Events

Guest soloists from Weald of Kent Grammar School will sing “Walking in the Air”, the aria made famous by Aled Jones.

The performance will also include traditional seasonal favourites “A Christmas Festival” and “Sleigh Ride”. We welcome one-and-all to join us for this festival of Christmas cheer suitable for children of all ages …including those of more mature years.

Wine Dark Sea -John Mackey (St Cecilia Wind Symphony)

Wine Dark Sea is Mackey’s widely-acclaimed and award-winning musical interpretation of Homer’s “The Odyssey”, comprising three movements (I. Hubris; II. Immortal thread, so weak; III. The attentions of souls) that represent significant events during Odysseus' journey home after the Trojan War. It is a wonderfully captivating work of epic proportions and winner of the William D. Revelli Composition Contest of the National Band Association in 2015.

Details of those participating in 2025 will be announced shortly.

Past events

The Armed Man - A Mass for Peace

Sunday 29th October 2023, 7:00 pm

Chapel of St Augustine, Tonbridge School, Tonbridge TN10 3AG

Tickets £15 Adults | £10 Concessions

SCWS launches its third season with a rousing performance of Johan de Meij's “Sinfonie der Leider” (“Symphony of Songs”) for solo voice, children's choir, and wind orchestra. Inspired by a selection of 19th-century German poems, the composition links musical metaphors with emotions to evoke and explore the themes of death, rebirth, new life, and optimism.

This is elegantly complemented in the second half with Karl Jenkin’s “The Armed Man”, an intensely dramatic and hauntingly beautiful choral work in which the composer masterfully navigates the contrary themes of menace and serenity, desolation and comfort. Though intended as a poignant admonition of the horror of all conflict, the piece culminates in a rousing and emotive affirmation of man’s intrinsic desire for peace and hope …for all humanity.

Concert of Remembrance

Featuring Weald Voices

St Cecilia Wind Symphony

Concert of Remembrance 2024

Sunday 03-Nov-2024 , 19.00hrs-21.30hrs

Tickets £15 Adults | £10 Concessions

Chapel of St Augustine, Tonbridge School, Tonbridge TN10 3AG

In Paradisum -Ēriks Ešenvalds

In Paradisum is based on the Requiem Mass antiphon sung as Christ’s body is taken for burial. The homophonic texture of the chorus is evocatively accompanied by the cello, which “sings” a series of exquisite descants (to represent the softly-beating wings of ascending angels) that gently fade to suggest eternal rest in paradise.

Lux -Dan Forrest

Dan Forrest’s five-movement composition explores the multiple facets of Lux (Latin for “light”) using the imagery of the sun moving from dawn to dusk as a metaphor for Christ’s unconditional love that lights our lives. Textually inspired by a diverse range of styles (ranging from liturgical hymn to modern love poetry) and musically influenced by a variety of forms (from ancient chant to modern minimalist composers), Lux traces a journey through time, from ancient prophecy to the modern day and back again.

Stabat Mater -Kim André Arnesen (arr Jonathan Crowhurst)

Considered one of the seven greatest Latin compositions of all time, The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Christian hymn to the Virgin Mary. It portrays her suffering at the crucifixion of her son, Jesus Christ. The title comes from its first line, "Stabat Mater dolorosa", "the sorrowful mother was standing". Many composers have set the original Latin text to music, including Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn, Schubert, and Verdi. Kim André Arnesen’s Stabat Mater breathes new life into the hymn with Arnesen’s characteristic rich harmonies and memorable melodic lines, which combine to create a powerful and emotional choral work. This performance is the premiere of Jonathan Crowhurst’s arrangement for wind orchestra.