Tour Reports 2019

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Bury St Edmunds (St Edmundsbury Cathedral) - February 2019 

A Weekend Break?

Many of us have made that decision to have a long weekend break away when the chance arises, though I am sure, for most, this is a chance to relax, unwind and do very little.  Not quite the case if your choice of away weekend is with the OUCC!

Only those who like the busy life need apply to join us!  Why you might ask?  Well, following a busy week of work, who wouldn’t want to get up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday, or maybe earlier and set off across a really quiet M25 for a pleasant early morning drive to the rolling fields of Suffolk?  Well, I do for one, and I was not the only one!

The really ‘eager‘ amongst our group even travelled and arrived in Bury on Friday evening, perhaps to enjoy the delights of the Angel hotel.

A fun packed weekend of singing with the OUCC was underway by 9:30 prompt, and not a moment too soon, what with 4 services to rehearse and prepare for in two days.

OUCC members now know the importance of prior rehearsal and learning music.  For our short weekend away this was yet again very much needed.  It allowed time to bring together our great range of singing skills and in the capable hands of John and William, we were being worked to blend our voices as one, perhaps with a little bending into shape as well to make us the temporary cathedral choir.

A good day of singing completed on Saturday led us to be ready for our first evensong service.  A good dose of Noble’s B minor canticles helped support us as we gave our debut of Andrew Mildinhall’s responses and the new Howells anthem, Hymn to St Cecilia.  The result was a good foundation on which to perfect our skills across the weekend, though from our first encounters with the clergy and staff of the cathedral, we were very warmly welcomed and put at our ease.

The singing done for day one, we retired to our rooms (or the bar, for those not staying at the hotel) until dinner was served.  Strange to think that we had been singing all day and yet only a quarter of our work was complete!

I was not a member staying at the hotel on this occasion, but have experienced the Angel hotel on other weekends of singing at the cathedral and have always enjoyed the friendly staff and service.  Though I cannot comment on the rooms, I was able to sample the lovely food on offer on Saturday evening, enjoying a lovely meal from the warm tasty sliced bread to a delightful Pavlova dessert and in fine surroundings of the Athenaeum Ball Room (our dining room whilst the hotel was undergoing some refurbishment).

All too soon Sunday morning arrived and it was going to be busy with both Eucharist and Mattins to complete.  The choir worked hard to give a strong lead with hymns and the Shephard Communion Service, finishing with a good performance of Gjello’s Ubi Caritas from the high altar area.  A quick coffee break led us to the Mattins service and the opportunity to enjoy Stanford’s Te Deum and Jubilate.

Three quarters of our work done allowed us a little more time for a good lunch before one last rehearsal to ‘iron out’ any ‘creases’ in our Sunday evensong repertoire.

I for one felt more confident with the responses, a fun but challenging set and one to really perfect for the future.  Our psalm singing continues to develop and we are all becoming more confident with both the Macmillan anthem and Rootham canticles, the latter containing that beautiful Nunc Dimittis tune sung by the bass line.

By 4:30pm on the Sunday, most of us were ready for a rest, a coffee, or perhaps something stronger from the bar before dinner, for those staying one more night!

We are all ever thankful to John and William for their great leadership as well as Ester who keeps us organised and in check each visit.  Though I am sure to forget someone (apologies!), it is also a good opportunity to thank Elizabeth for sorting out the robes, Jane for her help working with Ester to bring the weekend together and also to those members who husbands, wives, family and friends come to support our trips.  When you are singing somewhere new it always feels good to see close friends and family there to support you.

I am fortunate enough to sing regularly in cathedrals all across the country with different groups, but knowing I’ll once again be with friends and music colleagues is what helps me look forward to the next OUCC outing!  For those of you who are able to come, here’s to Durham April 2019!

Peter Wood 

Durham Cathedral - April 2019 

I had been so looking forward to the experience of singing in Durham Cathedral, and goodness, it came up to all expectations!

Those arriving by train cannot fail to be moved by the sight of the Cathedral above the lines of roofs and spires.  This building never fails to move me, with its enormous pillars with varied carving, and this time, a touching ‘Pieta’ made from tree trunks.  It feels a very vibrant place, with inspiring old as well as contemporary stained glass.

It was bad timing for John that his operation coincided with ‘his’ Cathedral.  We were reassured by positive reports on his progress.  However, Simon Russell stepped into the breach and led us to a rewarding weekend of singing.  Thank you Simon. 

The choice of music was obviously made with care.  Quite a lot of it we had sung before, and new pieces were manageable, with potential to bring to ‘interpretation’ stage.  At this ‘Cathedral’ level, it is assumed we know all music pre-weekend so we can look for interpretation.  It’s so worth doing all we can to maintain that standard and continue to be proud of ourselves. 

Blow – Salvator Mundi – we’re becoming familiar with that now.  The Mendelssohn – having all the men (and me!!) singing gently and quietly (you know you can!!) gave it amazing feeling. 

Matins on Sunday – The Sumsion Benedicte has entertaining passages where the melody passes from part to part, as well as having interesting words.  Notable were the ‘O ye Wells’, closely followed by ‘O ye Whales, and all that move in the waters’.  (Alternative Welsh accent added by Simon….)   The Gloria in the Stanford Benedictus in C is like putting on an old comfortable pair of slippers, we know it so well!  It also has a passage in bars 35/36 for tenor indulgence, and, following Simon’s direction of the dynamic of ‘con belto’, we did just that!

With the inclusion of (the 28 verse) Psalm 35, we had all of 7 minutes to prepare for Eucharist, which was enough time for a valuable cuppa.

