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The Cathedral Choir is a combination of auditioned local singers and our Choral Scholars. They rehearse each Friday from 7.30-9pm for the 11.15am Solemn Mass each Sunday, occasional Choral Vespers (3.45pm on Sundays) and major Diocesan events. Repertoire spans from plainsong, music by the great Renaissance masters (Palestrina, Lassus, Victoria, Byrd, etc.) through Haydn, Mozart and Schubert, French music by Duruflé, Fauré, Poulenc, and Widor, through to Vaughan Williams, Finzi, Britten and contemporary music by Cecilia McDowall, Howard Skempton and our own Composer-in-Residence, Amy Summers.
In addition to performing music to enhance the liturgy, the Cathedral Choir maintains a lively concert schedule throughout the year. In addition to major works, the choir enjoys performing lesser known gems from the choral repertoire. Recent highlights have included J.S. Bach's Mass in B Minor, Monteverdi's Vespers, the first contemporary performance of Requiem for an Unknown Soldier by John Carol Case, and roles in the community opera Tobias and the Angel by Jonathan Dove and David Lan. They have recorded numerous CDs and gained an excellent reputation both national and overseas as a result of tours abroad. Previous tours have visited Hong Kong, Rome (including singing Mass at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican), Tuscany, Munich , Ulster and most recently, Barcelona and Northern Italy (with performances in Mantua, Padua, Verona and Venice). New members are always welcome to join this friendly and open choir. Experienced singers wishing to be considered for membership are required to take an audition with the Director of Music, during which vocal, aural and sight-reading skills will be assessed. |
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