Faire is the heaven - beginnings in Bournville
Velvety richness, silky smooth notes, moments of pure indulgence … several of life’s pleasures began in Bournville! We return to the scene of our earliest concerts to celebrate the music Ex Cathedra performed during its first two decades - when the group was fully amateur and included several emerging stars. A moment of pure bliss!
Programme includes:
Bainton And I saw a new heaven
Bacharach Anyone who had a heart
Bates Blessed are the peacemakers
Cavalieri Medici wedding music (extract)
Fauré Libera me (from the Requiem)
Gibbons Blessed are all they
Harris Faire is the heaven
Joubert Three Portraits
Parry I was glad
Sheppard Reges Tharsis
Vaughan Williams Three Shakespeare Songs
EX CATHEDRA
Jeffrey Skidmore conductor
Martyn Rawles organ
Running time is approx. 2 hours including interval.
You are invited to bring your own soft drinks and snacks for the interval.
Please note this concert is on Saturday 9 November, not "Wednesday 9 November" as incorrectly stated in the printed version of our season brochure.
How to book
£26 including per ticket commission
£15 - aged 18-30, not in full-time education
£5 - under 18s and students in full-time education
Book online or call the B:Music box office on 0121 780 3333
Ex Cathedra is an Associate Artist at Symphony Hall & Town Hall (B:Music venues)
Buy 2+ concerts & save up to £9.50 per ticket
There are considerable savings if you book 2 or more tickets at the same time from the B:Music box office. Find full details on our Ways to save page.
B:Music operate a Ticket Exchange Scheme should your plans change.
How to find the venue
St Francis' Church is located in the centre of Bournville next to the Cadbury factory. Roadside parking is available.
Bournville is served by a number of bus routes including nos.11, 20, & 27.
Access
Everyone is welcome at our concerts, and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure you have a great experience.
Level access is available for St Francis’ Church via the southwest (main) door. Accessible toilets are located in the adjoining community centre which will be open and are located on the northeast side of the church. To reach these toilets without using steps it is necessary to go around the outside of the building.
Designated, discounted wheelchair and companion spaces have been allocated on the ends of rows; please call the box office to book these.
If you have any other access questions, please contact us, we are happy to help.
Concert FAQs
Find answers to your questions here. Do let us know if we've missed anything you'd find helpful.
Jeffrey's introduction to the season
"Faire is the heaven takes place in the idealistic utopian Birmingham village of Bournville. From a council estate in Northfield I went to school there and was a chorister at St Francis Church. This programme includes music from Ex Cathedra’s first 20 years or so when I was a full-time teacher in four comprehensive schools in the region and all the singers, and the players, performed just for fun! Well-loved, popular and typically innovative repertoire was mixed with commissions from John Joubert and Martin Bates, and much of the music brings to mind the group’s ‘legendary’ trips to Cork, Lyon, Leipzig and Milan. These special occasions built the ethos of the choir."
