Welcome Joy - A Celebration of Women’s Voices Corvus Consort, Louise Thomson & Freddie Crowley

• Imogen Holst (1907 - 1984): Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow:
• 1 Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: I. Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow 01:40
• 2 Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: II. Teignmouth 01:46
• 3 Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: III. Over the Hill and over the Dale 01:01
• 4 Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: IV. O Sorrow 03:09
• 5 Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: V. Lullaby 02:39
• 6 Holst: Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow: VI. Shed no Tear 01:35
• Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934): Two Eastern Pictures, H112:
• 7 Holst: Two Eastern Pictures, H112: I. Spring 02:03
• 8 Holst: Two Eastern Pictures, H 112: II. Summer 03:32
• Judith Weir (b. 1954): We sekyn here rest:
• 9 Weir: We sekyn here rest 04:11
• Hilary Campbell (b. 1983): Our Endless Day:
• 10 Campbell: Our Endless Day 03:52
• Elizabeth Poston (1905 - 1987): An English Day-Book:
• 11 Poston: An English Day-Book: I. A Bellman’s Song 01:29
• 12 Poston: An English Day-Book: II. Te lucis ante terminum 01:49
• 13 Poston: An English Day-Book: III. A Night Curse 01:21
• 14 Poston: An English Day-Book: IV. Lemady: Maying Song 04:01
• 15 Poston: An English Day-Book: V. A Charm against the Bumble Bee 03:06
• 16 Poston: An English Day-Book: VI. Interlude for Harp 02:10
• 17 Poston: An English Day-Book: VII. The Noonday Heat 02:16
• 18 Poston: An English Day-Book: VIII. Running Set: Spring 01:44
• 19 Poston: An English Day-Book: IX. Evening Song (The Priest’s Chant) 01:38
• 20 Poston: An English Day-Book: X. Sweet Suffolk Owl 02:14
• 21 Poston: An English Day-Book: XI. A Bellman’s Song (Mvt 1 abridged) 01:00
• Olivia M. Sparkhall: Lux Aeterna:
• 22 Sparkhall: Lux Aeterna 04:33
• Gemma McGregor: Love was his meaning:
• 23 McGregor: Love was his meaning 03:52
• Gustav Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26, Third Group, H 99:
• 24 Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26, Third Group, H 99: I. Hymn to the Dawn 03:19
• 25 Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26, Third Group, H 99: II. Hymn to the Waters 02:17
• 26 Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26, Third Group, H 99: III. Hymn to Vena (The Sun Rising through the Mist) 05:22
• 27 Holst: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 26, Third Group, H 99: IV. Hymn of the Travellers 02:41
• Shruthi Rajasekar (b. 1996): Ushās – Goddess of Dawn:
• 28 Rajasekar: Ushās – Goddess of Dawn 03:36
• Priestess:
• 29 Rajasekar: Priestess 03:43
• Gustav Holst: Dirge and Hymeneal, H 124:
• 30 Holst: Dirge and Hymeneal, H 124 04:29
• Total Runtime 01:22:08

Info for Welcome Joy - A Celebration of Women’s Voices

For their second album on Chandos, Freddie Crowley and his Corvus Consort – joined by the harpist Louise Thomson – turn their attention to a rich vein of choral music written for women’s voices and harp. Gustav Holst was a champion of women’s voices and taught in several girls’ schools, most famously at St Paul’s Girls’ School, Hammersmith, where he worked for almost thirty years. His contribution to this genre is represented by three works: Two Eastern Pictures, Dirge and Hymeneal, and more substantially his Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda. These works provide a frame for the bulk of the programme – mostly written by British women. Works by Imogen Holst and Elizabeth Poston lead us towards the more recent generations – Judith Weir, Gemma McGregor, and on to Olivia Sparkhall, and Hilary Campbell. The Indian composer Shruthi Rajasekar was invited to compose for this programme in response to the Third Group of Gustav Holst’s Choral Hymns. Both Ushās – Goddess of Dawn and Priestess not only add exciting new repertoire for these unusual forces, but explore directly Holst’s engagement with ancient Hindu texts.

Louise Thomson, harp
Corvus Consort
Freddie Crowley, direction

Louise Thomson
is a versatile and accomplished harpist, with an innovative and virtuosic approach that enables her to explore the instrument’s capabilities to the full.

