Ola Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass

Leeds Philharmonic Chorus, Leeds City museum, March 21st & 22nd, 2026

By Geoffrey Mogridge

published on 1^st April 2026 in Ilkley Gazette and Wharfdale Observer

THE Brodrick Hall is the circular central arena of Leeds City Museum, now restored back to its original mid-Victorian splendour.

This domed auditorium with the structural additions of a proscenium arch, stage and dressing rooms, housed the much loved Leeds Civic Theatre from 1949-2005. It has since emerged as one of the city’s most atmospheric performance spaces, in increasing demand for musical events. A suitably imposing setting then, for the Leeds premiere of Ola Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass.

Three performances were given by Leeds Philharmonic Chorus in partnership with Leeds Conservatoire Strings and Northern Film School. Joseph Judge, chorus director of ‘the Phil’ prepared and conducted all performances.

The Norwegian composer describes his Sunrise Mass, composed in 2007 as, ‘A musical journey evolving from transparent and spacious to earthy and warm… from nebulous and pristine, through more emotional landscapes, to ultimately solid ground’.

Gjeilo’s Mass is written for mixed choir and string orchestra. Its four sections correspond with invocations from the Traditional Latin Mass: The Spheres (Kyrie eleison) opens with sustained chords alternating between the four-part choir accompanied by string orchestra. The sopranos open the Sunrise (Gloria) with a memorable theme taken up by the whole choir of 100 singers. The City (Credo) opens with shifting rhythms in the strings which are developed by the tenors and basses. The final section, Identity and The Ground, corresponds with the Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei of the Latin Mass.

Gjeilo’s score resolves in expansive music evocative of vast plains and endless azure skies. Projected video footage of central Leeds streets and hazy sunrise over rivers and viaducts was beautifully filmed by students of the Northern Film School. These performances were transformed into an enthralling audio visual experience enjoyed by hundreds.

Bach St John Passion

Leeds Philharmonic Chorus, St Edmunds Roundhay, Saturday 15th March 2025:

by Melanie Eskenazi
published: 17 Mar 2025 in Opera + Classical Music Reviews

‘O Mensch, mache Richtigkeit…’ in these dark times, the advice in the second part of the St John Passion to ‘act justly’ seems especially appropriate, as we hover on the brink of so much conflict. This concert season is dominated by the St John, with few outings for the St Matthew Passion, and this seems appropriate since the John is a passion of love and reconcilement.

The Leeds Philharmonic Chorus has been around since 1870, and it is now based at the Leeds Conservatoire. It’s stronger on sopranos and altos than tenors and basses, but Joseph Judge, its conductor and Chorus Master, manages to elicit a very homogenous sound from its numbers. ‘O grosse Lieb’ concluded with a finely phrased ‘Und du must leiden’ (and you must suffer) and ‘Wer hat dich so geschlagen’ demonstrated the kind of fine control which comes from intensive preparation. The wonderful closing chorale showed the Chorus at its best, ‘Mein Heiland und Genaden thron’ (My saviour and throne of mercy!) ringing out with declamatory ease.

The soloists were a youthful team, with the strongest performances coming from the bass James Berry and the soprano Isla MacEwan. The former’s distinctive bass, sonorous in the lower register yet mellifluous higher up the stave, brought his arias to dramatic life, with an especially gripping ‘Betrachte, meine Seel’. The soprano has a very bright, flexible voice, strong in ensemble and fluent in her arias; ‘Ich folge dir gleichfalls’ was sung with real distinction. Both these artists are members of the Royal Danish Opera.

“The wonderful closing chorale showed the Chorus at its best…”

William Balkwill’s voice is on the light side for the Evangelist but he made the most of his recitatives, giving suitable emphasis to the key moments such as ‘Als nun Jesus wusste alles, was ihn begegnen sollte‘ (As Jesus knew everything that was to happen to him). Jonny Hill was a calm, benevolent Christus, and Julianne Coates brought her considerable experience to the alto part, her ‘Es ist Vollbracht!’ one of the evening’s highlights. The punishing tenor arias are not easy for anyone, and the young Henry Strutt gave them a creditable performance.

