The History of the Garleton Singers
Our history
History of the Choir
The Garleton Singers choir is based in East Lothian and was founded in 1970 by Catherine Welsh. In 1995, Stephen Doughty replaced Catherine as Musical Director, and he has now spent nearly 15 years guiding us to the musical heights (and, occasionally, depths). Our main venue is the beautifully-restored medieval Church of St Mary in Haddington, but the choir enjoys touring further afield. We gave concerts in Germany in 2004, and in Italy in 2007, and have sung throughout Scotland in collaboration with other choirs and orchestras, including the St Andrews Chorus and Edinburgh Philomusica. We enjoy singing a varied repertoire of major choral works, ranging from Vivaldi to Karl Jenkins, as well as carols, operatic choruses and modern popular classics. The Garleton Singers hold three main concerts a year (our Christmas Carol Concert a firm favourite for our Haddington audience), with occasional special performances such as our 2008 Edinburgh Festival concert and our 2009 performance of The Armed Man.
Concerts 1971 - date
The following list is not all-inclusive. There are many shorter pieces that have been sung by the Garleton Singers, sometimes many times. Soloists are listed where described as such in the relevant programmes, but semi and demi chorus members have not been listed due to contraints on space. If you spot any omissions or errors please do not hesitate to email with suggestions, as we would love to have as complete a history as possible.
| Year | Title | Composer | Soloist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Hiawatha's Wedding Feast | Coleridge Taylor | |
| 1972 | Zadok the Priest |
Handel | Margaret Marshall |
| Gloria |
Vivaldi | Joan Busby | |
| 1973 | Zadok the Priest |
Handel | Joseph Howgego |
| Magnificat | Pergolesi | Douglas Welsh | |
| 1974 | Requiem | Mozart | Frances Carroll Edna Adams Patrick Samuels Walter Thomson |
| 1975 | Coronation Mass |
Mozart | Fiona Cantley Gillian Makenzie |
| Captain Noah |
Flanders/Horowitz |
Michael Towers Martin Shaw Robert Lennie Douglas Welsh | |
| 1976 | Spring (The Seasons) |
Haydn |
Carolyn Coxon |
| Mass in G Major | Schubert | Angus Hood | |
| Befiel Dem Engel | Buxtehude | Norman Clark | |
| 1977 | Messiah | Handel |
Shona McLeod Helen Cochrane Clifford Hughes Bill McCue |
| 1978 | Requiem | Faure | Enid Bannatyne Helen Cochrane |
| Pauke Mass |
Haydn | James Boyd Ivor Klayman | |
| 1979 | Vespere Solennes | Mozart | Dorothy Robertson Joan Busby |
| Mass in C Major | Beethoven | Clifford Hughes Ivor Klayman | |
| 1980 | The Creation |
Haydn | Donald Maxwell Julia Dewhurst Angela Hartley John Robertson Douglas Butters |
| 1981 | Elijah | Mendelssohn | Julia Dewhurst Angela Hartley John Robertson Douglas Butters |
| 1982 | Requiem | Mozart | Irene Drummond Helen Cochrane |
| Hiawatha's Wedding Feast | Coleridge Taylor |
James Boyd Frank Carroll | |
| 1983 | Petite Messe Solennelle | Rossini |
Julia Dewhurst Angela Hartley |
| Missa Brevis in A | Bach | Helen Cooke Patrick Samuels Glyn Morris | |
| 1984 | Hymn of Praise | Mendelssohn | Judith Lovat Helen Cooke |
| Gloria | Vivaldi | Gordon Wilson | |
| 1985 | Nelson Mass | Haydn | Judith Lovat Valerie Read |
| Bavarian Highlands | Elgar | Gordon Wilson Scott Couper | |
| 1986 | Elijah | Mendelssohn | AnthonyMichaels-Moore Julia Dewhurst Angela Hartley Jeffrey Cresswell Gordon Adams |
| 1987 | Requiem | Faure | Nerys Jones |
| Messa Di Gloria | Puccini | William Strachan Scott Davis | |
| 1988 | Messiah | Handel | Alison Ferrie Yvonne Burnett Andrew Mackenzie Wicks Peter Langham Evans |
| 1989 | The Creation |
Haydn | Kirsteen Grant William Strachan Peter Langham Evans |
| 1990 | Mass in C |
Beethoven | Patricia McMahon Frances McCafferty |
| Hymn of Praise |
Mendelssohn | Ian Darling Peter Hall | |
| Festival of Carols |
Various | Sally Darling | |
| 1991 | Mount of Olives | Beethoven | Marianne Helgren |
| Spring (The Seasons) | Haydn | Jeremy Ovenden Ivor Klayman | |
| 1992 | St Paul |
Mendelssohn | Patricia McMahon William Strachan Henry Wickham |
| Festival of Carols | Various | Heather Boyd Elizabeth McKeon | |
