8/12/2018 0 Comments A day we will never forget![layedToday, the day we had anticipated with either dread or excitement began with a 645 alarm and a quick breakfast at 730. After our usual walk twenty minute walk to Chester Cathedral, began rehearsals in the Song School for what always be known as our choir's 'Rubicon' day. Today we would sing twenty-nine pieces of music, spread over three services, which would happen over a six hour period. Today we sang full services of Choral Eucharist (with a mass setting), Choral Matins (replete with Venite, Te Deum and Jubilate) and our sixth Choral Evensong of the week. For the first two services Co-Director and Assistant Organist Catherine Gray ascended to the Organ Loft, while Gregg Redner took over the conducting duties. Prior to this Ms. Gray had been serving as the Conductor with Dr. Redner accompanying the choir. Our rehearsal began in the song school at 8 am, with sleepiness the order of the day. This was followed by a rehearsal in Cathedral Nave in preparation for the Cathedral Parish Eucharist. It was an unusual experience being outside the intimate confines of the Quire and under the Cathedral Tower in the Nave Choir Stalls. Over 350 people attended the Service and following it we were delighted to receive some very encouraging words of congratulations. The Eucharist was followed twenty minutes later by a full service of Choral Matins,a service which is new to the choir and for which we had a chance to sing our first set of Anglican Chants. For this service we returned to the Quire and the intimate confines of this beautiful space fit the mood of the service splendidly. The motet for the service was by the Canadian composer Godfrey Ridout, his four part a cappella setting of the Marian Hymn, 'Ave Maria'. The voluntaries, splendidly played by Catherine Gray were by Couperin and Buxtehude. Following Matins we took a two hour break to eat some lunch, including twenty-four freshly donuts from our new favourite donut shop called 'Dinky Donuts', which is located inside the Roman wall at the East Gate.
Choral Evensong was preceded by a rehearsal at 230 with the service at 330. The program included music by Aston, Totney and Will Todd. The Dean was extremely generous when she mentioned in her announcements that we had been singing at the Cathedral all week and that 'if this was people's first time hearing us, then they were in for a real treat!' Very kind words from a great Cathedral Church which truly understands the meaning of hospitality and welcome. Following the service, it was time to clean out our robes and music from the Song School and say goodbye to this beautiful building and splendid acoustic! To say that Catherine and I are proud of the choir would be an understatement. What they did today, and the manner in which they did it, have established them as a professional choir of the very highest order. It is truly hard to imagine that we have only been on this journey for three years. What has happened has truly been a miracle. Today truly bore that fact out!
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Met Choir School England Tour 2018 |