well under its young new Musical Director from Brazil.

Since the beginning of September the choir has been working with its new Musical Director,  Márcio da Silva (top left), born in 1983, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.   He was a chorister from a very young age and is an accomplished tenor soloist in his own right. The choir has been focusing on vocal technique under his direction with excellent results.

Hilary Baker, a member of Hastings Phil for (she admits) quite a few years,  says of him: “I always feel like we’ve worked hard after a rehearsal with Márcio but the results are impressive. My voice is improving every week and the choir sounds amazing!”

From 2008 to 2011 Marcio was the musical director of the Church Choirs of Münchweier and Oberhausen, and of the Hügelheim Male Voice Choir in Germany, and the ‘Choir Som’ in Brazil.  He is currently the Musical Director of the Grange Choral Society, Christchurch and a post-graduate conducting student of Professors Peter Stark and Robin O´Neill at the Royal College of Music, in London, UK.

Márcio’s professional engagements include conducting Bizet’s Carmen and Puccini’s La Boheme with the Usti Opera Company during the European Music Academy under the guidance of Maestro Norbert Baxa. He has conducted the Nord Tschechische Philharmonie in Teplice, Czech Republic and the Orquestra Sinfônica de Minas Gerais, in Brazil. He was one of the three conductors to take part at the 2012 London Symphony Orchestra Conducting Master Class with Sir Colin Davis.

Márcio is also a composer. His repertoire includes choral a capella pieces, art songs with piano accompaniment and a Te Deum for soloists, chorus and orchestra. HOT reporter, Christopher Cormack,  hopes that Hastings will have the opportunity to hear some of this music at next year’s International Composers Festival!

The audience for Haydn’s wonderful music will be able to compare the choir’s voices with those of our impressive soloists. Among them, baritone Morgan Pearse (bottom left), 24, has just commenced post-graduate studies at the Royal College of Music and is the recent winner of their English Song Competition.

The Choir is thrilled to welcome Márcio and Morgan to Hastings. The town and the Choir have enjoyed early career outings of many musicians that have gone on to make international reputations for themselves. The list includes Julia Riley, mezzo-soprano, Rodney Clarke, baritone and Alexander Robin Baker, baritone.

Christ Church on the 17 November may well be hosting the start of something wonderful. Don’t miss it!

Tickets cost £15 (£13 concs) or £3 for children under 17.
Box office 01424 552119, or online www.hastingsphilchoir.org.uk

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