music – Sheffield Bach Society

Choir saddened by death of tenor Ben Thapa

Wednesday 18 September 2024

Choir members were extremely saddened by the news that tenor Ben Thapa had died on 8 September aged only 42, after a short but serious illness that led to organ failure.

“Ben sang the Evangelist in our St John Passion concert in March 2023, and in Messiah in December 2013″ said choir Chair Chris Walker. ” He had a huge voice, rich and full. He will be sadly missed.”

Ben rose to fame as a member of G4, a group of four singers which reached the final of ITV’s first series of X Factor. He left the group in 2018 to pursue his own music career.Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

As a boy he sang in the choir of the Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs in Cambridge, and became a choral scholar at St George’s Cathedral, Southwark. He appeared regularly at Westminster Cathedral and the Brompton Oratory, and was a cantor for the Latin Mass Society. He loved church music and was passionate about helping young singers.

Ben studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester before entering the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London; he later attended the Wales International Academy of Voice.

He left G4 in 2018 to concentrate on an operatic career. He enjoyed considerable success and was much in demand for opera and oratorio work in the UK and overseas. His operatic credits included Tito in La Clemenza di Tito for Teatru Manoel, The President in Mittwoch aus Licht for the Birmingham Opera and Siegfried in The Quest For The Ring at the Royal Festival Hall in association with Opera North.

In 2020, he made his main stage debut at the English National Opera as part of their Carmen education project.

Nelson Mass kicks off new season

Sheffield Bach Choir has kicked off the 2024-25 season with rehearsals for Haydn’s Nelson Mass, to be performed in St John’s Church, Ranmoor in November.

“Austria had been recently been defeated by Napoleon in four battles , and Haydn referred to the work as A Mass for troubled times.” explained Musical Director Philip Collin. “However, by the first performance Nelson had just defeated Napoleon and this coincidence led to the name”

Also on the programme is A Great and Glorious Victory by conductor and composer Jonathan Willcocks, whose works have been published and widely performed across the world.

The Nelson Mass concert is followed by the choir’s annual Messiah, back in Sheffield cathedral, with the ever-popular Come and Sing Messiah a week later in St James’ Church Norton.

Spring features Bach’s masterful St Matthew Passion at the cathedral, this time sung in the original German, and ends in St Mark’s Broomhill with an intriguing mix of works entitled If you like that you’ll love this!

For more details and to buy tickets go to Current Season Concerts

Elijah workshop leads to new members

Monday 27 November 2023

The choir is thrilled about the number of new members who have joined following the extremely successful workshop held at Wesley Hall Crooks on Saturday 14 October 2023. Choir members and visitors had a packed day working on Mendelssohn’s magnificent Elijah prior to the choir’s performance in November.

Everyone enjoyed the singing – and the delicious cakes on offer during the refreshment breaks! At only £10 for singers, it was certainly a day to remember!