The players of the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra took a little while to get into their stride, but under the sympathetic baton of Joseph Judge, they produced some gently supportive playing for the arias and some superb continuo and accompaniment for the recitatives. Special mention must be made of the flute in ‘Ich folge dir gleichfalls’, the Viola d’amore in ‘Betrachte, meine Seel’ and the violins in ‘Mein teurer Heiland’. The playing in those arias would grace any concert hall.

St Edmund is the patron saint of, amongst other things, those affected by Plagues and Pandemics, and the church consecrated in his honour is a handsome Edwardian edifice. The acoustic is ideal for large scale performances yet does not diminish the more intimate moments.

As part of our collaboration with the Leeds Conservatoire, the chorus worked with two Conservatoire students during the Thursday 10^th April rehearsal session.

Mark Francis offered a new arrangement of ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’ and Melodie Edoria Adessa’s composition was entitled ‘Painted Blue.’

Joe Judge commented ‘I think the composers found it very helpful and Ben Gaunt (Head of Composition there) was very enthusiastic and keen in helping us to create and promote an open ‘Call for Scores’ or Composition Competition next year.’

The chorus thoroughly enjoyed this enriching experience.

Leeds Philharmonic Chorus, St Edmunds Roundhay, Saturday 16th November 2024:

Leeds Philharmonic Chorus programme, conducted by David Hill MBE.

The evening opened with Eternal Light: A requiem by Howard Goodall CBE and was completed with Feel the Spirit by John Rutter CBE. Accompanied by Organ, Piano and Harp.

From our Mezzo soloist Merel Megali Cox: ‘The choir sounded absolutely amazing – such a beautiful sound you create all together! I think the whole programme worked very well (many audience members thought this too). I would appreciate if you can pass this message on to the LPC members & team, Joe and David Hill: Many thanks for the lovely concert and support on the day and in the past few weeks. I really enjoyed singing with LPC and want to thank them for introducing me to these Rutter pieces, because how fun and beautiful are they? ! I hope to do them again soon! Once again, I had such fun working with you all.’
Merel
From David Hill: “Please pass on my huge thanks and ‘bravo’ to everyone for their efforts. What a super venue!”

After a long search over the summer, we are delighted to be able to announce that Russell Medley is to be our new Accompanist following Alan Horsey’s retirement.

We auditioned 3 very capable candidates and were very impressed by his skills, background and lovely friendly manor.

Russell has an impressive CV, and is currently a Senior Vocal Coach/Repetiteur at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester,where he studied piano, double bass, composition and conducting. After graduating from the RNCM he studied for two years at post-graduate level, obtaining a Performer’s Diploma with distinction in accompaniment.

He has accompanied singers at recitals and master classes throughout the UK. He has performed in the Channel Islands, Finland, Sweden and Denmark and has taken part in recordings for the BBC, ITV and RTE. He is an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, which has taken him to Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Africa, Uganda, Holland, Italy, Austria and many parts of the UK.

As Musical Director of the Northern England Chorale he has conducted in Finland, Cyprus, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Delft. He is also Musical Director of the Lindow Singers and Sale Choral Society and has worked with many choral societies as conductor and organist. He was Assistant Chorus Master to the Halle Chorus for eight years.

As Chorus Master of the Chamber Choir and Opera Chorus at the RNCM, he has been involved in many major opera productions. As well as a thriving private teaching practice in singing and piano, he is tutor in piano at Moreton Hall School, Shropshire, and a tutor at the Centre for Young Musicians in The Hague.

Bradford Cathedral – 4^th March 2023

Premiere of Organ and Percussion Arrangement.

I should be grateful if you would pass on my thanks to the members of the Leeds Philharmonic Chorus for giving such a superb concert on the 4^th of March and for including my music in it! What an innovative programme – full of colour and imagination.

