Truro Cathedral Choir travel to Exeter for a day of music and football
The junior choristers and the back row of Truro Cathedral Choir ventured across the Tamar for the choir's trip to Exeter Cathedral on Sunday, 8 March, which saw them join Exeter Cathedral Choir for both Sunday Eucharist and Evensong whilst the highly anticipated football match between the choristers of Truro and Exeter took place in the afternoon. James Anderson-Besant provided an update on how everything went!
"We set off very early from Truro at 06:45, with some choristers getting up at 05:00! After arriving in Exeter, we rehearsed with Exeter Cathedral Choir before singing jointly for the 10:00 service, with music by Lassus and Byrd. Exeter and Truro have traded a few singers over the years, with Truro chorister Rupert having initially been a chorister at Exeter, and Exeter lay vicars Celia and Adam having been choral scholars at Truro first! I also used to work at Exeter as assistant director of music, so it was a lovely chance for everyone to catch up with friends old and new.
After the service, we enjoyed some coffee and biscuits with the congregation, while some of the choristers went out to the cathedral green for some photographs in advance of the big football match! After eating lunch, we all walked over to the sports fields of Exeter School, where the two chorister football teams warmed up and played the eagerly-anticipated return matches from 2 years ago. Both teams showed a huge amount of determination and skill, but again it was the Exeter choristers who triumphed quite spectacularly in both the junior and senior matches. Congratulations Exeter, and we can't wait to play you again soon, maybe next time on home turf...
Not wishing to let the football get us down, we returned to the cathedral in good spirits to get back to what we know and love - singing. We rehearsed all together in the stunning medieval Quire, with Howells's epic setting 'Collegium Regale' and S.S. Wesley's anthem 'Wash me throughly'. There was a fitting connection: the composer S.S. Wesley is the grandson of Charles Wesley (brother of John), whose influence in Methodism shaped the foundation of Truro School. S.S. Wesley was organist of Exeter Cathedral in the 1830s, and he is buried in the city cemetery with his daughter Mary who died aged 9 weeks.
The two choirs, numbering some 55 people, made an inspiring and wonderfully blended sound, filling the cathedral. The congregation were very appreciative, and everyone was on a high after Evensong. We then made the journey back down the A30 to arrive in Truro at 19:30, rather tired from a long day.
This was a rare opportunity for choristers at two institutions to come together to make music, seeing the little differences in how their respective choirs sound, whilst having so much in common within our great nationwide choral tradition. We are extremely grateful to the hospitality of the team at Exeter, especially director of music Timothy Noon, and also to our own team of school and cathedral staff who gave up their Sunday to enable this day of singing, football and fellowship."