Dear Friends,
It’s so good to be in touch after a subdued and difficult period since Covid19 changed our lives. Enough of Covid... onwards.
We're delighted that this coming weekend the Choir will be returning to sing in Wells Cathedral after such a long enforced absence. We look forward to hearing them make music together once again. Below, you can read a message from Jeremy Cole, Director of Music, telling us a little more about how he and his team have been working hard for this moment.
Saturday 10 October is the Annual WCCT Evensong, and we will use this occasion to launch the Iain Ball Chorister Award. More details to follow but for now please save the date and join us.
A New Patron
I’m delighted to say that David Morgan-Hewitt has agreed to become a Patron of the WCCT, and he shares my enthusiasm for the Trust. Like me, he is a former Cathedral Chorister and we sang together in Three Choirs events, me with Peterborough, and David with Norwich, together with Ely. They were glorious days and he was a junior chorister whilst I was ‘almost over the hill’! I have no doubt at all that he will be a significant friend to the Trust, with ideas, suggestions and wisdom along the way. David introduces himself in a message that you can read here.
Welcome Hannah Unwin
I’m thrilled to announce that after a robust application process, as a Trust we now have our own permanent Administrator, Hannah Unwin, who will work on the mornings of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Welcome Hannah.
The Trust has for some years funded part-time occasional help from the school but by redirecting that contribution we are now able to have our own dedicated person. As ever thank you to Wells Cathedral School, and now especially for finding Hannah a desk and a room to share.
Hannah has been with us for two weeks and her initial task is getting to grips with a new software system, which we have explored and selected during lockdown. This will enable us to be in touch with the friends and supporters of the Trust, managing responses etc. A kind donor has created an ‘Enablement Fund’ which we can use for such items as Hannah’s laptop, printer, and also a dedicated Trust telephone line which will soon be up and running.
We’re getting there, so watch this space, and thank you for your ‘love for the Chorister Cause’.
Contact Us
Remember, having been a Cathedral Chorister and also a parent of three former Wells Cathedral Choristers, I am committed as Chairman, and value hugely your love for the Choristers, your interest and your generosity. You are very welcome to email me at any time via chairman@wcct.co.uk; I am always delighted to hear from any of you! We are also always delighted to hear from new supporters of the Cathedral Choir, so please feel free to forward this email to your friends and family and perhaps encourage them to sign up to our newsletter here.
More than ever the Trust needs to be in a position to support Choristers and their families, and these very special young professional singers are the future of the unique Cathedral Music tradition.
At the superb performance of Brittens A Ceremony of Carols in January, I invited those present to reflect for a moment on a life without Choristers. Little did I know that was on the horizon. We’ve so missed the Choristers.
You are part of a family that love the Choristers and The Chorister Cause, and one of my tasks is to bring you all together and to grow the family. More details to follow.
Very best wishes,
Arnold Wills
Chairman
A Message from the Director of Music
Greetings to all our supporters! It’s been a year unlike any other for the Cathedral Choir, and for the Choral Tradition as a whole, and hopefully one that won’t be repeated. Many of you will have followed our online offerings during lockdown, and we thank you for your engagement with those. It was way back on 17 March that it became clear the Choir wouldn’t be able to sing together for a while. As a temporary farewell, the Choristers, Sub-Assistant Organist David Stevens and I made a hasty video recording of Gary Davison’s O Lord, support us all the day long – the text of which took on a particular poignancy that day.
There followed much thought about how the Choristers could continue during the pandemic, to carry their musical education, to keep in touch with them and make sure the community was still alive, and also to provide some sort of musical offering to those people who would miss coming into the Cathedral each day to be involved in choral services. The Choristers and I continued to meet regularly via Zoom, which was a very useful way of being able to see and hear them. There were some frustrations along the way, thanks to unreliable internet, technical glitches and the rest - any attempt at ensemble singing quickly collapsed in chaos! However, small group sessions working on the technical aspects of singing, and learning bits and pieces of repertoire, were quite successful. The Choristers also made two virtual recordings, one of which was of a hymn for Easter Day and was well-received by our online community. The other, of Peter Hurford’s Litany to the Holy Spirit, was released to mark Pentecost.
Nearly six months later, the time has finally arrived when the Choir can return to singing again. This is extremely welcome news, but unfortunately it won’t be ‘business as usual’ quite yet, as we have to do everything we can to provide a safe environment for all our singers and music staff in the midst of Covid-19. Following government guidelines and professional recommendations, the Choristers and the Vicars Choral will be singing in two separate groups for the time being. There will be 15 Choristers and 6 Vicars Choral in each choir, and they will split the singing of services between them.
Our first Evensong back will have both choirs present in the Cathedral, but singing separately from two ends of the building. Within the choirs, the singers will all be spaced 2 metres apart, with their seats in an interlocked formation to prevent anyone singing over anyone else. There have also been many Covid-related logistical challenges to do with rehearsals, copies of music, robes and many other things! This will be our ‘new normal’ for the time being, and I’m sure we will adjust quickly and enjoy making music together again. After such a long time away, it will be a joy to restart our great tradition, and hopefully it will to be too long before the Choir can all sing with one voice once again.
Jeremy Cole
Director of Music