I admire the bravery of Joe Judge and the choir for including my Secular Requiem, a virtually unknown work. I was absolutely delighted with the performance and Joe Judge‘s interpretation of the piece. Choir, soloists and instrumentalists rose to the challenges in each of the three pieces and enthusiastically ‘sold’ them to the audience. Your choir is indeed fortunate to have such an inspiring leader as Joe.

I would also like to thank the members of the choir for being so friendly and welcoming during my stay – Leeds Philharmonic Chorus seem to be a very happy community who work together to produce high quality results.

Bradford is a long way from Truro, but I hope that we might collaborate again in the future.

Wishing you every success for future concerts.

Russell Pascoe, composer

Leeds Philharmonic Chorus, Bradford Cathedral, Saturday 4th March 2023:

Two of the three composers in this bold Leeds Philharmonic Chorus programme, conducted by Joseph Judge, are happily still with us.

The evening opened with music by Leonard Bernstein whose iconic legacy as conductor, composer and humanitarian lives on. Bernstein’s exuberant Chichester Psalms is his most overtly Jewish work. The psalms were sung in Hebrew and articulated with relish by ‘the Phil’ under the masterly baton of their chorus master Joseph Judge. Beautifully nuanced accompaniment was supplied by harpist Georgina Wells, percussionist Mark Concar and Neil Taylor on the organ of Bradford Cathedral. Cathedral Choir member Rhys Smouse was the plaintive boy treble in the ‘Song of David’.

Next came Eric Whitacre’s Cloudburst, composed in 1991 – the year after Bernstein’s death. This work is scored for eight-part choir with piano and percussion accompaniment. The text was adapted from the Octavio Praz poem El cantaro roto (the Broken Water Jar) and inspired by the composer’s experience of a desert cloudburst. Roger Lazenby’s handbells team contribute to the sonic effects as the choir builds to a crescendo and imitates the sound of rain. The timpani produce the effect of a thunder storm which gradually fades away. Joseph Judge and the Phil surmounted the technical demands with seeming ease to deliver a fluid and vital performance.

Russell Pascoe’s Secular Requiem was premiered in its orchestral version at Truro Cathedral in March 2013. The Catholic Latin Requiem Mass is replaced by texts from Wilfred Owen, Thomas Hardy, Dylan Thomas, Thomas Moore and Walt Whitman among others. The work is intended to be inclusive and accessible to those with or without a religious faith. Stephen Anderton’s humorous poem Cats and Cakes, sung by the mezzo soprano soloist, contains the plea: “Oh God! I should have said – they’re in the oven. The cakes, the cakes! And don’t forget to feed the cat”. The fifty-minute-long Secular Requiem is powerfully expressive and easy to relate to. It is an inspiring work which brings solace and hope.

Mezzo Julianne Coates and baritone Graham McCusker were the eloquent soloists with Leeds Philharmonic Chorus, conducted by Joseph Judge.

The composer himself basked in the applause at the end of this illuminating Bradford performance, the first to be given in his reduced orchestration for organ and percussion.

Geoffrey Mogridge
Ilkley Gazette, Wharfdale Observer

Leeds Cathedral, Saturday 26th November 2022:

John Rutter’s Requiem (1985) and Gabriel Fauré’s, composed almost a century earlier, could be said to form a concert pairing made in heaven.

Each work lasts around thirty-five minutes and is scored for soprano and baritone soloists, mixed chorus, organ and orchestra. Fauré and Rutter focus on the true meaning of the word ‘requiem’ or ‘rest’. Both works convey serene resignation and a sense of release. The music is predominantly soothing and reassuring. Neither composer sets the sometimes terrifying depiction – Verdi’s for example – of the Dies Irae (Day of Wrath).

Rutter made his work accessible to smaller choral societies lacking the finance or venue for a full orchestra. He arranged an alternative off-the-peg version with chamber ensemble accompaniment. Fauré’s Requiem, on the other hand, exists in several liturgical and concert arrangements, devised by the composer himself and later scholars. These include John Rutter who published his own edition of the Fauré Requiem less than two years before composing his own.

