This week I am singing with the Ontario Cathedral Singers as they are doing a “cathedral week”, singing services in cathedrals while the regular choristers are away. I met their director, and had an organ lesson with him, this past summer while visiting my parents in Canada.
We’ve sung two services in St Paul’s so far. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we’ll be at Southwark Cathedral for Evensong at 5.30pm, then on Friday back at St Paul’s for the 5pm Evensong there.
I am amused that by Friday I will have sung as many services inside St Paul’s as I did outside in October 2011. It is, of course, a very different experience, but there is a sort of stable core. The Magnificat remains revolutionary and challenging, the Nunc dimittis remains strange and wonderful, and these remain the prayers of the (wider) church.
It’s a wonderful way to bring in the New Year. I’m just sorry we aren’t doing Mattins too.