Chapel Choir Sing in Worcester Cathedral

Published on isbi School News dated Wednesday 30th of July 2014

On Friday 20 June, the forty-five strong Prior Park Senior Chapel Choir were privileged to sing Choral Evensong in the magnificent and historic setting of Worcester Cathedral. Fittingly, Mr Robertson chose some of the greatest church music for them to sing, ranging from Responses by William Byrd (d.1623) to three twentieth century masterpieces, the Evening Canticles for King's College, Cambridge by Herbert Howells, and the Hymn to the Virgin composed by Benjamin Britten whilst still a teenager. For the Britten, a semichorus of senior soloists stood to sing between the tombs of King John and of Prince Arthur (first husband of Katharine of Aragon), who both lie buried in the Quire at Worcester.

The midsummer evening sun blazed into the nave, illuminating the choir as they processed out after the service. Afterwards the Precentor of Worcester was kind enough to tell the choir that among their many visiting choirs, ours was 'out of the top drawer', and the Cathedral Organist was also delighted to attend the service.
2014 will be a rich year for Prior singers, with the masterclass visit of Ben Parry of the National Youth Choir, to be followed in November by another masterclass/recital, by the outstanding English tenor James Gilchrist.