Celebrations of Quorum's 20th Anniversary
Twenty years ago, in September 1984, a group of people living in Milton Keynes founded a small group to sing early music, and in those early days the group sang madrigals and sacred music. In November 1984, the choir gave its first performance at All Saints, Lathbury sang Byrd's Four Part Mass at the service for All Saints Day. During the 1980s, the group gave concerts and sang at church services from time to time.
Towards the end of the 1980s, the group decided it needed a name and came up with Quorum. This seemed an obvious choice rehearsals could begin when there was a singer for each of the parts.
In 1988/89 Quorum gave concerts in St Andrews, Great Linford, and St Mary Magdalene, Willen. In December 1989, Quorum began its long association with Willen by providing music for a Service of Lessons and Carols. In 1991 the group decided to stop giving concerts and focus instead on being a Church choir. From that point the Choir concentrated on building up a repertoire of renaissance sacred music. Also, in 1991, Quorum began to provide music for church services at Willen on a regular basis, this arrangement continues today. At some point (which is not remembered) Quorum began to rehearse at Willen and soon Willen became a special place for the choir.
During the early 1990s Quorum decided to promote itself as a Visiting Church Choir and sought engagements at local churches. From the mid-1990s until 1997, the group sang regularly at two churches in Wolverton - St George the Martyr and Holy Trinity. In 1996 Quorum began its association with churches in Little Horwood, Swanbourne and Mursley. Each year Quorum provides music for one or two services at these churches on a rotating basis. By 2000 Quorum began a similar arrangement with churches in Ravenstone, Gayhurst and Stoke Goldington.
Over the years, Quorum has sung at services in the following churches in the Milton Keynes/North Bucks/Bedfordshire area: St Andrews Great Linford; St Mary Magdalene, Willen; St George the Martyr, Wolverton; Holy Trinity, Wolverton.; Cross and Stable, Downs Barn; St Michael, Walton Hall; St Bede's, Newport Pagnell; St Peter, Stoke Goldington; St Peter, Gayhurst; All Saints, Ravenstone; St Mary, Mursley; St Nicholas, Little Horwood; St Swithin, Swanbourne; All Saints, Lathbury; St Botolph's', Aspley Guise; St James, Husbome Crawley. Churches further afield include: St John the Baptist, Ightfield; St Peter's, Brooke; St George's, Nottingham. It has provided music for events in many venues including the open day at the Milton Keynes Theatre, St Leonard and St Andrew Little Linford and Holy Trinity Garrison Church) Windsor; numerous summer fetes and garden parties, and weddings in many churches in the Milton Keynes/North Bucks area.
By the end of the 1990s, Quorum had remained close to its roots of singing early music but now specialised in renaissance sacred music. The group decided to bring in a specialist conductor, David Allinson, to coach them in singing early music and there is an annual singing day every January.
In selecting music Quorum has focused on finding music appropriate to the feast day and liturgical calendar. It has been the choirs experience that this ancient music fits well into modern services and can speak across the centuries to 21st century congregations.
Quorum's repertoire includes well known renaissance sacred music by Tallis, Byrd, Palestrina and Victoria, and also rarely performed music by these composers. In recent years Quorum has explored the music of Spanish and Portuguese composers Guerrero, Lobo, Morales and a Mexican composer Padilla. Much of their music exists in modern editions but has not been recorded. Missa Maria Magdalene, by Lobo, was part of Quorum's repertoire before it became well known through a recording by the Tallis Scholars, and a setting of Stabat Mater by Padilla is a Quorum favourite but not recorded (to our knowledge).
In December 1993, Quorum sang weekend services Southwark Cathedral. Some eight years lapsed before it made its second cathedral visit in 2002 to Worcester Cathedral. This visit was a success and Quorum was asked back to provide music for a weekend service in 2003. In 2004/2005 Quorum will be a Visiting Choir at 3 Cathedrals with local organist James Wharton: 30-31st October 2004 Ely Cathedral; 16-17th April 2005 Lincoln Cathedral; 13-14th August 2005 Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.
Quorum has a website www.quorummk.org.uk containing information about the choir, its origins and a diary. Two members found Quorum through the website, and there are many enquiries for a choir to sing at weddings. In developing the website it was discovered that there were at two other Quorums one in London and one in Tunbridge Wells.
In its 20 years Quorum has flourished it has worked hard to establish itself as a Visiting Church Choir well known for its high standard of singing and specialist knowledge of singing renaissance sacred music in a Liturgical context.
Eleanor Thompson
September 2004
Click here to download the sermon preached by Reverend Paul A. Smith at the Evensong on 26th September, 2004, at St Mary Magdalene, Willen, Milton Keynes which celebrated Quorum's 20th anniversary.