Who we are and what we do
Hertfordshire Chorus, directed by David Temple, is one of the finest large choirs in the country, with over 120 members from across Hertfordshire, surrounding counties and London. We offer a high standard of music in a fun and friendly atmosphere.
Our repertoire is varied; recent programmes have included Elgar's The Apostles, Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Britten’s War Requiem and Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony as well as Tippett’s Spirituals from A Child of our Time, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.
We sing in some of the top venues in the UK, with appearances in the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Hall, Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and The Sage Gateshead, as well as concerts in and around Hertfordshire, including St Albans Cathedral.
We have a special fund to commission new music, maintaining and developing choral singing for the future. We are particularly proud of the work we do with children, to help encourage the next generation of choral singers and music enthusiasts.
Our musical director, David Temple, is renowned for his talent, inspiration and enthusiasm. He demands high standards of musicianship and whole-hearted commitment from us all and puts huge energy into every project. Through David’s wide choral experience we are constantly being introduced to stretching and enjoyable repertoire, both existing and newly-commissioned, which challenges both musicians and audiences to travel on new musical journeys.
The 2006-7 season saw David’s debut (and that of Hertfordshire Chorus) at The Sage, Gateshead, performing Will Todd’s The Burning Road and Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony, in his native north east.
David’s passion for choral music stems from singing in the London Philharmonic Choir, which he joined as tenor in 1972, and in which he performed under many great conductors including Boult, Stokowski, Solti, Haitink, Tennstedt, Barenboim, Giulini and Rattle.
David is also musical director of Crouch End Festival Chorus, which he co-founded in 1984.
Sue Graham Smith, our pianist, is also a Church Music Director and pianist to Harlow Chorus. She plays piano and chamber organ professionally for concerts, recordings and tours.
For many years Sue was Assistant Music Director to Cantate Youth Choir, helping to prepare them when they won the title “Sainsbury Children’s Choir of the Year 2000”. She has also worked regularly with the BBC Symphony Chorus and until recently was an Examiner for the Associated Board.
Sue has worked with most of the UK’s opera companies - English National Opera, Kent, Pavilion and Travelling Opera companies and D’Oyly Carte - playing a wide variety of music from Baroque to UK premières. She was Musical Director/Pianist to Opera Brava and also an Opera Coach at Trinity College of Music.
Sue has appeared as pianist on Songs of Praise and has recorded many CDs with Hertfordshire Chorus, Cantate and Harlow Chorus.