Choirs on webcasts

[DracoM]

I have particular pleasure in listening to choirs, and I thought it might be useful to start a thread in which we exchanged names of choirs where we know regular webcasts can be heard online.

The three I'd kick off with are:

New College Oxford
St John's Cambridge [ excellent Durufle Requiem weaving through their Remembrance Day service]
St Thomas, Fifth Avenue, New York, where every choral service is on webcast. CE Tues, Wed, Thurs, and twice on Sunday. Stunning Faure Requiem still on their back webcast list]

These three between them exemplify for me some the very, very best in terms of men and boys singing, variety of reprtoire, excellence of training, and some stunning organ work.

Do members know of other choirs similarly available online?

[WmByrd]

Interesting to note that the two British choirs represent one or other of the two Universities

I do wonder, though, if this might be a limiting factor on the expansion of webcasts. Some of the 'pro' choirs might hit problems when it comes to broadcast rights. The beeb might reluctantly pay up when they do the broadcasts, but when it's the individual institution it's less clear-cut and maybe less likely to happen.

But to answer the question, no, I can't think of any.

[Simon]

Well, not yet, maybe, but I heard that there was discussion of this at several foundations, though whether or not further progress has been made I don't know. (Except at one, where it's been shelved).

Unsurprising of course that the wealthier establishments set this up first. There was, I believe, some comment at Kings when Johns got going.

[Finzi4ever]

You've identified the best, but I know of two others: in declining order of quality (both performance & sound) are
Merton (merton.ox.ac.uk)
Grace cathedral (gracecathedral.org) which I can barely bear to listen to for both of the 2 quality issues above!

[Finzi4ever]

I need to qualify my final point. I have just discovered that you have to choose your service wisely at Grace. The men & boys are more than decent (witness current evensong of Coll. Reg. and Guest Advent carol + Leighton responses) while the mixed voice Camerata singing mass (Darke in E, O Thou the Central Orb, Pray for the Peace) barely pass muster. Sadly the sound quality is poor for both - perhaps a blessing for the Camerata ...

[DracoM]

I think there are some foundations in the Mid-West of USA who do - the Twin Cities? I think?
Will also look at Cathedral of St John the Divine in NYC.

Merton is now Peter Phillips stamping ground, isn't it?

[choralscholar 91]

also st clements in philidelphia broadcast there high mass every sunday: http://www.s-clements.org/index.php?...vices-archive/

[Finzi4ever]

Wow, there's some very good singing here to be enjoyed, and I'm only 17 mins into a randomly selected Mass: excellent polyphony.

[Magnificat]

There is an article from Gramophone Magazine re St Thomas's New York and NCO on UK CATHEDRALMUSIC LINKS.ORG.UK

[DracoM]

Full men and boys St T NYC back in situ and available on webcasts.

Recent Epiphany Processions worth hearing for the Maxwell Davies Carol, and some Mendelssohn, which turns out to be less unknown than looks to be the case at first sigbt. Also the exquisite 'Bethlehem Down' by Warlock, and a mass setting by Jonathan Dove.

[ardcarp]

For me, John Scott at St TNY is the most consistently good..and sometimes awesome. I do find that sticking a mike on at the beginning and leaving it on whilst clergy cough, stumble and I suppose process through organ ramblings is a bit tedious. It would be better if, like St Johns, you could find the bits of service you were looking for.

[Triforium]

Hmm, different process I believe adcarp, the SJC and NCO webcasts are neatened in post-production, and by neatened I mean embedded into a flash file or some equivalent technology which allows for the chaptering. The St T’s webcasts are initially sent out live and remain on their site in that form. As Mag/VCC indicated earlier in the thread, there is an article on all of this in Gramophone - http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features...nsong?page=0,0

[Jeptha]

Many apologies for rehashing a very old thread, but there are a couple more I'm sure regulars will want to be aware of:

Trinity, Cambridge webcast live and listen again every service unedited (http://www.trinitycollegechoir.com/webcasts/), and Kings do a recorded webcast once a week (presumably of their best service that week) (http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/choir/webcasts.html).

[DracoM]

Sad thing is that the promised webcast/recorded material at Truro seems to have largely dried up. Anyone got any more info?
They are a joy every time they sing CE on R3.

And I wish Hereford had webcasts as well. Hey ho.

There are some VG American choirs worth pursuing. The Washington National Cathedral at http://www.nationalcathedral.org/arts/
They relay webcasts of 11.15 a.m. [ EST] Eucharist.

Some may care to trawl: http://anglicansonline.org/resources/webcasts.html

[terratogen]

Lincoln, too, seems to have flirted with and then abandoned the idea of webcasts, which is a great shame. If we're wishing, though: listening in on York Minster once a week would be a true delight. Perhaps one day...