Each year, in around week 10 of Trinity Term, Jesus Chapel Choir goes on tour. Since the COVID pandemic we have been to Amsterdam and Italy, singing in cities including Rome, Florence, Amsterdam and Leiden. Tours are a great opportunity to sing in impressive buildings, and we try to build in plenty of time for sightseeing, too!
See below for some photos, as well as reports from our most recent tours.
Choir tours are usually great fun, but they are filled with plenty of nerve wracking moments. The first of which was making sure that everyone made it onto the right Eurostar train, to take us to Amsterdam. Luckily, the main group made it to the Netherlands without issue, although the same cannot be said for Fabian (one of our consort tenors) who was to arrive halfway through – having made his own tortuous journey by coach. Once we were all settled in, the group was able to relax and enjoy their Tuesday evening in Amsterdam!
They would, however, need to be up early for a rehearsal in the Basilica of Saint Nicholas on Wednesday morning. This fabulous venue and their Director of Music, Dr. Giles Brightwell, were especially accommodating of the choir and organ scholars. They allowed us to rehearse there multiple times throughout the week and allowed the organ scholars plenty of time to get used to the instrument and the large acoustic, which came as some shock to musicians used to our own modest Chapel. This was also the venue of our first performance, later in the week.
On Thursday evening, the three organ scholars were treated to an amazing masterclass with the world-renowned Dutch organist Matthias Havinga. It took place in Amsterdam’s oldest building, the Oude Kerk, and on one of their fabulous organs, which is regarded as one of the finest Baroque organs in Europe. This was a real pleasure and an opportunity for the organists to gain unique insights into the performance of north German Baroque music, such as that by J. S. Bach or Dieterich Buxtehude.
Our first performance took place on the Friday, with a concert in the Basilica. The programme was mostly made up of English choral music, from Byrd, through Purcell and onto Stanford, either unaccompanied or with the Church’s chamber organ, interspersed with solo organ pieces on the large main organ. A particular highlight was Monteverdi’s Beatus vir, which closed the concert in wonderful Italian style. The concert was wonderfully well received and the audience were on their feet applauding at the end.
On the following day, we were incredibly lucky to take part in a joint service of Choral Evensong, in which we sang alongside one of the choirs of the Basilica. Herbert Brewer’s Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D, which is a Jesus College staple, was at the heart of the service and sounded thoroughly magnificent with over 50 singers filling the Basilica with song. The service was live streamed on YouTube and can be viewed here.
We travelled to Leiden on Sunday, for our second evensong of the trip. The organ scholars struck gold, with a splendid Father Willis made, English cathedral style organ at one end and an original historic organ from 1585, that was still in full working order, at the other. The large church was filled with a congregation of over 350 people and although the 8 second echo made accompanying the choir quite difficult, the service music was magnificent and the Welsh anthem O Ddewi Sanctaidd by Wynn-Jones, sounded splendid. We received many compliments and warm regards afterwards. After the service we enjoyed a group meal, which was an opportunity to thank everyone involved in the tour for their contribution.
Monday, saw the choir travel to the town of Schagen, which we soon learnt is not as easy to pronounce as it looks! The concert in the St. Cristofoorkerk was our best performance of the trip. The organ (built by Nicholoson) was made in 1882 for St. Mary Magdalene in Worcester, England and transferred to Christoforus Church in Schagen in 1981 and was a delight to play. Once again the audience were incredibly enthusiastic, with another standing ovation. The priest even described the group as “the best choir I have ever heard”.
It was a wonderful way to conclude what was a fabulous week of music making and cultural enrichment! The now exhausted group managed to make it back to London by train and without a hiccup.
Ollie Edwardes, Organ Scholar
Joy and relief percolated throughout the choir on Tuesday 28th June, as Chris the Chaplain made it to the flight gate just in time (having dutifully ensured everyone got through security without issue). Stepping out of the airport at the other end, the choir was greeted with the intense summer heat of Pisa; there would be time to enjoy this city when we returned, but for now we enjoyed the beautiful train journey across Tuscany to Florence, where we would spend most of the week to come. Once settled into our rooms, we dispersed for our first taste of Italian food and an evening of exploration.
We awoke the next day for a morning rehearsal in St Mark’s English Church, Florence, where the choir got used to singing together once again and the organ scholars were able to try out the first Italian organ of the week. The rest of the day was left free so that everyone could get to know and experience this wonderful city.
On Thursday we headed to Rome, where the choir attempted to see as much of the city as possible in one day, before converging at All Saints’ Anglican Church, for our first performance of the trip. Despite having us billed as Jesus, Cambridge, this quintessential Anglican church was a fantastic first place to perform in. It provided a lovely space for the choir to sing in; a large three manual organ for Himmy (one of the organ scholars) to accompany the service of Evensong from and a lovely crypt for the choir to cool off in. Highlights included the gorgeous anthem Geistliches Lied (Brahms) and the organ voluntary Nun Danket Alle Gott (Karg-Elert). Many of the now exhausted choir managed to catch some rest on the late train back to Florence, recuperating for the following day.
This day included more rehearsals and some free time for exploration, before another service of Evensong, this time at St Mark’s English Church, another great venue nestled into the streets of Florence. The choir enjoyed their second performance, despite the psalm containing an extravagant twenty-two verses and the organ’s swell box closing at will, and needing to be prised open manually.
Saturday was left largely free for the choir to enjoy and experience just how amazing the city of Florence is. The vast amount of religious and artistic culture available was a real treat and probing all of this was only limited by the choir’s ability to withstand the scorching sun.
The following day brought the final two performances for the choir. The choir treated the congregation of St Mark’s to Hadyn’s Little Organ Mass in morning, followed by drinks and nibbles before making their way to St James Episcopal church for evensong, which was to be their final performance of the trip. And what a performance it was!
The choir gave an excellent rendition of Rachmaninov’s masterpiece, Bogoroditse Dyevo – helped by Grisha’s recordings of the Russian pronunciation – and Chris the Chaplain delivered a “short, but life changing” sermon, before Conrad (the incoming organ scholar, who had joined the trip to get to know everyone) in his first service playing for the choir, performed the Toccata of Léon Boëllmann’s Suite Gothique, which was wonderfully received.
On Monday, still delighted by their performances the day before, the choir relaxed and enjoyed their final day in Florence, before enjoying a group meal together in the evening, which included the presentation of awards, such as best outfit and best translator.
Then on Tuesday it was time to head home. Another train across Tuscany and a chance to explore Pisa properly before arriving late back at Gatwick, with many happy memories and some great photos to remember it all by!
Oliver Edwardes
