Joyful Company of Singers

  • Home
  • ABOUT US
  • PERFORMANCES
  • RECORDINGS
  • GALLERY
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT

OUR BLOG

  • JCS conductor Peter Broadbent awarded the Knight’s Cross of Merit of Hungary

    jcosco_admin
    Jan 25, 2016
    Conductors, Peter Broadbent

    Peter Broadbent, conductor and founding director of the Joyful Company of Singers was awarded the Knight’s Cross of Merit of Hungary by President János Áder for promoting and strengthening British-Hungarian cultural relations. Peter Broadbent has been working tirelessly since the late 1970s to perform classical and contemporary Hungarian music to audiences across the UK and Europe. The prestigious award was presented to Peter Broadbent by Ambassador Péter Szabadhegy at the Embassy of Hungary in London on 19 January 2016 to coincide with the National Day of Hungarian Culture.

    Peter Broadbent is one of Britain’s leading choral conductors, known for his consistent commitment to contemporary music, and to Hungarian music in particular.

    It was in the late 1970s, when he was conducting a children’s choir in London that he discovered Béla Bartók’s Twenty-seven songs for children’s and women’s choirs, which instantly became his staple repertoire. In the Bartók Centenary year Peter Broadbent devised a programme of Bartók’s music at All Soul’s Church, Langham Place, also featuring his singer wife Janet Scott-Evans.

    In 1988 Peter Broadbent formed the Joyful Company of Singers (JCS), which rapidly established itself as a leading chamber choir, winning prizes in the UK and Europe. As a result, Peter Broadbent was invited to be on the Jury of the Tolosa competition in 1995 where he joined the Hungarian composer Emil Petrovics, accompanied by Márta Aradi, Secretary of the Béla Bartók Choral Competition (BBCC) of Debrecen, who invited Broadbent to the Jury of the BBCC. This invitation gave an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of Hungarian music through a relationship with Bartók’s homeland and its people.

    1996 saw the first of many visits to Debrecen and the BBCC, where the jury included musical personalities from all over the world, presided over by composers Petrovics and Kocsár and conductor István Párkai. The prescribed works were all by contemporary Hungarian composers. In 1998 Peter Broadbent took the Joyful Company of Singers to compete in Debrecen, and prepared music by Miklós Kocsár, János Vajda and Ferenc Farkas, winning the Chamber Choir category.

    In 2006 Peter Broadbent was presented with the award Pro Cultura Hungarica. But this recognition did not stop him! Further visits to Hungary, including as President of the Jury for the European Grand Prix competition in 2008, gave opportunities for even more discoveries. In 2009 he was invited by András Farkas, son of composer Ferenc Farkas, to join him as a teacher on the Oratorio conducting course in Pomáz.

    2011 was the year of the Liszt Bicentenary and the first six months saw the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. This gave an opportunity for the JCS to cooperate with the Hungarian Cultural Centre in presenting a concert at Kings Place in which choral and piano music by Liszt was interspersed with music by Bartók, Kodály, Farkas, Ligeti, Orbán, Vajda, and Csemiczky. Another opportunity to collaborate with the Hungarian Cultural Centre came in December 2014 with a joint Advent concert including Hungarian music.

    In September 2015 the Hungarian Cultural Centre commemorated the 70th Anniversary of Bartók’s death with performances by the Joyful Company of Singers under Peter Broadbent, the New London Children’s Choir under Ronald Corp and two young Hungarian artists, Julia Pusker (violin) Renáta Konyicska (piano). Peter Broadbent is now working with our Embassy to prepare another concert in Canterbury in May 2016 to commemorate Thomas Becket.

Categories

  • News (71)
  • Repertoire (4)
  • Videos (10)

Archives

  • May 2022 (2)
  • April 2022 (1)
  • February 2022 (1)
  • January 2022 (1)
  • October 2021 (3)
  • July 2021 (2)
  • May 2021 (1)
  • December 2020 (4)
  • November 2020 (1)
  • October 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (4)
  • June 2020 (3)
  • May 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (1)
  • March 2020 (4)
  • February 2020 (2)
  • January 2020 (1)
  • November 2019 (1)
  • October 2019 (1)
  • September 2019 (1)
  • July 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (1)
  • May 2019 (3)
  • April 2019 (1)
  • March 2019 (2)
  • February 2019 (2)
  • December 2018 (1)
  • November 2018 (2)
  • August 2018 (1)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • April 2018 (3)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • February 2018 (2)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • December 2017 (1)
  • September 2017 (2)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • March 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (1)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (1)
  • February 2016 (1)
  • January 2016 (1)
  • October 2013 (1)
  • September 2013 (2)
  • July 2013 (1)
© Copyright 2021 Joyful Company of Singers | Website by SMB Solutions | Background photo - Carol Hartfree | Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS Feeds
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT