Home and away fixtures for Chapel Choir
Before half term, the Ripley Chapel Choir played host to the Schola Petri of Stonyhurst College who joined us to sing a special Candlemas Evensong in our Chapel.
The service, held on Thursday 2nd February was led by The Revd Leah Vasey-Saunders, Vicar of Lancaster, and featured Herbert Howells’s masterful Collegium Regale Evening Canticles, as well as the famous setting of When to the temple Mary went by Johannes Eccard.
On the final day of the half term (see image below), Ripley Chapel Choir travelled to Stonyhurst to sing for their annual Pontifical High Mass for the Martyrs of St Omers. Stonyhurst was originally founded at St Omers, France, in 1593, as Catholic education had been prohibited in England; fifteen alumni of the school were martyred for their faith between 1608 and 1680 and they were remembered in this service. The service was let by The Rt Revd Paul Gunter OSB, Abbot of Douai, and featured Gerald Finzi’s splendid setting of Let us now praise famous men, as well as some excellent hymns arranged for choir, organ and brass ensemble by Andrew Henderson, Director of Music at Stonyhurst.
Mr Gillthorpe, Ms Leong and the Chapel Choir thoroughly enjoyed these services and we are already planning for more collaborations in the future. In the spirit of partnership, we are also looking forward to welcoming the Joint Vocal Group from the two Lancaster Grammar Schools to our school Evensong on Thursday 30th March at 4.15pm.
The other Chapel services for this term are as follows:
Thursday 2nd March, 4.15pm: Choral Evensong
Tuesday 7th March, 7pm: Taizé service
Thursday 16th March, 4.15pm: Choral Evensong
Thursday 30th March, 4.15pm: Choral Evensong including Joint Vocal Group
