SMICC - Society for Music in Clare Church

14 October 2023: Con Arte e Maestria

We are very excited about our next concert on October 14. Oliver Webber (violin) and Steven Devine (harpsichord) from the Monteverdi String Band will be joining us to share their programme Con Arte e Maestria. This programme explores the remarkable musical art of "diminution", which flourished around the turn of the 17th Century. Simple melodies were given exquisitely virtuosic embellishments by performers, effectively creating new works. This programme explores the diverse musical personalities on display at the time with a performance that is part improvised and part composed.

A recording of this programme on Resonus Classics in 2021 earned rave reviews from the likes of Gramophone and Early Music Review. We are sure that in the acoustic of the church you will be transported to another time, 400 years ago, in a musical experience like no other.

The performance starts at 7.30pm.

1 April 2023: Bach's St John Passion

We are excited to be joined by the choir and orchestra of St Mary le Tower, Ipswich, with soloist Daniel Joy as the Evangelist, Christopher Borrett conducting, in a performance of J S Bach's St John Passion.

The performance starts at the earlier time of 6.00pm.

15 October 2022: Slideways

Slideways Trombone Quartet returns with a programme entitled 'Things new, borrowed and blue'. It features some of the best of twentieth-century music, taking us from the late romantic period through to the likes of Henry Mancini, Leonard Bernstein and the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Works include transcriptions of works for other brass instruments, original compositions and arrangements, some being heard for the first time.

The performance starts at 7.30pm.

30 April 2022: A Comfort of Voices

Comprised of the pick of amateur and semi-professional female singers from across East Anglia, Serenata will present their programme 'A Comfort of Voices' (Songs of Love and Hope). For those who have not heard a female voice choir before, you will be impressed by the intimacy this particular ensemble can bring to their music. We are in for a treat!

The performance starts at 7.30pm.

26 February 2022: The King of Instruments

We welcome distinguished local organist and keyboard player Christophe Moore for an evening of amazing music for organ. Expect some iconic classics as well as some lesser known gems.

The performance starts at 7.30pm.

16 December 2021: What sweeter music

The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge finish off our 2021 season in style, with a programme of the most beautiful and entertaining of contemporary music for the festive season.

As ever, admission and refreshments are free, with a retiring collection. For this event, we are also selling tickets to reserve a seat in advance (effectively donating early). These tickets are available here:

The performance starts at 7.30pm.

14 March 2020: Local talent concert

In March, we celebrate the wealth of local talent we have in and around Clare. In a programme of fantastic variety we will hear enchanting music from Suffolk Harps, the delightful hand bells of Ring of Bells, and vocal contributions from Stour Valley Youth Choir as well as solo and duet items from talented local young singers.

The performance starts at 7.30pm.

23 October 2021: Granta Chorale

Granta Chorale presents 'A Time to Sing', a varied programme of songs and choruses on the natural world and the passing of time. Music includes Britten's entrancing 'Hymn to St Cecilia', songs from John Rutter’s Birthday Madrigals, Hindemith’s six settings of poems by Rilke, Rheinberger’s sumptuous 'Evening Hymn' and jazz numbers such as 'Autumn Leaves'.

The performance starts at 7.30pm.

2 October 2021: Slideways

Slideways Trombone Quartet presents a varied programme of music that takes us from Gabrieli to Gershwin. The trombone is probaby the oldest of modern instruments, and one of the most versatile. This programme of arrangements and original compositions has something for everyone.

The performance starts at 7.30pm.

3 July 2021: The Food of Love

Hexachordia presents a programme of Shakespearean words and music. Singing and playing on instruments such as the lute, viol, recorder and renaissance guitar, Hexachordia plays Elizabethan music inspired by quotations from the Bard’s work by composers such as Thomas Morley and John Dowland.

The performance starts at 7.30pm.

14 March 2020: Local talent concert

In March, we celebrate the wealth of local talent we have in and around Clare. In a programme of fantastic variety we will hear enchanting music from Suffolk Harps, the delightful hand bells of Ring of Bells, and vocal contributions from Stour Valley Youth Choir as well as solo and duet items from talented local young singers.

The performance starts at 7.30pm.

12 December 2019: Celebration! A festival of songs

St Edmundsbury Male Voice Choir, with guest soloist soprano Gemma Alexander, will entertain us with a fabulous selection of music: folk songs, Welsh hymns, spirituals and some of the best contemporary choral music.

21 June 2019: A Tudor Evening

On 21 June, SMICC is excited to welcome Cambridge Vocal Consort, a mixed-voice octet of former Cambridge choral scholars, to sing a varied programme of madrigals such as Farmer's 'Fair Phyllis', lute songs by Dowland and sacred music such as Byrd's stirring Ave Verum Corpus. The Consort is known for its refreshing approach to concerts, interspersing its performance with interactive and informative spoken programme notes.

The performance starts at 7.45pm.

Free admission

Admission to SMICC concerts is free, and refreshments are provided. However, we do run them to raise money, both for Clare Church itself, and for a nominated charity on each occasion. So we ask for donations at the end of the concert from those who feel able to give them. Thank you in advance for your generous support.

St Peter and St Paul Church, Clare

SMICC concerts are held in the beautiful parish church of St Peter and St Paul in Clare, Suffolk. One of the largest in East Anglia, the church can date its origins back to the 13th century. In fact, it has a list of past priests dating back as far as 1307. More importantly for SMICC, it has a superb acoustic for music, soft but clear.