A Wonderful Occasion!

What a wonderful occasion yesterday's WCCT Annual Evensong at Wells Cathedral was! Old friends and new gathered to celebrate before the service with our special guest, Dr Anthony Crossland, who cut his 90th birthday cake with great skill! A full nave marvelled at the soaring voices of the choir during the service, who were ably conducted by Dr Crossland during the anthem I was glad by Parry. And the Friends of Wells Cathedral Chorister Trust toasted the success of another year after the service. Certainly a day to remember!

Photo of Dr Crossland with the Cathedral Choir courtesy of Jason Bryant.

Tony Crossland conducting Cathedral Choir with great aplomb, the music being the anthem I was Glad by Parry, with organ, brass and timpani.

‘Tony’s boys’, including former Assistant Organist, Andrew Nethsingha (far left)

L-R: Tim Uglow (former Wells Chorister), Jeremy Cole (Director of Music), Tony Crossland, Robert Wills (former Wells Chorister)

Nick Hodges and Jeremy Cole

Nick Hodges and Jeremy Cole

Become our Friend!

The new Friends of Wells Cathedral Chorister Trust launched over the summer, replacing what was our Angels regular donor scheme. We have an ambition to make a difference to as many musical children as possible who otherwise may not have a chance to shine. And with the help of our regular donors, we will. So, if you're interested in giving children from all backgrounds a chance, become part of our family of Friends.

More details can be found HERE.

Fun Day for Aspiring Choristers

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Experiencing Chorister life: Wells Cathedral welcomes thirty aspiring Choristers for ‘a day in the life’

On Saturday 18 September, Wells Cathedral hosted a fabulous, free ‘behind the scenes’ day, during which children were able to experience the life of a Cathedral Chorister.

Thirty girls and boys, aged between seven and nine, came from schools across Somerset and beyond for the annual Be a Chorister for a Day event where they met the Cathedral Choristers and participated in fun singing workshops.

The day culminated in singing Choral Evensong in the Quire of the Cathedral with the award-winning and world-renowned Cathedral Choir. The children performed the anthem The Lord is my Shepherd by Howard Goodall, helped the Choir lead the two hymns in the service, and learnt to process in and out.

There were also events for the children’s parents, including a tour of Wells Cathedral School and tea in the historic Vicars’ Hall.

Future Events

If you are interested in the 2022 Be a Chorister for a Day event, please contact the Cathedral Music Office via musicoffice@wellscathedral.uk.net.  If you can’t wait that long you may like to join Wells Cathedral Song Squad, the Cathedral’s un-auditioned choir for children aged 7-13, or Wells Cathedral Song Squad Minis, for children aged 4-6, which meet on Tuesday afternoons during term time. Contact Naomi MacLeod-Jones via wellssongsquad@gmail.com for more details.

Calling all former Wells Cathedral Choristers…

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Calling all former Wells Cathedral choristers! We're delighted to be sending an invitation to former choristers for the Annual Wells Cathedral Chorister Trust Evensong which will be held this year on Saturday 2nd October, and which is themed “A Celebration of Choristership”.

This ‘former choristers celebration’ will also include a special tea from 3pm as we'll be marking the 90th birthday last month of former Wells Cathedral Organist and Master of the Choristers, Dr Anthony Crossland, as well as his recent appointment as a Patron of the Wells Cathedral Chorister Trust.

Tony and his wife Barbara will be attending both the tea and Evensong and we'd love to see as many former choristers as possible.

So look out for your invitation because we're asking you to RSVP. If you don't receive an invite or you know a former chorister who'd like to attend, please email us via email administrator@wcct.co.uk

The rather wonderful photograph above is courtesy of Tim Uglow, and features Paul Lucas (Precentor) on the left, Pope John Paul II, and Dr Crossland on the right.

Happy Birthday, Dr Crossland!