| 1993 | Petite Messe Solennelle | Rossini | Marianne Helgren Heather Boyd |
| Messa Di Gloria | Puccini | Peter Alexander Wilson Peter Thomson | |
| A Festival of Carols* | Various |
Emma Turnbull | |
| 1994 | Nelson Mass | Haydn | Susan Teufel Yvonne Rossen |
| Requiem | John Rutter |
Peter Wilson Robin Adams | |
| A Sequence of Music for Advent... | Various | Rosie Sweetman | |
| 1995 | A Celebration of Psalmody | Various | |
| 1996 | Music for Brass, Choir and Organ** |
Various | |
| Christmas Brass and Voices+ |
Various | ||
| 1997 | Mass No 6 in E Flat | Schubert | Pamela Wilcock Carolyn Murray Peter van Hulle Douglas Telfer Olafur Kjartan Sigurdarson |
| The Garleton Singers' World Tour |
Various |
David Wilson | |
| Magnificat in D |
Bach | Alison Williams Carolyn Murray Peter van Hulle Simon Hart | |
| 1998 | The Coming of Spring | Delius/Haydn/Various | Gillian Rae-Walker Carolyn Murray Paul Rendal Simon Hart |
| The Garleton Swingers | Various | ||
| 1999 | 'Eine Kleine Sommermusik' | Various | Ally Walker |
| The Story of Christmas | Various | Emma Turnbull | |
| 2000 | Elijah | Mendelssohn | Aleasha Liddy Elizabeth Ife Thomas Walker Ivor Klayman |
| Carmina Burana++ |
Orff | Emma Turnbull Donald Maxwell Mike Towers | |
| Summertime | Various | Nicola Cuthbert Gerrie McArthur | |
| Messiah | Handel | Joanne Boag Lucy Taylor Thomas Walker Philip Gault | |
| 2001 | Fidelio~ |
Beethoven | Helena Leonard Hubert Francis Ivor Klayman Mark Jacques Judith Plint Ian McNab John McLeod |
| While all the world... | Various | ||
| 2002 | Hail Bright Cecilia | Pehkonen/Various | Alison Beck |
| Psalmfest! | Various | Morrison Handley-Schachler | |
| The Sprig of Thyme | John Rutter |
||
| 2003 | Songs of the Isles | Rutter/Various | Alison Beck |
| A Burns Sequence | John Gardner | ||
| Singing by Numbers | Bob Chilcott | ||
| The Making of the Drum | Bob Chilcott |
||
| Alleluia! A New Work is Come | Various | ||
| 2004 | Requiem | Mozart | |
| Stabat Mater | Haydn | Eilidh McEwan Alexandra Cassidy Daryl Simpson Ronald Nairne | |
| Joy to the World |
Various | ||
| 2005 | A Concert of Carols and Readings ~ ~ |
||
| 2006 | Seek Him That Maketh the Seven Stars |
Jonathan Dove |
|
| Rejoice in the Lamb |
Britten | Leslie Walker Sadie Maskery David Wilson Andrew Scott | |
| Coronation Te Deum | W Walton |
Helen Bennett Christopher Farquhar Alan Faulkner Michael Farmer | |
| Lux Aeterna | Lauridsen/Various | Ann McGowan Russell Dick | |
| Today Christ is Born | Various | Jamieson Sutherland | |
| 2007 | The Music Makers | Elgar | Kathleen McKellar Ferguson |
| A Burns Sequence | John Gardner |
||
| Song for St Cecilia | Ken Johnston |
||
| 2008 | An Italian Collection# |
Vivaldi/Various | Leslie Walker |
| Gloria | Vivaldi |
Katie Hamilton Nicola Cuthbert Grace MacKinnon Sadie Maskery | |
| The Armed Man | Karl Jenkins |
Sadie Maskery | |
| A Christmas Concert ## |
Various | ||
| 2009 | Scotland at Night | Tom Cunningham | |
| Requiems | Karl Jenkins/ John Rutter |
Katie Hamilton Leslie Walker | |
| Magnificat! |
Rutter/Various | Alison Beck Philip Gault | |
| 2010 | Missa Brevis |
Kodaly |
Sadie Maskery David Wilson Graham Miller |
| Missa Choralis |
Liszt | Morag Sheriffs Anne Browning Helen Bennett Christopher Farqhar Simon Williams Michael Smith | |
| Jubilate! | Various | ||
| 2011 | Mass in C, 'Coronation' | Mozart |
Morag Sheriffs; Grace Mackinnon, David Wilson, Graham Miller |
| Gloria | Rutter | Sharon Keulemans, Becky Kidd, Elda Fleck | |
| Gloria! | Various | ||
| Requiem | Faure | ||
| Hark - Music for Christmas | Various | ||
* In association with the Scottish Recorder Consort
** In association with the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra Brass Ensemble
+ In association with the Dalkeith and Monktonhall Colliery Band
++With The Hadley Court Singers, the Stenton Singers, the Choristers of St Mary's and the Compass School Choir
~ Supporting the Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra
~ ~Supporting the National Art Collections Fund and Children's Hospice Association Scotland
# In association with the Philomusica of Edinburgh
## With the Choristers of St Mary's Church