Anyone with a love of music – whether singing, playing or listening – knows that the experience can conjure up very personal and strong emotions. Singers and audience members at Royston Choral Society (RCS) concerts often report that they are moved by music in ways that are unexpected and not easily explained.
When choir member Chris Lee was asked to recall a concert at which he felt particularly moved, he suggested it was the first time he performed The Armed Man by contemporary composer Karl Jenkins.
“Even though it was more than ten years ago, I still get a tingle down my spine when I think about it. I was singing with RCS and other choirs in a large packed sports hall. The overriding emotion for me was a sense of hope for peace in a dangerous world (that, sadly, seems as dangerous now as it did a decade ago). It was being performed on Remembrance Sunday – no doubt that added to the poignancy.”
The Armed Man – described as ‘a mass for peace’ – features in the first concert in the Choral Society’s 2026/ 27 season which is a week after Remembrance Sunday. Also on the programme is Gloria – a work by the French composer and pianist Francis Poulenc. The concert is 7.30pm on Saturday 14th November in Royston Parish Church.
Other diary dates for the choir’s 2026/27 season at 12th December (a night of Christmas music); 24th April 2027 (Mendelssohn’s Elijah) and 19th June (a summer celebration).
