Music News Evensong at Chapel Royal
Just after the February Half Term the Lancing Chapel Choir travelled to Hampton Court Palace to sing Evensong in the Chapel Royal. After weeks of preparation it was very exciting to finally be there and experience the architecture and the history of the place where great musicians such as Henry Purcell had worked. The service went smoothly with Mr Mason conducting and Joseph Wicks OL on the organ. It was great to see so many parents attending to listen to various pieces, including canticles from Herbert Howells’ Collegium Regale and Like as the Hart. We also marked a very important event in the life of the Chapel Royal – the first use of contactless payment for donations! Cecily Moorsom, Upper Sixth
College Singers return
This year the welcomed return of the collaboration between Lancing College Singers and Student Voices was certainly worth the numerous Monday lunchtime and evening rehearsals, amounting to an exhilarating performance of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle. Conducted by Director of Music Mr Mason, the 120-strong choir had the privilege of singing alongside accomplished professional singers such as soprano Natalie Clifton-Griffith, mezzo-soprano Alexandra Gibson, tenor Mark Dobell and bass Mark Beesley. They were accompanied by two grand pianos played by Assistant Director of Music Mr Langworthy and Mr Lane, and featured the rare appearance of a harmonium played by Mr White-Jones. The scale of the concert was far from ‘petite’ with the scope of the movements ranging from the energetic Kyrie to the majestic Et resurrexit sung by the full choir, with the soloists’ movements performed by the aforementioned singers. Needless to say, the singers adapted to the piece’s theatrical tendencies, executing them in a brilliant and unconventional way, with the aim to impress as well as entertain. I am so glad that I was able to take part in such a monumental work in my final year at Lancing. Undoubtedly, I will cherish the brilliant efforts of the Music Department to co-ordinate grand schemes such as this – even as the academic year has played out more abruptly than an interrupted cadence. Stephanie Ormond, Upper Sixth 16
The Quad • Lent 2020
