The sounds of the Siege of York

Help rediscover music from the Siege of York

This year will be the 20th anniversary of the Ebor Singers, and to celebrate we have launched our most ambitious project ever - the discovery and recording of the music of the Siege of York. We are constantly inspired by the support the choir receives and hope you will consider helping us to make this exciting project a great success.

The Ebor Singers

Acclaimed for performances and recordings that sparkle with fresh insight and vibrant musicality, we have earned a reputation as one of the most exciting vocal ensembles in the North of England.

Founded by our Musical Director Dr Paul Gameson in 1995, we have been featured on Radio 3's Late Junction, Radio 4, BBC 4 and Channel 4. We regularly sing services in York Minster and to capacity audiences in York and further afield. Our concerts and recordings have won critical praise including 'performance with a natural, unflamboyant grace' (The Independent), and 'The Ebor Singers impress throughout, their sounds is decidedly fresh and immediate and their precision admirable' (Gramaphone Magazine).

Hear us perform music old and new at: Ebor Singers Soundcloud. And do let us know what you think on Twitter or Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/eborsingers

https://twitter.com/eborsingers

Picture the scene

It is 1644 and the City of York has been under military siege for 12 weeks. The Royalist army has been defeated at the Battle of Marston Moor and the north of England has been lost to the Crown. The joint armies of Parliament and Scotland surround the City with cannons placed within firing range of York Minster and troops threatening to breach the City walls.

Yet, despite the turmoil and the ravages of war, every Sunday, the Minster and the city's churches are filled with the sound of stunning choral music - sometimes quite literally against a backdrop of cannon fire.

Discovery and recording

This project gives you the opportunity to take part in the creation of a lasting musical legacy to this tumultuous period.

Over the next 3 months, the Ebor Singers, together with Chelys Consort of Viols, will be creating 2 spectacular new recordings 'The Sounds of Drums' and 'A Cavalier Christmas', both of which will include music that has never been recorded before.

Both recordings will be available in CD format and to download and our supporters will even have the chance to take part in the recordings as a member of the congregation under siege in York Minster.

However, recordings are an expensive business and we need to raise money to produce a professional standard of work. This includes the cost of:

- Recording venue

- Recording engineer and editor

- Professional instrumentalists

- CD production

Help us succeed

The recording will also enable us to develop musically and professionally. The intensity of rehearsing and recording fosters a sense of ensemble in quite a unique way. Once we have a master disc we shall try and find a label to distribute and promote the CD, but we will promote it ourselves if not. The disc will also raise our profile when approaching festival and concert promoters.
Please do consider making a gift to support this exciting project.
This site currently takes payments through Paypal, and whilst we know that many people are registered for this we appreciate that others are not. We are currently working to enable donations by an additional supplier, but until then to support this project you can also make a gift by visiting www.yorkspace.net/giving/donate/uk and choosing other as the designation and listing the project name in the descriptions box. Please be aware that these gifts are non-refundable.
Please share this project with anyone you think would support us – on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, by email, telephone, in a chat over the fence or on your blog