The initiative asks the public for the names and brief details of those close to them whose lives have been affected by any war or conflict over the last hundred years.
Submitted names will be honoured at the concert Unfinished Remembering, a key event in next year’s UK-wide First World War Centenary event calendar.
Written by composer Paul Spicer and poet Euan Tait, Unfinished Remembering is a major choral and orchestral work dedicated to all those affected by war and conflicts since 1914.
The work will receive its World Premiere on 13 September 2014 at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall where it will be performed by international soloists, including William Dazeley (baritone), the Birmingham Bach Choir, Orchestra of the Swan, Chamber Choir of the Conservatoire, and a new Birmingham military choir.
A spokesperson for Birmingham Bach Choir said: “A lot of interest is expected in this appeal as people can put forward friends or relatives, living or dead, caught up in war or conflict, but who have never publicly been remembered or acknowledged.
“It’s a unique opportunity for them to have this wonderful music dedicated to those they wish to honour on the occasion of the centenary next year.
“To them the concert Unfinished Remembering will be dedicated. Their names and stories will be collected over the coming months, and published in the special commemorative concert programme and also online.”
To make a dedication naming your unsung hero, simply visit the Birmingham Bach Choir website – www.birmingham.bachchoir.com – and follow the online instructions.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Name Your Unsung Hero
The appeal has already been launched within the Birmingham Bach Choir and with a number of touching and interesting dedications received. Examples include:
* Private Joseph TOMBS wounded and gassed in France 1916 and 1917. A quiet, gentle man who did his duty and could never bear to tell us what he had endured.
* My dad, Wiktor MALESZEWSKI, Polish Army, escaped wounded 1940 by walking and hiding across Europe. Regrouped with Polish army in UK. Forever heartbroken at the loss of his beloved country.
Name Your Unsung Hero submission forms are available from the Birmingham Bach Choir website for download from Monday 11 November 2013.
2013-2014 Concert Season
Future 2013-2014 concerts include:
Symphonies Of Song
Saturday 23 November 2013
Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham
Performing works by Dyson (The Blacksmiths), Stravinsky (Symphony Of Psalms), Britten (Mazurka Elegiaca, Op 23 No 2).
Carols By Candlelight
Saturday 14 December 2013
St Francis’ Church, Bournville, Birmingham
The Choirs’ regular concert of seasonal music and readings in support of St Mary’s Hospice, Selly Oak.
Nine Lessons and Carols
Sunday 22 December 2013
St Paul’s Church, St Paul’s Square, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
Traditional service in one of the city’s loveliest buildings.
Come and Sing
Saturday 1 February 2014
Selly Oak Methodist Church, Langleys Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham
Opportunity to see the choir rehearsing Handel’s Messiah.
Song of the Lamb – Sacred German Voices
Saturday 29 March 2014
Birmingham Oratory, Edgbaston, Birmingham
Performing works by JS Bach, Leighton, Scarlatti, MacMillan & Whitacre
Song of the Lamb – Sacred German Voices
Saturday 12 April 2014
Tewkesbury Abbey, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire
JS Bach, Leighton, Scarlatti, MacMillan & Whitacre
Unfinished Remembering
Saturday 13 September 2014
Symphony Hall, Birmingham
World premier of Paul Spicer and poet Euan Tait’s choral symphony marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in 1914; plus Dona Nobis Pacen by Vaughan Williams and the National Song ‘A Shared Singing’ to be performed by a new military choir
Ticket for all concerts available from 0121 705 4418; by email: tickets@birmingham.bachchoir.com; book online via: www.birmingham.bachchoir.com
* Selected media review tickets for all concerts available upon request.
About Birmingham Bach Choir
The Birmingham Bach Choir has been contributing to the musical life of the West Midlands since 1919, making it one of the oldest musical groups in the area. Although they perform music spanning over 300 years, their main focus is the music of JS Bach and the Baroque period.
2013/2014 marks Birmingham Bach Choirs’ 95th season and includes the World Premiere of a brand new choral symphony by Spicer and Tait to mark the outbreak of The Great War – a key event in the UK-wide First World War Centenary programme.
For more information, see: www.birmingham.bachchoir.com
About the First World War Centenary
One hundred years on, we are all connected to the First World War, either through our own family history, the heritage of our local communities or because of its long-term impact on society and the world we live in today.
From 2014 to 2018, across the world, nations, communities and individuals of all ages will come together to mark, commemorate and remember the lives of those who lived, fought and died in the First World War.
IWM (Imperial War Museums) is leading the First World War Centenary Partnership, a network of local, regional, national and international cultural and educational organisations.
Together, through the First World War Centenary Programme, a vibrant global programme of cultural events and activities, and online resources, we are connecting current and future generations with the lives, stories and impact of the First World War.
For more information see: www.1914.org
- For more details, interview requests and review tickets, please contact us:
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