Triumphant Cathedral Choir Reunion Weekend

June 2017 saw the return of 38 former members of the Cathedral Choir for a grand reunion weekend which took place over Friday 9, Saturday 10, and Sunday 11 June 2017. A gala concert of choral favourites took place on the Saturday evening and the sheer wealth of choral sound which followed the organ introduction in Parry’s I was glad will long live in the memory of those who attended the concert - the goose bumps all around made it very clear that the singers really were glad to be back at the Cathedral. 

The 11.15am Mass for the Most Holy Trinity on the Sunday was nothing short of epic - right from the opening Introit plainsong sung by the choir in procession from the garden. The choir were joined by the Academy of St Barnabas, an ad hoc orchestra brought together specially for the occasion to accompany the choir for Haydn’s Nelson Mass which was sung liturgically. A huge thank you to Naomi Quant, Gail Davies, James Lister and René Bloice-Sanders who took the solos. 

As former choir members began to treacle back from the Friday evening, there was plenty of time for catching up and reminiscing over the weekend, as well as seeing different generations of Choral Scholars mingle and become friends. It is a real testament to Neil Page, who set up the scheme back in 2003, that such a strong bond of friendship and fraternity was evident throughout the event. 

This weekend would not have been possible without the support and enthusiasm of Canon Geoffrey Hunton, the administrative genius that is Melanie Jordan, Kate Fletcher, the wider Cathedral community, and of course our choir. Sincere thanks to all for coming together to make the event possible, and to Paul Wooler and Michael Henchy for the photographs.