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Our congratulations go to Anthony Crossland - former Organist and Master of the Choristers at Wells Cathedral - who celebrates his 90th birthday today. Tony was recently appointed as a Patron of the Wells Cathedral Chorister Trust and will be attending the Annual WCCT Evensong on Saturday October 2nd with Barbara his wife, and he is hoping many former choristers will also attend (contact us via email at administrator@wcct.co.uk for further info)

Many of Wells former choristers have fond memories of their time at Wells Cathedral during Tony's tenure so everyone at the Wells Cathedral Chorister Trust sends best wishes for a very happy birthday!

Dr Crossland is pictured above at a recent Choir Reunion, flanked by two of his former choristers - Richard Cromwell (left) and Chris Seaton (right).

Congratulations Bee!

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Congratulations to Bee, one of our current year 5 choristers, who sang a solo at the recent Orchestra of St John's Summer Festival performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. She has been particularly commended for ‘her pure tone, excellent diction and perfect intonation in the unaccompanied Amor volatundique (Cupid flies everywhere)’

Well done, Bee!

The full review can be read here: https://bit.ly/3dDKlmD

Choristers perform with Tenebrae

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We were thrilled to welcome award-winning choir Tenebrae to Wells Cathedral last night for a performance of Joby Talbot's exquisite Path of Miracles.

In the concert’s first half, our own Choristers shared the platform with Tenebrae in former-Wellensian Owain Park's Footsteps. Their singing was immaculate andTenebrae’s conductor, Nigel Short complimented them on their superb performance and commitment. Well done all!

A Welcome Visit from Our Royal Patron

We were thrilled that our Royal Patron, HRH The Countess of Wessex, made a visit to Wells Cathedral on Monday 17 May as part of a wider visit to Somerset, coinciding with the re-opening of hospitality and tourism businesses.

The Countess was greeted by the Dean of Wells, the Very Reverend Dr John Davies DL, who escorted Her Royal Highness into the Cathedral. The Countess was then greeted by the Chairman of the Wells Cathedral Chorister Trust, Mr Arnold Wills, and the Head Master of Wells Cathedral School, Mr Alastair Tighe, and introduced to some of the guests in attendance.

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Her Royal Highness was invited to take a seat in the Nave for a short performance given by the Wells Cathedral Choristers. Director of Music, Mr Jeremy Cole directed the Choristers in a delightful recital which included a demonstration of the various exercises the Choristers are taken through each day to warm up their voices and maintain and improve their vocal health and technique. The Choristers then sang two uplifting pieces:which included two uplifting pieces: The Lord is my Shepherd by Howard Goodall and a sparkling arrangement of Sydney Carter’s hymn, The Lord of the Dance. The recital was accompanied by the Assistant Director of Music, Mr Alexander Hamilton.

Following the recital, Her Royal Highness met the Choristers and they were delighted to talk to her about their experiences in the Choir, particularly during the recent lockdowns, their love of music and performance, and the challenges and highlights of chorister life!

Before she left, The Countess was presented with a posey by the two youngest choristers, Clemmie and Stanley, and took afternoon tea with honoured guests.

After such a difficult year, it was a real honour and treat for everyone, particularly the Choristers, to welcome back our Royal Patron to Wells Cathedral.

Former Chorister Leads Vocal Group to National Win

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Many congratulations to former Head Chorister, Robbie Armstrong, Musical Director of a cappella group The Bristol Suspensions, who have been crowned UK champions of collegiate a cappella singing, and now go on to the world finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), in only their seventh year of existence.

The Bristol Suspensions are a 17-strong mixed a cappella group from the University of Bristol. The group also includes former chorister, Francesca Corr. The winning song was conceived under Robbie’s direction and leadership, and the group were also given a special award for the Outstanding Arrangement of their musical score.

The Bristol Suspensions haven’t been able to rehearse in-person this year due to covid, but have been working hard making music virtually. They plan on creating a professional full-length album this summer and are fundraising to do so with a number of online activities and events.

Robbie said: “We’re really happy to have won the UK competition this year, and feel we have done Wells proud!”

A video of their winning song performance can be viewed below:

 
 
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