AGM and Concert
A Gilbert and Sullivan Society event
'And if you call for a song'
We are delighted to welcome our Gilbert and Sullivan Society sponsored student, young tenor, Kristen Gregory who will be joined by young soprano, Sarah Thomas. They will explore not just the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire but also investigate some of Sullivan's Art Songs in what promises to be a stylish and entertaining concert. Accompanied by Tim Smith. This concert will follow our AGM. Scroll down for the programme.
Our AGM is our legally required business meeting to agree the Society's Accounts and Annual Report and for the Election of Officers. The Notice for the AGM and the Minutes of our 2024 AGM were circulated in the Summer News. Copies will be available at the meeting and replacements can be obtained by email from: [email protected],uk
Date and time: Wednesday 24th September 2025 at 19.15
Venue: The Club for Acts and Actors, 20 Bedford Street, London. WC3E 9HP
Voluntary contribution: Free for members, £5 non-members*
* usual price for non-members attending our events is £10. This event is half-price because it is a shorter concert than our usual events as it is preceded by the AGM.
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Our Concert following the AGM
Featuring our sponsored student Kristen Gregory assisted by Sarah Thomas (soprano) with Tim Smith (piano).
Oh! Ma Charmante Victor Hugo & Arthur Sullivan (1872)
Once Again Lionel H Lewin & Arthur Sullivan (1872)
The Window: ‘The Song of the Wrens’
Words by Alfred, Lord Tennyson; Music by Arthur Sullivan (1871)
This Song-cycle was written by the late Lord Tennyson at my request and set to music by me in 1869-70. It was to be illustrated by the late Sir John Millais R.A. so that the work might form a combination of Poetry, Painting and Music: but for reasons unnecessary to enter into here, the drawings were never completed, and after various delays the words and music only were published as an Album in 1871. (Sullivan’s Preface to the 1900 imprint)
On the Hill ‘The Lights and Shadows fly.’
At the Window ‘Vine, Vine and Eglantine.’
Gone ! ‘Gone ! Gone till the end of the year.’
Winter ‘The Frost is here, and Fuel is dear.’
Spring ‘Birds' Love and Bird's Song.’
The Letter ‘Where is another Sweet as my Sweet?’
No Answer ‘The Mist and the Rain.’
No Answer ‘Winds are loud and you are dumb.’
The Answer ‘Two little Hands that meet.’
When? ‘Sun comes, Moon comes, time slips away.’
Marriage Morning. ‘Light so low upon Earth.’
None Shall Part Us Gilbert & Sullivan Iolanthe (1882)
Sweethearts Gilbert & Sullivan (1875)
If Love's Content Charles H.Taylor & Edward German Tom Jones (1907)
Rising Early in the Morning Gilbert and Sullivan The Gondoliers (1889)
The Performers
KRISTEN GREGORY - tenor
Kristen Gregory is a 23-year-old Tenor studying with Paul Nilon. He is about to begin his second postgraduate year at the RNCM. Opera Credits include: ‘Lechmere’ in Britten’s Owen Wingrave and ‘King Ouf’ in Chabrier’s L’Etoile. At Dorset Opera's 50th Anniversary Gala Concert in 2024, Kristen sung the role of 'Gastone' from Verdi's La Traviata. In the Summer of 2025, Kristen was part of Buxton International Festival’s Young Artist Programme, singing in the chorus of Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas and also providing chorus for a new set of Opera ‘Shorts’. Kristen’s studies are supported by the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, the South Square Trust and the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation.
SARAH THOMAS - soprano
Sarah Thomas is a Mancunian soprano beginning her first postgraduate year at the Royal College of Music, tutored by Amanda Roocroft. She is generously supported by the Musicians' Sybil Tutton Opera Award and sponsored by Peter Snook. Sarah recently completed her BMus at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she received 94% in her final recital, earning her a first-class degree. At the RNCM, Sarah studied with Mary Plazas and her highlights include performing as soprano soloist in Handel’s Il Delirio Amoroso for the annual baroque concert, winning the Norma Procter Song Prize at the Junior Kathleen Ferrier Awards, and performing principally as Frosch in the college’s production of Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. Beyond the college environment, Sarah has undertaken a variety of principal and ensemble roles, including Barbarina, Fiordiligi, and Kate Pinkerton, as well as chorus work with Dorset Opera and North Wales Opera. Sarah has also performed in Masterclasses with Janet Haney and Florence Daguerre de Hureaux. Looking to the future, Sarah is thrilled to announce her place in the National Opera Studio Academy for the 2025-2026 course and looks forward to her journey at the RCM, where she will work on Schumann’s Liederkreis, Poulenc’s Fiancailles pour rire, and roles such as Ilia, Alcina, and Rodelinda.
TIM SMITH – piano
Tim is very well-known to the Society. He has a wide-ranging musical career which spans Choral music, Opera, Recital and Musical Theatre. His work with opera companies includes accompanying The Carl Rosa Opera Company, Cameo Opera, Hatstand Opera and The New Savoyards of London, and has performed at venues throughout the UK including Goldsmiths Hall, The Barbican and St. Martin in the Fields in London. He regularly appears on the concert platform in recitals with singers and instrumentalists, performing a wide variety of chamber music and Lieder. He is an orchestral keyboard player taking part in performances of many large-scale choral works and musical theatre. He has also performed at the Players Theatre, London. Tim is also a very successful solo pianist, performing recitals in his own right across the South East.