Building on the success of last year’s Faure’s Requiem, on Sunday 21 April Hurst’s Director of Music, Neil Matthews, led over 80 members of the Hurst Foundation community through the intricacies of Vivaldi’s fantastic choral work, Gloria, culminating in an early evening performance for friends and family. The wonderfully sunny nature of the Gloria, with its distinctive melodies and rhythms, is characteristic of all of Vivaldi’s music, giving it an immediate and universal appeal. The choir was accompanied in the morning by Kate Bray, on the piano, whilst for the performance itself there was a 12 piece orchestra.  Singers of all abilities rehearsed throughout the day, covering all aspects of the choral movements, with a mid-morning and lunch break to keep them going. Amongst those attending, we were delighted to welcome back OJs old and young and also former members of staff, including Jane Firth, Anthea McQueen, and Nick Edey. We were also delighted that Rachel Lloyd (wife of Luke Gasper, Hurst’s Director of Drama) a mezzo-soprano currently performing at the Royal Opera House in Lucia di Lammermoor, could join us and inspire others with her professional musicality. Neil Matthews said, “It was such an enjoyable day and amazing to see how much we progressed in one day. It was lovely to see new and old faces and look forward to seeing everyone next year!”