Last week Priory Singers was honoured to be asked to sing for the Memorial service for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in St Anne's Cathedral, in the presence of HM King Charles III and the Queen Consort.
We are not a Cathedral choir, nor a parish choir, but we DO sing regularly in churches and cathedrals, and having recently returned from a week-long residency in Lincoln Cathedral, we were still in church-mode when the call came. The founder of the choir, Dr Harry Grindle, was for many years musical director at St Anne's Cathedral, so there was a connection there. We were all aware of what a privilege it was to be asked to take part in such a momentous and historic occasion.
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| The Priory Singers at St Anne's Cathedral Belfast |
Now, our musical director is Mr Philip Bolton MBE, who only took up the position one week before the Memorial Service! We are very grateful for the magnificent job that Robert Thompson did over the past 12 years of whipping us into shape and were glad that he joined us to sing for this event.
As you can imagine, rehearsals were aplenty - highly focussed and exacting. It was a fabulous experience for all of us. We were also pleased to have had Jack Wilson on organ. Jack has played for us on many occasions and was with us in Lincoln in August.
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| Jack Wilson at the organ. |
Here is a link to an article written about the choir.
https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2022-09-13/choir-drafted-in-at-last-minute-to-perform-for-king
Please visit again for info on upcoming concerts and events. The next concert is in late November and a Christmas concert mid December. Venue to be confirmed.
