Corvus Consort - A Million Nightingales

Founded and directed by Freddie Crowley, Corvus Consort is a UK-based vocal ensemble comprising some of the country’s finest young professional singers. Described as “dazzling” and “always full of fresh thinking” by BBC Music Magazine, Corvus’s combination of musical excellence, passionate performance and imaginative presentation makes them hugely popular with audiences nationwide.
A Million Nightingales
Corvus Consort reveals how musicians and poets have drawn inspiration from their avian friends for hundreds of years, in a programme of choral music themed around birds. Charting a course from the 15th century to the present day, the singers of Corvus showcase their great versatility, performing renaissance madrigals, traditional folk songs, 20th-century British music, and contemporary works by leading living composers.
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) Silence and Music
Linda Hirschhorn (b. 1960) I have a million nightingales
POEM Nightingales (by Robert Bridges)
Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) Nightingales
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) The Silver Swan
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) Un Cygne
Jacques Arcadelt (c.1507-1568) Il bianco e dolce cigno
Trad., arr. Freddie Crowley (b. 1995) The Blackest Crow
Trad., arr. John Hearne (b. 1937) The Seagull
POEM Celestial Bird (by Jessica Powers)
Roxanna Panufnik (b. 1968) Celestial Bird
Interval
Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) The Blue Bird
Caroline Shaw (b. 1982) And the swallow
William Cornysh (1465-1523) Ah, Robin
POEM To a Skylark (by Percy Shelley)
Becky McGlade (b. 1974) To a Skylark
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Trois Beaux Oiseaux
Trad., arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) The Turtle Dove
Trad., arr. Edward T. Chapman (1902-1981) The Three Ravens
Clément Janequin (c.1485-1558) Le Chant des Oiseaux
Karine Polwart (b. 1970) Follow the Heron
More details on the Festival website.
Bradfield Festival of Music Association offers a certificate, a cash award and an opportunity for a short, 5 or 10 minute performance to two especially gifted young artists selected by Sheffield Music Hub. The presentation will be made immediately before the concert.
Online ticket sales are available at https://bradfieldfestivalofmusic.littleboxoffice.com/browse from 1st March 2026.
For other booking options (by post, over-the-counter, telephone) and patron tickets for the whole festival, please see the Festival website.