Round Up: Truro Cathedral Choir visit The Netherlands On Their Tour
From 25 - 29 August, Truro Cathedral Choir travelled to the Netherlands for a five-day tour based in The Hague. The tour included visits to Rotterdam, Strijen, Amsterdam and Delft. Along the way, the choir gave concerts and services in some wonderful venues and enjoyed lots of time exploring too!
The tour began in the very early hours, with the choir leaving Truro by coach at 01:45. After catching the Eurostar to Rotterdam, they got to their hotel in The Hague. With many very tired choir members, after the long journey, an early night was in order before the adventure really began.
Day 2 started with a large breakfast at the hotel before the choristers headed out to Sea Life Scheveningen, where they saw sharks, turtles, axolotls and penguins, and even managed a game of football and a play on the beach! Meanwhile, the back row explored the Escher Museum in The Hague, enjoying its collection of fascinating optical illusions. In the afternoon, the choir gave its first concert in the wonderful surroundings of the Oude Kerk in Scheveningen. The church community generously provided supper before the concert, which drew a big and appreciative audience.
On Day 3, the choir travelled to Rotterdam to explore the stunning Laurenskerk, where they couldn’t resist singing under the tower with its extraordinarily resonant acoustic. After admiring the Cube Houses, they visited the indoor Markthal and enjoyed lunch from its wide range of international cuisines. The choir then travelled to Strijen, a small village South of Rotterdam, with a welcoming community. The church there provided a wonderful space to sing and play in, and once again, the church extended great hospitality with a pasta supper. The back row even sampled some unusual Red Bull ice cream for an extra energy boost! The concert had an electric atmosphere and was warmly received.
Day 4 took the choir to Amsterdam. The choristers began the day at the zoo, encountering animals from elephants to mice, and experiencing the immersive planetarium show while the back row explored the city, and some climbed the tower of the Nieuwe Kerk. In the afternoon, the whole choir gathered at the Co-Cathedral Basilica of St Nicholas to rehearse and sing Evensong. With music by Howells, Tallis and Parsons, the service had a prayerful sense of space and poise, with lovely singing from everyone. Afterwards, the choristers let off steam in the park by the Concertgebouw before the whole group enjoyed dinner together at the Hard Rock Café.
The final day, Day 5, took them to Delft. A boat trip along its intricate canal network introduced us to the city’s rich history as a centre of royalty, industry and education, with the guide skilfully navigating the very low bridges. The last performance of the tour took place in the beautiful Maria van Jessekerk, where their lunchtime recital included music by Taverner, Tallis, alongside movements from Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices. With the final chords of Dale Adelmann’s poignant arrangement of Steal Away, the 2024–25 year came to a close. This was a special moment as the choir said goodbye to their departing head choristers — John, Joseph, Harris, Matipa and Ollie — as well as choral scholars Adam and Millie, and organ scholar Jeremy – thank you all for your many combined years of service.
Following lunch (and special treats of paninis and cakes for the leaving head choristers), the choir returned to Rotterdam to catch the Eurostar. After saying farewell to our tour manager and coach driver from OneStage Specialist Concert Tours, we arrived back in Truro just before 03:00 — exhausted but full of memories.
A huge thank you goes to Mr Osmond, Mrs Issaka, and Mrs McLachlan for their care of the choristers, to Mrs Gregory for her tireless organisation behind the scenes, and to our brilliant organists, back row and choristers. We are also very grateful for an extremely generous donation which enabled the trip to take place. Thank you everyone - you have done Cornwall and Truro proud!
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Take a look at what the choir got up to in a little collection of photos.