Her exceptional talent has taken her to some of the UK’s most prestigious concert venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Cardiff’s St David’s Hall, and the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. She has performed with many of the country’s leading ensembles, including the Hallé, Manchester Camerata, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra and Manchester Concert Orchestra. Louise has appeared live on BBC Radio 3 and made her television debut on BBC 1’s ‘Heaven and Earth’ show, performing alongside soprano Katherine Jenkins.

She performs on a Salvi Diva, a one-of-a-kind, personalised pedal harp renowned for its powerful depth of sound and cutting-edge design. Louise’s current virtuosic recital programme reflects the contemporary and forward-thinking nature of her Salvi Diva, an instrument that conveys both her technical brilliance and artistic expression.

Recent highlights of Louise’s career include performances at the Buxton, Ryedale and Ripon Festivals, as well as a residency at the 2023 Whiddon Autumn Festival. In addition to her solo work Louise regularly collaborates with the Corvus Consort, a talented young vocal ensemble. Together, they have performed at many UK festivals and at venues such as King’s Place, London. Their recording ‘Welcome Joy’, a celebration of women’s voices, will be released by Chandos Records in September.

Beyond her performing career, Louise is a dedicated and passionate teacher, nurturing a vibrant harp community in the North of England. She teaches at Chetham’s School of Music, Withington Girls’ School and The Manchester Grammar School. She also serves as the harp tutor at Huddersfield University and is a visiting tutor at both the Royal Northern College of Music and its Junior Department. In 2024, Louise curated and served as the musical director of the inaugural Manchester Harp Festival, an event which solidified Manchester’s place on the global harp scene and showcased Louise’s leadership and vision within the harp community.

Louise gained significant recognition early in her career by winning the Harp Finals at the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales in 2003 and reaching the finals of the London International Harp Competition in 2005. In 2007 she was shortlisted to audition for the then Prince of Wales for the prestigious position of Royal Harpist and had the honour of performing for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at The Royal Variety Performance. In 2022, Louise was selected to perform at the World Harp Congress in collaboration with presenter Polly Ives. Together, they frequently present in schools and theatres as part of ‘Concerteenies’, an award-winning producer of musical events for young children and their families.

Louise’s musical journey began at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, where she studied under Eira Lynn Jones. During her time there she won the Ida Carroll String Prize for outstanding musical achievement and earned an entrance scholarship to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). She was awarded a First Class BMus (Hons) degree, a postgraduate diploma (PGDip) with Distinction in Performance in 2006, and a master’s degree (MMus) in 2007, again with Distinction in Performance, in addition to winning the prestigious Concerto Competition. After completing her formal education, Louise was immediately invited to join the “Live Music Now Scheme”, founded by Yehudi Menuhin, where she toured extensively giving solo recitals and educational workshops to diverse audiences across the UK.

Craig Ogden, the renowned guitarist, aptly describes Louise as “a consummate performer: fluid technique combined with beautiful artistry, compelling programmes, excellent and clear spoken introductions and a personality that audiences love”

Freddie Crowley
maintains a busy musical career as an ensemble and solo singer, conductor, arranger, educator and artistic director. He is the Founder and Director of both Corvus Consort and the Whiddon Autumn Festival, an annual arts festival in the picturesque Devon countryside.

As an ensemble singer he has performed with choirs including The Sixteen, London Voices, Philharmonia Voices, Oxford Bach Soloists, The Carice Singers and Echo, with highlights such as Tallis’s Spem in alium at the BBC Proms 2022 with The Sixteen.

Freddie was a member of the 2018-19 cohort of Genesis Sixteen (The Sixteen’s young artists’ programme led by Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan), held a 2019-20 Fellowship with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, and was chosen to be a Making Music Selected Artist for the 2020-21 season.

As an educator Freddie frequently delivers singing workshops in schools around the country, with a particular focus on state schools whose music provision is limited, often working as part of the Learning & Engagement teams for The Sixteen and the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain.

Freddie graduated in 2018 with a prize-winning Music degree from Merton College, Oxford, where he also held a choral scholarship. While at university, he was selected for the Voces Academy Musical Leadership Programme, sang as a member of jazz a cappella group The Oxford Gargoyles, and made frequent musical theatre appearances.

Freddie grew up on the edge of Dartmoor in rural Devon, singing as a chorister in Exeter Cathedral. On first moving to London, he pursued careers in both the music and coffee industries, working for a while at Monmouth Coffee Company. Freddie now lives in Islington, but can be found in the depths of Dartmoor whenever he has the chance.

This album contains no booklet.