Director of Music Howard Ionascu
Associate Director of Music Stephen Tanner
Honorary Patron Countess Cecilia Rodrigo
Honorary President The Lord Mayor of Exeter
Honorary Vice Presidents Paul Morgan, Raymond Calcraft, Andrew Millington
Associate Director of Music Stephen Tanner
Honorary Patron Countess Cecilia Rodrigo
Honorary President The Lord Mayor of Exeter
Honorary Vice Presidents Paul Morgan, Raymond Calcraft, Andrew Millington
With around 100 members, Exeter Philharmonic Choir has a long tradition of singing choral music, old and new. We always perform with professional orchestras and soloists to maintain our quality of music-making.
Founded in 1846, the choir sang its first concert in 1847, Handel’s much-loved Messiah. Since then we have given concerts in Exeter every year without interruption, despite world wars and pandemics. We have also toured in Spain, Germany and the Isle of Wight, recorded two CDs and performed Joaquín Rodrigo’s music in London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Founded in 1846, the choir sang its first concert in 1847, Handel’s much-loved Messiah. Since then we have given concerts in Exeter every year without interruption, despite world wars and pandemics. We have also toured in Spain, Germany and the Isle of Wight, recorded two CDs and performed Joaquín Rodrigo’s music in London’s Royal Festival Hall.
2024/25 season
The current season opened on 9 November 2024 at Holy Trinity Church, Exmouth, when four soloists and The Handel Sinfony ensemble joined the choir for Handel’s much-loved Messiah. In an innovation devised by director of music Howard Ionascu, traditional blocks of sopranos, altos, tenors and basses were replaced by smaller groups of mixed voice parts, creating a greater depth of sound. As the last notes of ‘Worthy is the Lamb’ faded away, the audience rose to give a standing ovation.
Our popular two nights of ‘Carols in the Cathedral’ in December attracted large audiences to hear guest soprano Milly Forrest and trumpeters Cameron Todd and Ross Brown perform with the choir. The highlight of the festive repertoire was A Winter’s Night, a cantata by renowned English composer Cecilia McDowall. Looking ahead, we are excited that she has accepted our commission to compose a new work for our November 2025 concert in Exeter Cathedral, the start of the choir’s 180th season!
Before then, on 15 March 2025 we welcome London Mozart Players and Joel Munday to the Cathedral for a special evening of music by Mozart, including his Great Mass in C minor and Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat major. ‘A Feast of English Choral Music’ will complete the season on 14 June, featuring baritone Thomas Humphreys and organ soloist Stephen Tanner.
2023/24 season
In November 2023 we welcomed Isca Ensemble, vocal soloists and oboe player Fergus McCready to Exeter Cathedral for a programme of Baroque music, including Concerto in D minor for oboe, strings and continuo by Marcello and Handel’s Dixit Dominus.
Our ‘Carols in the Cathedral’ concerts in December included a carol composed for the choir by associate director of music Stephen Tanner. Special guest artist was Julian Poore on solo trumpet.
In March 2024, some 200 musicians from Exeter Philharmonic Choir, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, four vocal soloists and a dozen guest singers assembled in Exeter Cathedral for an outstanding performance of Verdi’s dramatic Requiem.
In May, two rising opera stars, soprano Camilla Harris and tenor Rhys Batt, and two local keyboard maestros, Stephen Tanner and Andrew Downton, shared the stage with the choir for ‘An Evening at the Opera’, a gala concert of arias, duets and choruses spanning four centuries, from Monteverdi to Puccini.
2022/23 season
Variety was the keynote of our 2022/23 season. We celebrated the late Queen Elizabeth II’s long reign with a concert entitled ‘Gloria’ in November. Our two concerts of ‘Carols in the Cathedral’ in December featured soprano Amy Carson as guest soloist.
