Expectations about a visiting Australian choir in London were well and truly exceeded when St Paul’s College Chapel Choir sang their first notes in St Paul’s Cathedral London on 28 December 2024. 48 choir members and supporters undertook an international tour over the 2024 Christmas-2025 New Year season to London, Canterbury, York and Paris.
The St Paul’s College Choir Tour sang for Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral London on Saturday 28 December and then Sung Eucharist and a final evensong on 29th. Every service was packed with London-based and visiting worshipers. On the Sunday 2,500 people filled the Cathedral, with another 1,000 viewing on live-stream, for Eucharist when the choir sang the Howells Collegium Regale and the anthem was Philip Stopford beautiful setting of Lully Lulay.
London was packed with people for end of year events and each service was swelled with visitors from all over the world hearing our choir, who were announced as one of Australia’s best choral ensembles.
The Choir were then the guests of Westminster Abbey for Monday 30th and Tuesday News Year’s Eve Services of Evensong . The congregation was treated to the Australian bush carol Carol of the Birds by William G James. This caused great interest and resulted in a wonderful article in the Sydney Morning Herald by their UK correspondent Rob Harris. For the article in SMH (3 Jan 2025) CLICK HERE
Pictures: Vanessa Agius, Noel Debien, Richard Morgan
