'It was just an idea – a one-off for the millennium – and here we are 25 years later and the Choral Pilgrimage is very much alive and firing on all cylinders.'
The premise is the same – we tour a programme, a different programme each year, around the wonderful cathedrals, abbeys and churches of the UK. ‘For our very first Pilgrimage in the year 2000, journalist Simon Jenkins penned us a foreword where he closed with the words:
“Music populates a church. These great spaces were never intended to be empty of colour or sound. To fill them with music honours their purpose.”
It has been our honour over the years to perform, in these sublime spaces, the glorious music of our heritage. We have presented much renaissance music not only by the great masters, Byrd, Tallis, Victoria and Palestrina but also incredible pieces by lesser known composers such as Cornysh, Brumel and Sheppard. We have also had the privilege to introduce to our listeners music from more modern times by the likes of Britten, Poulenc, MacMillan and Pärt. Our programmes always have a theme and this has allowed us in recent years to commission works specifically for the Choral Pilgrimage and we have been blessed with some truly inspirational music by Cecilia McDowall, Bob Chilcott and Dobrinka Tabakova. This year is no exception; interweaved around the music of Hildegard de Bingen, Taverner and Arvo Pärt, listeners will be treated to new works by Will Todd and Anna Clyne which will fill us with calm and optimism.’ Harry Christophers
Find out what the press have been saying about our 25th Pilgrimage anniversary…
Gramophone Magazine – the journey of The Choral Pilgrimage