Last Saturday’s performances of these two beautiful works were given by eighty members of the Leeds Philharmonic Chorus. They were accompanied on the organ of Leeds Cathedral, played by Thomas Leech, and a chamber ensemble comprising oboe, flute, violin, cello, glockenspiel, harp and timpani.

This downsized orchestration proved admirably suited to the space. Instrumental and vocal textures were wonderfully bathed in Leeds Cathedral’s resonant acoustic. David Hill, music director of Leeds Philharmonic Chorus, achieved consummate balance. The bloom of each instrument and the eighty choristers all came across as individual voices; a quality generally lacking in larger scale performances. Soprano Rachel Speirs and baritone David Cane were the expressive soloists.

Perhaps above all, the sincerity of these performers shone through their interpretations of two universally popular requiems. Both composers reached the heart of the listener with the humanity of their message and the richness of their choral writing.

Geoffrey Mogridge
Ilkley Gazette, Wharfdale Observer

Bradford Cathedral, Saturday 25 March 2022:

Conductor: Joe Judge
Soloists: Rachel Speirs & Graham McCusker
Piano: Chris Pulleyn and Philip Voldman
Harp: Georgina Wells
Timpani: Mark Concar

“Brahms German Requiem is indeed magnificent, and your outstanding performance was both intimate and majestic, tender and jubilant, just what is needed in these dark days that compel compassion, but also a firm confidence and hope for the people of Ukraine. Thank you for inviting me; I would otherwise have missed a most uplifting experience.”

Audience Feedback

Well it has been a rough couple of years for many and choirs have not been exempt. We just managed to run our lovely February 2020 concert with the Airedale Symphony Orchestra before the first big Covid lockdown but were sadly unable to complete the 2019/20 season. I don’t think any of us knew just how long it would be before ‘normal’ returned.

Many in the choir had to quickly get to grips with the dreaded ‘technology’ of smartphones, PCs, Skype, and later Zoom. We started off with four pre-recorded learning sessions with Joe (Joe Judge – chorus master) over Vimeo to just end up the season. Had a summer break and were delighted to be given the go to start live rehearsals again for the 2020/21 season in October 2020 – albeit in very reduced and spaced out numbers. Sadly, we only managed three sessions – just enough to give everyone who wanted, a live sing, then back to lockdown number two. Even worse, we were informed that our rehearsal venue of over 25 years would no longer be available to us post-Covid. This was a major blow as finding anywhere in the city centre that can accommodate over 130 people along with reasonable transport and parking options at a price we could afford was a big ask. Then Christmas was cancelled – well it felt like that too many. We grasped the technology again and were able to produce  a lovely virtual choir video rendition of Sally Beamish’s In the Stillness, ran a live streamed ‘Messiah’ over Facebook to a worldwide audience of over 3000, and also recorded a virtual ‘Hark the Herald’ carol for the Leeds City council Christmas post.

The rest of the 2020/21 season was held on zoom for rehearsals only. We laughed at the antics of Joe’s cats as they tried to disrupt things and wondered at the number of stripy tops he had. Another summer break followed, but the outlook was a bit more hopeful, and we searched for a new home. Amazingly after a lot of searching we were offered rehearsal facilities at the new Leeds City College Quarry Hill Campus. We thankfully grabbed this with both hands and the 2021/22 season was able to start in September with live rehearsals and the real possibility of live concerts again at last.

The Leeds International Concert Season (LICS) offered a first concert in October singing in Mahler 2 to mark the closing of the Town hall for several years refurbishment. It was an epic and glorious concert – see the reviews at Reviews – Leeds Philharmonic Chorus

Oh – and did I mention we have a new refreshed website as well. We have all been busy despite all the tribulations.

We have just run our own concert in St Anne’s with a broad selection of music and will be completing the year with the usual Lord Mayor’s Carols and also our own Christmas concert.

The choir thankfully did not lose anybody to Covid, but we still lost some loved and valuable members to other causes, and in many cases were not allowed to pay our respects due to restrictions at the time. We would like to make special mention of:

• Dame Ingrid Roscoe DCVO – Our president died June 2020
• Dr Rudi Leavor BEM – a member for over 50 years died July 2021