Mozart Solemn Vespers and Haydn Nelson Mass
5 December 2026 7:30pm
West Road Concert Hall
Tickets : £26, £19, £12 (general) £24, £17, £10 (concessions), £5 (students & U18s)
Mozart Vesperae Solennes de Confessore (K339)
Haydn Nelson Mass
Cambridge University Symphony Chorus
East Anglia Chamber Orchestra
David Young conductor
Lydia Baldwin soprano
Helena Paish mezzo soprano
Hugo Williamson tenor
Alex Semple bass
Join Cambridge University Symphony Chorus and the East Anglia Chamber Orchestra for an evening of two masterpieces of the Classical choral repertoire at West Road Concert Hall.
Under the direction of David Young, the programme opens with Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes de Confessore (K.339), a setting of the Vespers liturgy that combines jubilant choruses, lyrical solo writing, and the soaring beauty of the celebrated fifth movement Laudate Dominum.
After the interval, Haydn’s powerful Nelson Mass brings the evening to a dramatic conclusion. Written at a time of political upheaval and later associated with Admiral Nelson’s victories, the work is one of Haydn’s most compelling sacred compositions, renowned for its striking orchestration, thrilling choruses, and moments of profound reflection.
David Young is Cambridge University Symphony Chorus’s Musical Director – a role which he combines with a busy schedule of freelance conducting and regular appointments. David’s work with CUSC has included Mendelssohn Elijah at West Road Concert Hall and Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius in Ely Cathedral as well as a performance and recording of the same work in Helsinki, working with Nicholas Collon and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Future plans with the Chorus include Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony at Ely Cathedral with soprano Sophie Bevan and baritone Dan D’Souza, Brahms’ Requiem in Saffron Hall with East Anglia Chamber Orchestra, and Poulenc’s Stabat Mater in King’s College Chapel under the baton of Sian Edwards.
Since 2019 David has been Chorus Director with the National Symphony Orchestra, Ireland, where he has prepared choirs for Anja Bihlmaier, Jaime Martín, Leonard Slatkin and many more. The 2024-25 season comprises of Puccini Messa di Gloria (Carlo Rizzi); Stanford Requiem (Gerhard Markson); Mozart Requiem and Arvo Pärt Berliner Messe (David Brophy); James MacMillan St John Passion (David Hill) and Haydn The Creation (Peter Whelan).
David is also Musical Director of Musarc, one of the UK’s leading experimental choirs. During his tenure collaborated with artists including Keiji Heino, Jack Sheen and Holly Herndon, and performed music by composers as diverse as Purcell, Brahms, Jennifer Walshe, Julius Eastman, and Lili Boulanger.
As guest conductor and chorus master he has appeared with the BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus, Chamber Choir Ireland, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, RTÉ Concert Orchestra and Huddersfield Choral Society, among many others. David’s previous appointments include successful tenures as Musical Director of Cardiff Polyphonic Choir, Reading Bach Choir, Dorking Choral Society and Stafford Choral Society, and as Choral Director at the Yehudi Menuhin School, as well as a fellowship with the RSNO Chorus. Orchestral concert highlights have included Bach St Matthew Passion in the National Concert Hall, Dublin, Handel Messiah in St David’s Hall, Monteverdi Vespers in Llandaff Cathedral,Handel Dixit Dominus at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and Elgar The Dream of Gerontius in Lichfield Cathedral.
