We sang for two charity events before Christmas, one at the Guards Chapel for Macmillan Nurses and another at the House of Lords, on December 14th for the fund-raiser of a wonderful charity called Planting Promise.

After Christmas, through the great generosity of Richard and Victoria Sharp, we were able to fulfil one of my great ambitions, to record the B Minor Mass. Considering the number of other recordings that exist of this, it was a cheeky project. But I felt that, because:

• the Mass is so much a choir piece
• I have always felt that Rods were able to sing what I regard as the version with the definitive sound
• Kay Norrington assured me that the Southern Sinfonia would be able to field their "A" team
• we were fortunate enough to have been asked to perform two B minor masses last summer

So now was the time, if ever.

Extracts from a review by Shelagh Godwin which first appeared in the Surrey Advertiser in January 2010:

The Rodolfus Choir … graced Holy Trinity, Guildford, on New Year's Eve, with their performance of the Mass in B Minor, a work, which, unlike the Passion, was never performed in its entirety during Bach's lifetime.

Its quality was evident from the outset: the big bold opening to the Kyrie followed by a fugue of remarkable complexity.

Here, accompanied by the skilled strings and woodwind of the Southern Sinfonia, they rose to a magnificent climax, echoed in subsequent movements, such as the fugal Gracias agimus with its radiant trumpet parts ringing out, as they would have done in Bach's day, on natural trumpets.

Don’t miss the Rodolfus Choir at the Macmillian Cancer Support’s Carol concert on Tuesday 8th December in the Guards Chapel, Central London at 7pm.

Special guests include Rowan Atkinson and Derek Jacobi as celebrity readers and Ian Bostridge and Nicola Benedetti as the star performers. The evening includes a mixture of performances, reading and carols as well as a post-concert reception at Wellington Barracks. More info can be found on the Macmillan website. Tickets can be purchased from the Macmillan online shop.

The Rodolfus Choir are also singing in a festive recital for the Planting Promise Charity Event on Monday 14th December in The House of Lords, Central London at 6pm. This very special event will be feast of carols performed to a high-profile audience by Candlelight. To find out more about the work of Planting Promise, visit their website.

This New Year the Rodolfus Choir are heading back to Bach, performing and recording his Mass in B Minor with the Signum record label. This New Year they will be taking up residence in Guildford and will perform this spectacular work in Holy Trinity Church at 4pm on 31st December with former Rodolfus member Clint van der Linde singing the Alto solos alongside Ben Johnson and Colin Campbell as the tenor and bass soloists. Rodolfus are excited to be joined by the Southern Sinfonia for this concert, which looks to be a spectacular event and a brilliant one to welcome in the New Year.

Tickets can be reserved to pay for on the door priced at £20/£15 concessions by contacting our ticket line.

Following this concert the choir will spend 4 days in the New Year recording the CD in Charterhouse Chapel. Keep following the Rodolfus Choir for news of the release.

Rodolfus Choir & Alex Stobbs on Channel 4 and More4 on Thursday 8 October at 9pm and 10pm.

In April 2009 the Rodolfus Choir performed to a full house at London's Cadogan Hall in a very special project: a performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion conducted by Alex Stobbs (featured in the 2008 documentary A Boy Called Alex). Walker George Films made a documentary, Alex: A Passion for Life (watch online here), following Alex in the run-up to this fantastic performance, and the effect of his cystic fibrosis on his day-to-day life over this period, which will be shown on Channel 4 on Thursday 8 October at 9pm.

The documentary is followed immediately at 10pm by an hour of musical highlights from the concert on More4 (available via freeview) in A Boy Called Alex: The Concert (watch online here). This provides a fantastic opportunity for those who missed the concert to share the choir's acclaimed performance, and an equally exciting chance for those who were there to re-live the electric atmosphere of this unique event.

For more clips, visit the documentary filmmaker's website.

This summer the Rodolfus choir were invited to sing Bach's B minor Mass in two celebrated festivals: the Three Choirs Festival of Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford and the Ripon International Festival.

The first concert was so popular it sold out shortly after booking opened. On Monday 10 August the Rodolfus Choir performed at Tewkesbury Abbey as part of the Three Choirs Festival. The choir of 40 members started rehearsal at Dean Close School on the previous Friday in high spirits ready to tackle this challenging but very rewarding piece. For the concert the choir were joined by the Corelli Consort and four esteemed soloists, Elizabeth Weisberg, Polly May, Ben Johnson and at the last minute, standing in for James Oldfield, Robert Rice. The concert received great praise; Roger Jones of the Gloucester Echo wrote, “...in Bach's great Mass it is the choir which plays the leading role, and the Rodolfus Choir's well-rounded and faultless performance made this a truly inspiring event”.

At the beginning of 2009 the Rodolfus Choir joined with Signum Records to record a CD of Howells Choral Music. The release date of the disc has unfortunately been delayed, but as soon as copies are available news will be posted here, so do check back soon.

The disc promises to be a one of the choir's best to date, with well-known settings such as Howells' Collegium Regale setting of the Te Deum and Benedicite alongside some pieces recorded less frequently, including Walking in the Snow and Sweetest of Sweets.

[Update: you can pre-order this CD online, now.]

This review by Roger Jones first appeared in the Gloucestershire Echo on 13 August 2009:

Bach's best bits provide an inspirational evening Rodolfus Choir and Corelli Orchestra Tewkesbury Abbey Tewkesbury Abbey has a unique status. Every Three Choirs' Festival, whether at Gloucester, Worcester or Hereford, holds at least one concert here, and this years event, Bach's Mass in B Minor, proved especially popular.

The Rodolfus Choir's most recent appearance as part of Bath's Sing for Life festival has garnered high critical acclaim in the local press. The choir performed an eclectic programme ranging from Tallis to Whitacre on Saturday 2 May in the magnificant setting of Bath Abbey. Peter Lloyd Williams writes the following review:

“This remarkable choir – just 20 singers, all under 25 – is selected by conductor Ralph Allwood from the Summer Choral Courses held each year at Eton College.

Among their objectives are the promotion of choral music and the achievement of excellence.

On Sunday 5th April Alex Stobbs conducted the Bach St Matthew Passion at the Cadogan Hall. He was musically highly-charged and confidently in control. Players and singers immediately recognised his impeccable musicianship and knew they were in good hands. Musicians are inspired because he loves it so much; his conducting is entirely about the music and not about himself.

On the Wednesday before, forty-four members of the Rodolfus Choir had gathered to rehearse with him at Westminster School. He started the week a little nervously, but very soon got into his stride, and it was clear that he knew exactly what's what. Two orchestras and six soloists joined the choir at the Cadogan Hall on Saturday, and started to put together this complex three-hour work.