We are delighted to welcome the very amiable Hugh Beckwith as the new MD of Egham Choral!
Hugh joined Egham Choral at the start of October 2023 and he very kindly agreed to answer some of our burning questions.
Hugh, what is your favourite piece of choral music?
My favourite choral piece has to be the Dream of Gerontius by Edward Elgar. I’ve sung in the chorus for it many times, but it’s a dream to both sing the part of Gerontius, and conduct the work (hopefully not at the same time…!).
And your favourite Christmas Carol?
My favourite Christmas carol has to be Peter Warlock’s Bethlehem Down. It’s incredibly moving and mysterious, as well as being a nice break from yelling your way through Hark the Herald!
Which three items would you take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?
I would take a cat (doesn’t matter whose), a fishing rod, and some comedy podcasts. Not only would these work if stuck on a desert island, but also have the makings of a heck of a Saturday night.
What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming concert with Egham Choral?
Ooooh now this is a hard one. It is my first time conducting a Messiah rather than singing it, and so I’m super looking forward to experiencing that. With the fantastic Egham Choral I know it will be positively mega.