St Chad’s Chapel was a lovely rehearsal location amongst the old college buildings overlooking the Wear.  The added percussion of chattering teeth started the day but the temperature improved as the sun poured in after lunch.

The Chapter House was a lovely big space in which to assemble, even though it was at a temperature that would have grown good orchids.

We already knew the Sunday Evensong would be including the Installation of the Suffragan Bishop of Jarrow, Sarah Clark.  I had no inkling of the extent of the ceremony which would ensue, even though we had done an Installation at Lincoln. Sarah was formally installed by the Bishop of Durham, and the remaining Choir area was full of clergy, many in wonderful copes.  It was a privilege to be part of this ceremony, and witness the processes and formalities.  We should be proud of ourselves for our part in it.  I can only surmise that the Cathedral must have already been aware and confident that we are good and know what we are doing for them to have us ‘lead’ the singing.  A compliment indeed.   What a pleasure to be part of it.

William, you are such an important part of our weekends on the organ.  As always, you provide us with sensitive support in rehearsals and will always take a chance to make us smile; thank you!  The piece played for the Middle Voluntary in The Eucharist was very beautiful.

Elizabeth – thanks for organising the robes for so efficiently for us.  Our sincere thanks again to Sheila as Treasurer, and Ester, our team who do so much for us before, during and after the Tours, to enable us to continue what is a strong friendship group as well as a choir.  We look forward to meeting each time, singers and non-singers alike.

Having the Hotel so close is always a bonus, and in addition the staff were extremely friendly and helpful.  The meal service was efficiently done and they tolerated our rearrangement of tables!  For the final evening, they provided long tables – I guess they had worked us out!!

Durham city gave us much to explore, with its dramatic and atmospheric setting in the curve of the River Wear.  The paths around gave me much needed exercise!

Looking forward to Chester.

Rosemary Humphries 

Chester Cathedral - August 2019 

The OUCC Summer Tour this year was to the lovely city of Chester. With a rich history from Roman times there is much of historical interest. There are no fewer than 511 listed buildings in the Chester City Ward, and the City Walls, a 2 mile walk with sections dating back to Roman times, surround what was the area of the medieval city.  The Cathedral is set in the midst of all this, standing tall and striking, being built with red Keuper Sandstone, contrasting with the black and white buildings round about.

Most of us were staying at the Macdonald New Blossoms Hotel and the first challenge for those with cars wanting to drop off passengers and luggage was actually finding the way to the hotel! Later, we all met in the Cathedral Song School for our first rehearsal. What a lovely room this was! It was overlooked by a wonderful clear Rose window.  John was pleased with our first singing session and then it was back to the hotel for dinner.

Friday was a dull, rainy day so venturing too far was out of the question but both the rehearsal and Evensong went reasonably well. Speaking as a soprano I was pleased that we sang Rutter’s Christiana Canticles at the start of the tour instead of at the end. The opening is very exposed and by the end of a tour seems pretty high for tired voices!

The Refectory, whilst frustrating in the process of paying, provided good food and drink in a large room with a stunning stained glass window depicting the Creation, with God’s hand delivering a blessing over all the images.

On Saturday we awoke to sunshine! Our morning rehearsal went well and John gave us a 2-hour lunch break. This gave us the opportunity to see a bit of Chester. I walked the walls – a very interesting time spent passing the castle, a falconry display, various towers, the racecourse, the River Dee and the Victorian Eastgate clock. 

After lunch we were greeted by the news that John’s wife, Jenny, had been taken ill and an ambulance had been called. With no John to conduct Will did very well to take us through a short rehearsal in the song school and then we rehearsed in the choir stalls without a conductor! It certainly made us concentrate, watching across at the other side to keep together. With help from Chris conducting from the second row we rehearsed the Blair Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis and it wasn’t as bad as we thought it might have been. Adrian stepped forward as cantor and then – hurrah! – John arrived just before the service. He did look rather shaken. Jenny had been taken to hospital and two friends had gone with her.  We were very concerned for Jenny though pleased to have John with us.  Apart from what was a minor hiccup in the Mildinhall, the service was fine. Thankfully Jenny returned to the hotel from hospital later in the evening.

Sunday was a long day with three services to sing. We needed to pace ourselves!  At 9 o’clock we were ready to rehearse in the nave. The preacher for the two morning services was the Very Revd. Harry Kraus, Dean Emeritus, Providence, Rhode Island, who had an easy voice to listen to and, just in case we weren’t concentrating at the 10 o’clock Communion Service, we heard his sermon again at the 11.30 BCP Eucharist. Our two different Ubi Caritas’s were very beautifully sung and at the end of the morning we were ready for our lunch. One more service to go!

Rootham in E minor was new to me; I must have missed the tours when it was sung before. It grew on me as we rehearsed it and I enjoyed singing it in the service though I know that I was one who made a mistake or two. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me by Elgar was sublime, a great end to an eventful weekend!

I have two lasting impressions of the building that is Chester Cathedral. One is of the colours streaming on to the nave aisle and seats from the brilliant arched window at the west end depicting eight Saints with a stunning blue sky that reminded me of Chagall.

The other is of the incredible sculpture by Stephen Broadbent in the cloisters. ‘The Water of Life’ is a sculpture depicting the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Strangely enough my reading book for the weekend was called Journey to the Well, a novel based on this very story. Coincidence?  If you are interested you can read more about the artist and his concept for the sculpture here: https://broadbent.studio/water-of-life-casestudy

So, another OUCC Tour is over. Many thanks to John and Will for leading us so expertly and also to Ester and the team for their work in making the whole tour a success. Let’s look forward to 2020 and Blackburn, Edinburgh and Ripon.

Hope to see you all there!

Sue Elliott 

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