The first concert in the anniversary season reflects the choir’s longstanding commitment to British music. The music of Elgar, especially The Dream of Gerontius, has been an important element of our repertoire (Gerontius was Eric’s first concert with us in 1984), and this is reflected in his wonderful miniature Serenade for Strings. Ralph Vaughan Williams was the choir’s first President, and his evocative The Lark Ascending for violin and orchestra is his most popular work – featuring Eric’s eldest son Ed as soloist.

The choir has commissioned a new work to mark Eric’s anniversary, from one of our leading composers, Cecilia McDowall. Songs of the North sets three poems describing the wonderful North East landscape, including Hadrian’s Wall, Sycamore Gap and a frenetic train ride north. We’re delighted to premiere such a significant work, and look forward to including it in our future repertoire.

Our final piece, Britten’s St Nicolas, was also an anniversary commission, for the centenary of Lancing College in Sussex. It follows the life of St Nicolas, third century Bishop of Myra, from his birth and early devotion to God, through his prevention of a shipwreck and bringing back to life of three boys butchered and pickled in a pie, to his eventual death. The colourful score is full of contrasting styles and textures, with piano, organ and percussion adding colour to the strings, while often operatic tenor solos explore Nicolas’s character. Eric has known this work since he sang in it as a boy treble.

We are delighted to welcome back international tenor Robert Murray, one of Newcastle University’s most distinguished music graduates and someone whose career Eric has followed from the beginning. The choristers of Newcastle Cathedral provide the gallery choir.