In March 2023 we took a fascinating journey back to 17th-century Venice for Monteverdi’s monumental Vespers of 1610. The combined forces of EPC, Devon County Junior Choir, world-class professional singers and His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts thrilled the audience with their sounds and technical brilliance.
Our summer concert in May was combined with a workshop exploring Sir Karl Jenkins’ choral classic, The Armed Man. The day ended with a moving performance of the work, enhanced by guest musicians on keyboard, trumpet, cello and percussion.
Other musical highlights
During the extended Covid restrictions of March 2020 to May 2021, members met virtually on Zoom and, when permitted, rehearsed together in the open air. So we were overjoyed to return to Exeter Cathedral for the start of the choir’s 175th season in November 2021, appropriately with Fauré’s poignant Requiem. In December Isca Voices were our guests at our two nights of ‘Carols in the Cathedral’. In March 2022 we performed Brahms’ monumental Ein deutsches Requiem in Exeter Cathedral with London Mozart Players.
Our 2019/20 season had begun with English and American music at Holy Trinity Church, Exmouth, followed by our two Carol concerts in Exeter Cathedral with Winchester College Quiristers and Chaconne Brass. In March 2020 our performance of Beethoven Missa Solemnis in Exeter Cathedral, accompanied by the English Chamber Orchestra, took place literally just one week before the nationwide lockdown began.
Looking further back, the choir’s 2018/19 season had opened with Bruckner Mass in E minor and John Rutter Requiem in November 2018. In March 2019 we performed Haydn Creation with the London Mozart Players. Then the choir made its debut appearance in Exeter’s Northcott Theatre in June 2019, performing Rossini Petite Messe solennelle and Brahms Liebeslieder-Walzer.
Howard Ionascu was appointed as the choir’s Director of Music in September 2017. His first season in 2017/18 included a Mozart concert in Exeter Cathedral, including the Requiem and Clarinet Concerto, and a concert of French and English music at Buckfast Abbey.
The choir celebrated its 170th anniversary season in 2016/17 with three masterworks in Exeter Cathedral – Handel Messiah, Verdi Requiem and Elgar The Dream of Gerontius, the latter chosen by Andrew Millington for his final performance with the choir before his retirement as our Director of Music.
Other outstanding performances of recent years included a nautical-themed concert in March 2016 in Exeter Cathedral, featuring Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony, together with the first performance of Andrew Millington’s new work, The Seafarer, based on an Anglo-Saxon poem from the unique 10th-century Exeter Book, housed in Exeter Cathedral’s Library and Archives.
In 2012 the choir joined the Scottish National Orchestra and Exeter Cathedral Choir for the first recording of the Lazarus Requiem by contemporary composer Patrick Hawes.
The current season opened on 9 November 2024 at Holy Trinity Church, Exmouth, when four soloists and The Handel Sinfony ensemble joined the choir for Handel’s much-loved Messiah. In an innovation devised by director of music Howard Ionascu, traditional blocks of sopranos, altos, tenors and basses were replaced by smaller groups of mixed voice parts, creating a greater depth of sound. As the last notes of ‘Worthy is the Lamb’ faded away, the audience rose to give a standing ovation.
Our popular two nights of ‘Carols in the Cathedral’ in December attracted large audiences to hear guest soprano Milly Forrest and trumpeters Cameron Todd and Ross Brown perform with the choir. The highlight of the festive repertoire was A Winter’s Night, a cantata by renowned English composer Cecilia McDowall. Looking ahead, we are excited that she has accepted our commission to compose a new work for our November 2025 concert in Exeter Cathedral, the start of the choir’s 180th season!
Before then, on 15 March 2025 we welcome London Mozart Players and Joel Munday to the Cathedral for a special evening of music by Mozart, including his Great Mass in C minor and Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat major. ‘A Feast of English Choral Music’ will complete the season on 14 June, featuring baritone Thomas Humphreys and organ soloist Stephen Tanner.
