At this year's Easter at King's Festival, the Philharmonia Chorus took part in performances of Nänie by Brahms, and the Stabat Mater by Rossini on Wednesday 1 April. The Chorus was joined Rachel Nicholls (soprano), Pamela Helen Stephen (mezzo-soprano), Tom Raskin (tenor) and Henry Waddington (bass), and the BBC Concert Orchestra was conducted by Stephen Cleobury. The concert was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.

Today we are launching our first series of Stimmbildung workshops - classical German voice training, to be given by Chorus Master Stefan Bevier on Wednesday and Thursday evenings in April in central London.

Each workshop will last 30 minutes for up to 6 singers of the same voice type (soprano, alto, tenor, bass). These Stimmbildung workshops are open to all singers, whether or not they are members of the Chorus. This is an important opportunity to experience the German approach to voice training, not readily available in the UK.

If you would like to take part or learn more about it, please e-mail the administrator of the workshops, <a href="mailto:Brenda Johnson@philharmoniachorus.co.uk?subject=Open Rehearsal on 4 June">Brenda Smith Johnson</a>

Verdi's Messa de Requiem was performed in the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford on Sunday 15 March with soloists Sumi Hwang (soprano), Fredrika Brillembourg (mezzo-soprano), César Guttiérez (tenor), and Carlo Malinverno (bass), the Philharmonia Chorus and the Oxford Philomusica conducted by Marios Papadopoulos.

The Chorus was privileged to take part in this concert dedicated to the memory of Sir Ronald Grierson, who died in October. Sir Ronald was strong supporter of the arts, and was at one time Chairman of the South Bank.