The Wordsworth Singers on tour in Northumberland with Music Director Edward Caswell present a programme of music spanning six centuries including works by Lassus and Taverner, some of the beautiful Songs of Farewell by Parry and the excitingly original Strathclyde Motets by James MacMillan.

Sunday, 19th July - 3.30pm Holy Trinity Church, Berwick-upon-Tweed Admission free, with retiring collection.

Monday, 20th July - 7.30pm King's Hall, Bamburgh Castle Admission payable on the door £8, seniors £6, children £2

Tuesday, 21st July - 3.30pm St Mary's Church, Holy Island Admission free, with retiring collection


Photograph supplied by freefoto.com

he Wordsworth Singers now hold a pre-eminent place in Cumbria's cultural life, performing a wide variety of music to the highest standard. Formed ten years ago as a small choir specialising in a repertoire ranging from Bach to Britten, Monteverdi to MacMillan, we now sing under the direction of Edward Caswell since Autumn 2007. We have won critical acclaim for our inspiring and pitch perfect performances of largely unaccompanied works.

Founded by Michael Hancock, internationally renowned as a teacher and accompanist, and Charles Harrison, formerly Assistant Organist at Carlisle Cathedral, the choir started out by adopting a “local” name synonymous with artistic excellence. Our reputation has extended beyond the region with concerts in Scotland and overseas tours to Lithuania and Latvia, performing music of every century from the fifteenth to the twenty-first. We have recorded three CDs; the latest was released in December, 2008.

The Wordsworth Singers is formed by around 30 members from throughout Cumbria, the North East and Lancashire. Unlike most regional choirs, we do not meet regularly but have the musical skill to produce a high quality performance from brief but concentrated rehearsal under our Director of Music. We have sung under the direction of James Grossmith, now Chorusmaster of Scottish Opera, Hugh Davies, Ian Thompson, David Gibbs, David Haslam and Michael Bawtree. Our recently appointed director is Edward Caswell who teaches singing at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Reviews of recent concerts have reaffirmed the choir’s reputation for performing with style and professionalism and producing “a profound musical and spiritual experience” according to one reviewer.

The Wordsworth Singers welcome new members; anyone with a good voice, choral experience and sight-reading skills is invited to use the Join Us form to contact us. A “Friends of the Wordsworth Singers” mailing group is being set up and if you would like to be kept informed of our concerts, please join our mailing list.