With the lights and carols of the eve’s
Illumina still dancing in our heads, we
arrived in Belfast for what would prove to
be a successful and cheerful return tour after
three years.
It was touching to watch the memories flood
back to the eldest Qs as they measured
their time in the choir against the familiar
surroundings. For those of us who had
never experienced Belfast, its infectiously
lively atmosphere and clement weather
concurred to belie expectations and instil in
all a festive spirit.
After Saturday spent exploring the Science
Centre and practising, the Quiristers joined
the Schola Cantorum choir of St Peter’s
Roman Catholic Cathedral for Sunday
morning mass.
A stone’s throw from the infamous Falls
Road, in a neighborhood bound with thick
concrete walls, the cathedral is warm, bright
and welcoming. Jewel-coloured walls and
sounds fused in Haydn’s Sancti Joannis de
Deo mass setting, as the space responded
to the clarity and depth of the two choirs.
Mawby’s Ave Verum and Vaughan William’s
The Truth from Above, with masterful solos
by Tristan Wigley and Angus Benton,
completed the musical facet of this
memorable service.
St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast
That evening, in conjunction with a
Winchester College reception, the Quiristers
sang in ‘Christmas in the City’, a festive
sparkly charity concert in the historic and
high-spirited Europa Hotel. Arriving on
stage after a succession of microphone-
enhanced favourites, the choir drew upon
precision and strength to overcome the
crowded, plush room’s acoustics and deliver
a refreshing performance of four carols: the
bittersweet Coventry Carol was followed by
the galloping overlapping melodic lines of
This Little Babe, masterfully controlled by the
choir and sung with force. Chubbs Bailey
confidently and clearly assumed a moving
solo in Mater Ora Filium. The Holly and the
Ivy, arranged by Malcolm Archer, wrapped
up this unaccustomed gig for the Quiristers,
one which they accomplished with brio and
professionalism.
We left early Monday morning, heavy-
lidded but light-hearted, looking forward to
the Christmas concert at St Luke’s, Chelsea
and, of course, to Christmas itself!
Alicia Robert, Q Parent (yr 7)
Quiristers with the Schola Cantorum Choir, Belfast
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