The College Chapel Choir visited St Paul’s Cathedral, singing a service of evensong to the regular congregation, tourists, parents, and Old Epsomians in attendance. Fifty members of the Chapel Choir travelled to the iconic cathedral and continued to build on the high standards established in the successful tour of Salamanca before Easter.
The liturgical music included Howells’ Service in G minor and Charles Wood’s O Thou the Central Orb, mainstays of the Anglican repertoire that would be performed at St Paul’s regularly by their choir. Therefore, it is of great credit to our pupils that they did not seem out of place whatsoever. This is particularly impressive seeing as the choir was without its Year 11 and Year 13 pupils, who were not able to attend as they were preparing for their exams. This meant that the pressure was squarely on the shoulders of our younger choristers – pressure which they managed cooly and calmly.
The experience of singing in such a rich and historic place, particularly St Paul’s with its famous long-lasting echoes and reverberations, is a memorable one. This was summed up best by one chorister who remarked after their final chord in rehearsal permeated the gilded arches: “It’s rather magnificent, isn’t it sir?”
To present music of such high quality so close to exams is a testament to the hard work displayed week-in week-out by the College choristers.
