Faure Requiem and Young Composer Competition winner

South Yorkshire's foremost symphonic choir is pleased to be closing the Classical Sheffield Festival Weekend 2025 with a programme featuring two world premieres and Fauré’s beautiful Requiem in the wonderful acoustic of St Marie’s cathedral.

Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus
Darius Battiwalla - conductor
Neil Taylor - organ

A concert of wonderful contrasts, the first half will start with Gerard Finzi’s rousing "Lo, the full final sacrifice" and feature three captivating new compositions by BBC Radio 3 broadcaster Stephen Johnson; “The Miracle Tree”, “This going hence” and “to wed again“.

Stephen has made hundreds of radio programmes, most notably as presenter of Radio 3’s critically-acclaimed Discovering Music, where he explored pieces of music in detail, playing extracts to help discover what makes them work.

The first half will conclude with the world premiere of the winning work from the Stella Jockel Young Composer Competition, and the prize-giving to all five shortlisted young people.

Set up by the Chorus in 2022, the competition was open to 18 to 35-year olds from Sheffield and is funded by a generous legacy bequeathed by Stella, who sang alto with the choir for many years.

The second half features Gabriel Fauré’s exquisite and much-loved "Requiem", composed between 1887 and 1890.

“Everything I managed to entertain by way of religious illusion I put into my Requiem, which moreover is dominated from beginning to end by a very human feeling of faith in eternal rest.”

A concert of gloriously contrasting choral music sung by one of the region's best choirs - what better way to spend the final evening of this spectacular weekend of classical music!

Finzi: "Lo, the full final sacrifice" Stephen Johnson: three new works: “The Miracle Tree”, “This going hence” and “to wed again” "For music like the sea" the winning work of the 2nd Stella Jockel Young Composer Competition Interval Gabriel Faure: "Requiem"

Tickets £16 (under-16s free) available online (small booking fee) and on the door by cash or card.