2023/24 season
In November 2023 we welcomed Isca Ensemble, vocal soloists and oboe player Fergus McCready to Exeter Cathedral for a programme of Baroque music, including Concerto in D minor for oboe, strings and continuo by Marcello and Handel’s Dixit Dominus.
Our ‘Carols in the Cathedral’ concerts in December included a carol composed for the choir by associate director of music Stephen Tanner. Special guest artist was Julian Poore on solo trumpet.
In March 2024, some 200 musicians from Exeter Philharmonic Choir, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, four vocal soloists and a dozen guest singers assembled in Exeter Cathedral for an outstanding performance of Verdi’s dramatic Requiem.
In May, two rising opera stars, soprano Camilla Harris and tenor Rhys Batt, and two local keyboard maestros, Stephen Tanner and Andrew Downton, shared the stage with the choir for ‘An Evening at the Opera’, a gala concert of arias, duets and choruses spanning four centuries, from Monteverdi to Puccini.
2022/23 season
Variety was the keynote of our 2022/23 season. We celebrated the late Queen Elizabeth II’s long reign with a concert entitled ‘Gloria’ in November. Our two concerts of ‘Carols in the Cathedral’ in December featured soprano Amy Carson as guest soloist.
In March 2023 we took a fascinating journey back to 17th-century Venice for Monteverdi’s monumental Vespers of 1610. The combined forces of EPC, Devon County Junior Choir, world-class professional singers and His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts thrilled the audience with their sounds and technical brilliance.
Our summer concert in May was combined with a workshop exploring Sir Karl Jenkins’ choral classic, The Armed Man. The day ended with a moving performance of the work, enhanced by guest musicians on keyboard, trumpet, cello and percussion.
Other musical highlights
During the extended Covid restrictions of March 2020 to May 2021, members met virtually on Zoom and, when permitted, rehearsed together in the open air. So we were overjoyed to return to Exeter Cathedral for the start of the choir’s 175th season in November 2021, appropriately with Fauré’s poignant Requiem. In December Isca Voices were our guests at our two nights of ‘Carols in the Cathedral’. In March 2022 we performed Brahms’ monumental Ein deutsches Requiem in Exeter Cathedral with London Mozart Players.
Our 2019/20 season had begun with English and American music at Holy Trinity Church, Exmouth, followed by our two Carol concerts in Exeter Cathedral with Winchester College Quiristers and Chaconne Brass. In March 2020 our performance of Beethoven Missa Solemnis in Exeter Cathedral, accompanied by the English Chamber Orchestra, took place literally just one week before the nationwide lockdown began.
Looking further back, the choir’s 2018/19 season had opened with Bruckner Mass in E minor and John Rutter Requiem in November 2018. In March 2019 we performed Haydn Creation with the London Mozart Players. Then the choir made its debut appearance in Exeter’s Northcott Theatre in June 2019, performing Rossini Petite Messe solennelle and Brahms Liebeslieder-Walzer.
Howard Ionascu was appointed as the choir’s Director of Music in September 2017. His first season in 2017/18 included a Mozart concert in Exeter Cathedral, including the Requiem and Clarinet Concerto, and a concert of French and English music at Buckfast Abbey.
The choir celebrated its 170th anniversary season in 2016/17 with three masterworks in Exeter Cathedral – Handel Messiah, Verdi Requiem and Elgar The Dream of Gerontius, the latter chosen by Andrew Millington for his final performance with the choir before his retirement as our Director of Music.
Other outstanding performances of recent years included a nautical-themed concert in March 2016 in Exeter Cathedral, featuring Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony, together with the first performance of Andrew Millington’s new work, The Seafarer, based on an Anglo-Saxon poem from the unique 10th-century Exeter Book, housed in Exeter Cathedral’s Library and Archives.
In 2012 the choir joined the Scottish National Orchestra and Exeter Cathedral Choir for the first recording of the Lazarus Requiem by contemporary composer Patrick Hawes.
