Dont’s miss the Copland 125 Anniversary Concert – 14 November 2025 at All Saints Church, Bristol

I’m delighted to be able to announce that the Copland 125 Anniversary Concert will be taking place at the Church of All Saints in Bristol on Copland’s 125th birthday – 14 November 2025. Save the date!

The Copland 125 Anniversary Concert will be a celebration of the music of Aaron Copland through works for organ, piano and chorus and covers his earliest works to his final composition: Proclamation for piano from 1982. Every decade of his composing career will be represented in a whirlwind review of his remarkable life in music.

The concert will be hosted by me and utilise some exceptional local talent. Jonathan Price will get the party started with an organ transcription of Fanfare for the Common Man which will no doubt make the church shake! Pianist Allan Schiller will play miniatures from across Copland’s 70 year career as well as Leonard Bernstein’s 7 Anniversaries: No. 1, For Aaron Copland. The University of Bristol Singers conducted by Elinor Cooper will perform some of Copland’s wonderful choral music such as At the River and The Promise of Living alongside the magnificent In the Beginning and the choral finale from Canticle of Freedom. The soloist is soprano Liz Britton. There will also be the rarest of performances of the organ transcrition of Preamble for a Solemn Occasion with a narration that was written to mark the first anniversary of the United Nations adoption of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.

The programme

• Fanfare for the Common Man arranged for organ by Roger Brison
• Leonard Bernstein: 7 Anniversaries For Aaron Copland
• Petit Portrait for piano
• The Cat and the Mouse for piano
• Three Moods for piano
• An Immorality for soprano, chorus (SSA), and piano
• Lark SATB chorus with solo baritone
• In the beginning Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella

Intermission

• Preamble for a Solemn Occasion arranged for organ by Carl Weinrich
• Four piano blues for piano
• Down a Country Lane for piano
• Midsummer Nocturne for piano
• Las Agachadas Solo group and double mixed chorus SATB (Spanish, English)
• At the River Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
• The Promise of Living Mixed choir (SATBB) a cappella
• Choral finale from Canticle of Freedom Mixed chorus and piano
• Midday Thoughts for piano
• Proclamation for piano
• Fanfare for the Common Man arranged for organ by Roger Brison

The performers

Jonathan Price: Jonathan Price is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and is the organist and Director of Music at Christ Church in Bristol City. Since 1994 he has been Organist to The Cavendish Choir whom he has accompanied for services in nearly all of England’s Cathedrals. Jonathan’s playing has featured on a variety of commercial recordings and broadcasts.

Allan Schiller: Internationally renowned pianist Allan Schiller was a child prodigy and made his debut at the age of 10 in a Mozart concerto with the Halle Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli. He later became the first British pianist to be awarded a scholarship to study at the Moscow Conservatoire. During his long professional career he has appeared with all the major UK orchestras and the distinguished conductors Sir George Solti, Sir Malcolm Sargent and Sir Charles Mackerras. He has made countless broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and recorded a number of highly regarded CDs. Allan recently was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to music and his charitable deeds.

The University of Bristol Singers: The university’s premier chamber choir, known for performing a diverse range of choral music to a professional standard. They are directed by Elinor Cooper and typically consist of around 30 singers. The choir performs in various venues, including St. George’s Bristol and Tyntesfield, and also undertakes professional recording work.

Elinor Cooper: Elinor is Musical Director of Bristol University Singers. She is a highly regarded singer, conductor and writer working with many UK choirs including the Collegium Singers, Rodolfus Choir and the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain.

Liz Britton: Liz works regularly as a soprano in the South West and Wales, both as a soloist and choral performer. She combines her singing activities with teaching work for the Bristol Ensemble Preludes initiative and runs the St George’s Bristol’s Cosmos Children’s choir based out of schools in Knowle West and Hartcliffe.

Kevin Lindegaard: Kevin is a superfan of Aaron Copland. In his blog aaron-copland.com he travels the world reporting on performances of Copland’s works. He is a non musician who believes that Copland’s compositions are a perfect starting point for getting into classical music.

More details

Date and time: Friday, November 14 · 7:30 – 9:45pm GMT

Location: Church of All Saints, Pembroke Road Clifton BS8 3ED

Ticket prices: £15 for adults; £7.50 for under 18s and students

Buy tickets at https://Copland125.eventbrite.co.uk

Please keep this date in your diary. I really hope to meet you in Bristol.

Music for a Great City!

Most composer anniversaries simply look back at the achievements of a composer. Copland 125 is different. Aaron Copland was a forward looking composer who always encouraged people to open up their ears to new music. One of Copland’s last orchestral works was called Music for a Great City. My intention is to use Copland 125 as a vehicle to create a music fund helping to resurrect neglected masterworks whilst also shining a light on new music by living, breathing composers.

If you can’t come but are behind the principles of celebrating Aaron Copland’s legacy then I would welcome your support through the Copland 125 crowd funding appeal.

As a parting shot I would like to call on the libretto by Horace Everett (Erik Johns) to Copland’s opera The Tender Land. This really does say all that needs to be said on how to collectively come together to make something imporant happen. Thank you all in advance for your support for what should be a tremendous evening celebrating a great life and legacy!

For many a year I’ve known this field and know all the work that makes her yield.
Are your ready to lend a hand?
I’m ready to work, I’m ready to lend a hand.
By working together we’ll bring in the harvest, the blessings of harvest.

We plant each row with seeds of grain and providence sends us the sun and the rain.
By lending a hand, by lending an arm
Bring out, bring out from the farm
Bring out the blessings of harvest.

Picture credit:

The picture of Aaron Copland conducting “BE023514” by Sabatu is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.