Music Programme

Our concerts will open with three striking pieces written in the last fifteen years: Jonathan Dove's Ecce beatam lucem (written for the Eton Choral Courses), John Tavener's Mother of God, here I stand, an incredibly beautiful work extracted from the composer's epic The Veil of the Temple, and James MacMillan's Christus Vincit written for John Scott and St Paul's Cathedral Choir in 1994.

Our next group includes sublime motets by Tallis and Byrd and Thomas Weelkes' Christ rising again - a great showcase for treble and alto duet. Bach's Lobet den Herrn completes the first half of the programme.

The second half opens with S.S. Wesley's Ascribe unto the Lord - a large scale anthem with a particularly fine quartet O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Mendelssohn's 200th anniversary is marked with the inclusion of I waited for the Lord from Lobegesang.

We return to the Twentieth Century for the last section of the programme: Poulenc's great Passiontide motet Vinea mea electa, Philip Wilby's Choral Blessing and Robert Walker's Dance, my heart for joy!

In some concerts and at our service in St Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York City, we will include Gabriel Jackson's setting of the evening canticles The Tewkesbury Service. This long and elaborate setting was commissioned for the choir by Michael Amherst in honour of his father's 75th birthday.