Crouch End choir invites spectators to 12-hour singing marathon

The Crouch End Festival Chorus is taking a deep breath and running a 12-hour sponsored singing marathon this Saturday to raise funds for a major recording project.

For one day only, the Crouch End Festival Chorus will become the 12-Hour Choir, singing from 9am right through until 9pm on Saturday.

Music director David Temple will be wielding the baton throughout, which will be punctuated by brief solo and chamber music sessions by CEFC members.

For a contribution of £10, anybody can join the choir in singing Handel’s Messiah between 3.45pm and 5.45pm.

The works to be covered are Bach’s Magnificat, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Beethoven’s Mass in C, Vaughan Williams’s Dona Nobis Pacem, and Fauré’s Requiem.

The event is part of a campaign to raise £30,000 towards the cost of a new recording of Bach’s St John Passion.

This will be the first recording in English for 40 years and is planned to be made with Chandos Records.

The choir, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, is seeking funds for the artistic costs including music hire, venue hire, the soloists and the period orchestra.

The event will be held at

Muswell Hill Baptist Church and visitors are welcome at any point during the day.

For more information and to donate: cefc.org.uk/cefc12-hourchoir.aspx