Press and Reviews

The very model of what a good chamber choir should be – flexible, responsive, versatile in its repertoire and a pleasure to listen to.

John Rutter CBE  (composer and conductor), July 2011

What a wonderful evening I had in St John’s! In the first half I really enjoyed partnering with the Sinfonia and the Fairhavens; what a joy to see the voice ranges mingled! You could see the pleasure and hear the lively results. I was so happy to listen to “Ave verum Corpus”: its depth and grandeur in that place took my breath away, and brought all of us I think close to tears. But for me the greatest experience, which I will never forget, was to hear the MacMillan piece; extraordinarily courageous writing, very exacting for choir and orchestra alike, but I cannot imagine it better realised than it was that night.

Emma Kirkby, March 2011

The Fairhaven Singers were conspicuous for vivacity, unanimity of ensemble, sweetness and fulness of tone, flawless intonation, and, when the music called for it, expressive feeling. Long may they flourish!

Robin Holloway (composer and Professor of Music, University of Cambridge), March 2011

Fine, well-blended singing, and bags of energy and vitality.

Christopher Hogwood (founder of the Academy of Ancient Music), March 2011

The choir was beautifully balanced and tuned, with a notable purity of tone in the soprano line. The range of sound from pianissimo to fortissimo was achieved as necessary with apparent ease, and there was sensitivity in part singing… the ultimate joyful sound.

Felicity Sandel, The Mercury, December 2010

I enjoyed working with this fine chamber choir: they sang Bach stylishly, displaying good tuning and blend, and had been very thoroughly prepared by Ralph Woodward. They were quick to respond to ideas and suggestions in relation to the music, vocal technique and enunciation of the text, and this made for a stimulating evening’s work.

Stephen Cleobury (Director of Music, Choir of King’s College, Cambridge), February 2010

A most amazing experience…a stalwart choir who managed to switch from tonal to chromatic harmony, as the complex score demanded…an ambitious, enterprising choir.

Jill Barlow, Tempo, July 2009.  (Review of Will Todd’s Requiem performance)

The Fairhaven Singers is a very accomplished chamber choir, undertaking a busy schedule of concerts and encompassing a large and varied repertoire. I much enjoyed the rehearsal I took; they are able to respond to ideas immediately and sing with a rounded, warm tone. Their intonation is excellent and the training they enjoy on a regular basis is of the highest order.

David Hill, 2008

As expected, the Fairhaven Singers’ Summer Concert was a feast of musical excitement. Rather like a good menu, the programme displayed a variety of styles and colours, both in the choice of pieces and their execution. Opening with a rhythmically incisive and well-paced performance of arguably the hardest choral work in the repertoire, Bach’s Singet dem Herrn captivated the audience from the start. As Cambridge audiences have come to expect, Ralph Woodward’s programming offered some delightful little-known gems between the main events. Le Fleming’s I love all beauteous things was one of the highlights of the evening; the simple, extremely well-shaped and impeccably tuned lines sent the audience out on a high for interval refreshments in the grounds of Queens’ College Chapel. Likewise, Samuel Barber’s The Monk and his cat was probably unknown to most, if not all, of the audience. Charming and satisfyingly different, this brought the concert to a well-rounded close.

With numerous choirs in Cambridge, the Fairhaven Singers have deservedly built up a wide-ranging and loyal audience base. Their programmes draw on a mixture of the sacred and secular repertoire; not only are they a pleasure to listen to, but they’re also good to watch, as the singers all look like they’re in it for the enjoyment of singing. It is a credit to their Director that that inspiration never fails to come across in the music.

Daniel Hyde (Informator Choristarum, Magdalen College, Oxford), 2006

The Blue Skies that Sparkle by the Fairhaven Singers is a tasteful collection of charming songs that reflect the allure and depth of all things natural. This four-part choir under the directorship of Ralph Woodward sing with phenomenal technical ability, presenting a cohesive, balanced and widely expressive sound.

The CD includes works by Britten, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Schumann, Elgar, Stanford, Sibelius, Stevens, Parry, Barber, Sullivan and Pearsall.

Highlights include Britten’s Marsh Flowers, The Evening Primrose and his Ballad of Green Broom, Stanford’s My Love’s an Arbutus and Barber’s To be Sung on the Water.

March Flowers features declamatory accenting of the words, astute orchestration of the parts and sophisticated expression. The voices in The Evening Primrose move with serene beauty, the pace measured and effective, while in Ballad of Green Broom, the voices take on a new light-hearted timbre permeated with rhythmic buoyancy.

Stanford’s My love’s an Arbutus plays tribute to the more traditional style of composition demonstrating that a popular melody can be wonderfully revitalised with fresh beauty and heightened expression.

In Barber’s work, the singers demonstrate a rare ability to colour their highly polished and pictorial choral texture with a real feel for watery reflections imbued with rhythmic subtlety.

This is a beautiful collection of elite music suitable for the most grand of occasions or for a quiet evening of contemplation. It is definitely a CD well worth adding to your collection.

Dr. R.J.Westwell (PhD, MA TESOL, MA Ed, B Mus, BA Hons)

Subtle…  energy… [the] music was communicated in a fresh, exciting way.

Tarsity, October 2005