We had a wonderful time, as ever, at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire this August. Wednesday 21 August saw us give a concert (‘Sing unto Him a New Song’) featuring works by Mendelssohn, Annabel Rooney, Rheinberger, Ian Farrington, Richard Lloyd, and others.
After a beautiful service of Compline in Trefin Chapel on Friday, we were back in the Cathedral over the weekend, singing Evensong on Saturday and Sunday and the Eucharist (over which the Bishop presided) on Sunday morning.
We were delighted that Neil Cox was in the congregation to hear his Missa brevis.
Our thanks to the clergy and music team at St Davids for having us back for our sixth visit, and to Anthony Gray for playing the organ so utterly fantastically.
It was very special to be back in Petersfield on Sunday 10 September, to sing for the Parish Mass at St Laurence Church, followed by a short concert of glorious music from the Italian Renaissance. We are grateful to Fr Peter Hollins and the congregation of St Laurence for making us feel so welcome; we were delighted also to have our Patron Jonathan Willcocks in the audience.
We were delighted to be back in Chalton on Saturday 9 September, after an eight-year hiatus, to sing a family concert. The programme was based loosely around the idea of moving from Summer into Autumn, and touched on the weather, the natural world, religious festivals, and the human condition. Music from a variety of genres was sung, including works by G. P. da Palestrina and William Byrd, and the Beach Boys and Con Conrad.
We were delighted to be invited back to St John the Evangelist in Langrish, near Petersfield in Hampshire, to assist with their 150th anniversary celebrations this year. We sang a ‘Mixed Bag’ of a concert on the Saturday (featuring our director hurling a banana at a priest who happened to be in the audience), and a celebratory Eucharist on the Sunday. It was a joyous, moving, and profoundly happy weekend, and we are grateful to all who fed and hosted us, and facilitated the logistical arrangements.