The Choir Archive


Below and on the links supplied you can read something of the achievements and activities of St Faith's Choir in past years.




2006 - a busy year!


2006's busy summer schedule included a recital of works by Handel, The Beatles, Rutter, and a selection from “Sister Act”, and, in July, the Choir’s annual visit to Liverpool Cathedral to sing the services for a Sunday during the Cathedral Choir's summer vacation.

In December 2004 the Choir appeared in two programmes entitled “Down To Earth” broadcast by BBC 1 from St.Faith’s.
Follow THIS LINK for full coverage of every aspect of this very special time, when the BBC took us over for several days and we were broadcast twice on Sunday morning BBC1 prime time.

On Sunday 31st July 2006,  St.Faith’s Choir sang at both the Solemn High Mass and Choral Vespers at Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral. See pictures and Kari Dodson's story below. They returned for the swansong of Director of Music, Ged Callacher, on his last Sunday with the United Benefice (feature linked at the foot of this page). Ged is currently training for the Roman Catholic priesthood.



 
 Singing at the 'Met' 

 
 

Having a birthday at the end of July is a mixed blessing. Often the weather is lovely for barbecues and parties, but equally often one’s nearest and dearest have headed off on their annual holidays. This year’s was an exception. I got to spend my big day with great friends, singing some wonderful music, in the spectacular and beautiful  setting of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.

For many years, St Faith’s Choir have sung the Sunday  services of the last Sunday in July at the Anglican Cathedral, but we felt that it might be time to ring the changes. Certainly, many aspects of our day at the ‘Met’ were different to what we’ve experienced before, but certainly no less enjoyable or moving. As those of you who have visited the cathedral will know, it is a big space to fill, and we had a lot of music, some very new to us, with which to do the job.

The cathedral staff and clergy were exceptionally welcoming, with morning tea and coffee and a glass of wine after mass in the song school. The 11 o’clock mass was well attended, with a lovely ‘family’ atmosphere - people of all ages and from many countries. We will be on the holiday snaps of quite a few tourists! It was a special day for the celebrant too - he had been ordained at the cathedral 28 years ago to the day. His vote of thanks to our choir included the compliment that we sang Latin better than the cathedral choir! The Vierne mass setting sounded fantastic in that enormous space, beautifully accompanied by Stephen Hargreaves on the cathedral organ. He thoroughly enjoyed his day too, getting some fantastic (and some unusual!) sounds  from a class instrument.  The highlight for me was the plainsong singing of the Agnus Dei, which echoed around that beautiful space perfectly. The procession out, around the whole  circumference of the cathedral, was suitably triumphant!

A party atmosphere prevailed at lunch in the cathedral bistro, including being the embarrassed recipient of a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday”. Rehearsal for Evening Prayer followed, and then the service itself, to a small but highly appreciative congregation, including supporters from St Faith’s. Choral evening prayer is almost an entirely sung service - introit, psalmody, magnificat, anthem, responses - which ends with a little procession to the Lady Chapel for the singing of the Ave Maria. It was an understated and beautiful end to a fantastic day. Many thanks to all who supported us, both in the build-up and on the day, to Stephen for his great playing and, of course, to Ged, for his patience, hard work, and talent, without which we would never have made it.

Many of us will now delight in telling our friends that we’ve sung at the Met. I won’t tell them it wasn’t New York if you won’t!

Kari

(follow the second link below for the choir's return to the R.C. Cathedral on Ged's last Sunday.

 
Above: 'The Lightning Conductor': ex-Musical Director Ged Callacher in full flow and some of the choir in procession on Palm Sunday 2004



Saying Farewell to Ged Callacher

Go to a page featuring the final Sunday of our Director of Music, Ged Callacher



Go to our music home page

Go to our home page