Hogarth Singers Perform Three Sacred Works for Spring Concert
Programme includes Vierne, Mendelssohn and Schubert
The Hogarth Singers
Hogarth Singers return to St Michael & All Angels Church on Saturday 14 March with a Spring concert built around the Romantic period, bringing together three composers whose sacred works combine lyrical writing with dramatic choral textures.
The programme centres on Louis Vierne’s Messe Solennelle, a work written in 1899 for two organs and choir. The interplay between organ and choir gives the piece its distinctive character, alternating between moments of grandeur and quiet reflection.
Schubert’s contributions to the programme offer a contrasting Romantic voice. His Stabat Mater (D. 175), composed when he was just 18, is a lyrical and contemplative setting of the medieval text, notable for its expressive melodic writing and gentle harmonic turns. Alongside it, the choir will perform his Psalm 23, a serene and pastoral work for women’s voices and piano or organ, best known for its flowing lines and sense of devotional calm.
Mendelssohn’s sacred music adds a further dimension, drawing on his fascination with earlier choral traditions while infusing them with Romantic warmth. Ave Maria showcases his gift for clear, balanced choral writing, while Hear My Prayer—with its famous aria O for the wings of a dove—remains one of his most enduringly popular works. The piece moves from quiet supplication to soaring lyricism, offering a dramatic centrepiece within the evening’s programme.
The concert will be conducted by Music Director Rupert Gill, with Andrew Wells accompanying on piano and organ, making full use of the church’s acoustic and its capacity to support both intimate and expansive choral textures.
Tickets are available via hogarthsingers.uk, by calling 07341 413884, or on the door. Prices are £16 on the door (£14 concessions), £15 in advance (£13 concessions), and free for under‑16s.
Founded in the early 1980s as an offshoot of IBM’s Meistersingers choir, the Hogarth Singers have grown into one of Chiswick’s most respected chamber choirs. Now a registered charity, the group is dedicated to promoting choral music and public education in the art and science of music. With a membership of around 50–60 singers, the choir performs a wide repertoire of sacred and secular works, from Renaissance motets to contemporary compositions.
The choir rehearses weekly at St Michael and All Angels Church and typically presents three concerts each year, alongside social events and occasional outreach performances. The atmosphere is described as friendly and inclusive, with no formal audition required, though new members are invited to sing for the Music Director. The choir particularly welcomes younger singers and offers discounted rates for under-25s and new tenors and basses.
For more information see hogarthsingers.uk or email hogarthsingers@gmail.com, or call 07341 413884.
March 6, 2026
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