Music (St P)
Music at St Peter’s and All Saints’
I can begin in no other way than paying tribute to my former colleague and predecessor as Director of Music at St Peter’s & All Saints’, Philip Collin. Philip left us at the end of August after four years, in order to further his musical career. His work developing the Coffee Break Concert series and his training of the St Peter’s Choir, coupled with their continued commitment and enthusiasm, has meant that the musical tradition at St Peter’s continues to flourish.
After an eventful summer (the weddings of choir members Helen & Alastair MacIntosh and Hugh Busher to Susanne Maddox were joyous occasions, and the choir spent an enjoyable weekend at Worcester Cathedral in August), the formation of the new united Parish was celebrated musically in late September when the combined choirs of St Mary’s and St Peter’s, resplendent in a checkerboard of red and black cassocks, performed together at the first in the Autumn series of Coffee Break Concerts. These concerts, started by Kendrick and Mary Partington twenty years ago, are becoming ever more popular. Audiences are now consistently over one hundred strong, and the concerts, which showcase a vast range of music and musicians, are becoming an ever more significant part of the City’s musical calendar. The most recent series ended with the upper voices of the St Peter’s Choir giving a moving performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, and the full choir kick off the July series on Saturday 5th. Thanks go, in particular, to Russell and Betty Clarke, Helen, Alison & Joanne Smith, and Keith & Cynthia Charter for their work in support of these concerts.
At the heart of the musical life of St Peter’s, of course, are the choral services held in church each Sunday. The new service pattern means that the choir and organists have the privilege of contributing to a wide and rich range of liturgies. In particular, the addition of the ancient and beautiful office of Compline (every fourth Sunday evening at St Peter’s) to the calendar has proved to be very popular with choir and congregation alike. As well as their duties at St Peter’s and at All Saints’ (where they now sing regularly on the second Sunday of each month), the choir sang the services at Southwell Minster during the weekend after Easter, and are looking forward to singing at Westminster Abbey in August. Particular choral highlights of the last twelve months include the Christmas Eve Carol Service and the Service of Tenebrae on Palm Sunday evening; my thanks to the choir for their heartfelt and moving singing on these occasions in particular. The new Parish music list booklets present all the music to be sung throughout each term, and continued gratitude and appreciation, not only for the production of these booklets, but also for his support and advice in all things, to John Keys.
The news is less rosy for the pipe organ at St Peter’s, which developed a major fault on Remembrance Sunday. Discussions are currently underway regarding the future of the St Peter’s music tradition, and during this time, we are very grateful indeed to Mrs Jean Thomas for the generous loan of an electronic organ which is being used in church until plans for a long-term solution can be agreed. This is indeed a crucial time for music at St Peter’s - the choir and the concert series are flourishing - that we have not a fine pipe organ to complement and enhance these activities is cause for great concern, and I hope very much that an agreement will be reached in the near future towards safeguarding our musical tradition, and with it our style of worship, for this and future generations.
Continued and heartfelt thanks to my colleagues that work so hard to support the music at St Peter’s & All Saints’ - the clergy, the office staff, the congregations, the concert audiences, and in particular, for their tireless efforts and boundless commitment and enthusiasm, the choir, Keith Charter and Dr Mike Leuty.
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