Our repertoire

Bella Cora was originally a madrigal choir, and still sings a wide repertoire of madrigals, spirituals and classical pieces. Our current Director Travis Baker has got us singing more modern pieces such as songs from the shows and popular hits.

If you'd like to hear a sample of our singing, download the following:

• Il est bel et bon (just over a minute long, mp3 file, 1.1 MB)
  A zippy French madrigal by Passereau.



• Steal Away (two minutes, mp3 file, 1.9 MB)
  A traditional spiritual.



• The Lotus Flower (just under two minutes, mp3 file, 1.6 MB)
  by Schumann - we can sing it in German, too.

Here are just a few examples of other pieces in our repertoire:

Major works: Britten: Antiphon (a work for two choirs); A Ceremony of Carols. Fauré: Messe Basse. Pergolesi: Stabat Mater. Duruflé: Requiem. Haydn: Te Deum in C. We've also sung Wir Eilen from J S Bach's Cantata 78, Jesu, Der Du Meine Seele; and the Sanctus from Bach's B minor Mass

We sing 2, 3 and 4 part songs. Classical composers include; Elgar, Brahms, Holst, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Vaughan Williams, Saint-Saëns and more.

Other composers and pieces:
John Ireland - Ex Ore Innocentium, Evening Song
C.V. Stanford - The Blue Bird, The Lark's Grave, Diaphenia
Fauré - Motets, Messe Basse
Sumsion - Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis
Tavener - A Nativity
Duruflé - Tota Pulchra Es
We also had a flirtation with eastern European composers such as Bartók and Kodaly.

More modern pieces: We can sing songs from the shows such as Putting on the Ritz, That's Entertainment, You'll Never Walk Alone, Moon River and Summertime. We've also learned a few popular hits including California Dreamin' and Mr Sandman, as well as Scarborough Fair/Canticle, The Sound of Silence and Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel.

We have also performed Ernst Toch's 'Geographical Fugue', a spoken piece of music in which words emulate the rhythm and dynamic interplay between the instruments of an orchestra. The piece was directed by former member Jo Kenrick, who also arranged a stunning 4-part version of Balfe's 'The Dream' for unaccompanied voices, and who is sorely missed (but her wedding was wonderful, and we sang at it!)