Last Sunday, a congregation including the Mayor of Charnwood, the Local MP and civic dignitaries gathered with the Lord Lieutentant of Leicestershire, Mike Kapur OBE, in a service of celebration to mark the coronation of King Charles III.
The music for the service included pieces from the 1953 coronation, and at its heart was a specially commissioned anthem as part of Sing for the King! This was an open invitation for all choirs to join in song to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III. Joanna Forbes L’Estrange, acclaimed singer and composer, was commissioned by the RSCM (see below) to compose a new coronation anthem for this project: The Mountains Shall Bring Peace. Over 500 choirs worldwide participated, from Canada and America to Australia and New Zealand; from Orkney to South Africa, via the Channel Islands, Rome and Uganda.
The choir for Sunday’s service comprised members of the Youth and Adult choirs of All Saints with Holy Trinity along with singers from the congregation, the local area and further afield, all of whom responded to our invitation to ‘Sing for the King’.
Reflecting afterwards, Simon Headley said,
“Musically and pastorally it has been great to take part in this project for a whole variety of reasons: marking this special occasion, locally, with a newly commissioned piece linked us directly to the Coronation itself and all the newly commissioned music sung at Westminster. There were more than 500 choirs worldwide participating, so we were also part of something much, much bigger. We were really glad to welcome additional singers and we enjoyed learning and singing it, we had fun and laughter along the way and we’ll sing it again!”
If anyone would like to know more about singing with the choir on a regular or occasion basis, have a word with Simon or email him on [email protected].
You can view more pictures from the service here.
We often hear about ‘the RSCM’, so here is a little more about it:
The Royal School of Church Music began life on the feast of St Nicholas in 1927 at an inaugural meeting of the Jerusalem Chamber of Westminster Abbey on the initiative of Sir Sydney Nicholson, then organist of the Abbey. In 1945, by command of King George VI, the SECM became the Royal School of Church Music.
The RSCM encourages and resources churches, musicians, and church communities of all kinds to ensure they have access to relevant support, training, and education resources to sustain them in the present. As well as working to inspire the church musicians of the future.
Across the UK, Ireland, and worldwide, a network of thousands of affiliated churches (which All Saints has been since 1975), schools, and other institutions, together with thousands more individual members, supporters, and volunteers, help the RSCM achieve their vision of bringing people closer to God through music.
Choristers are particularly attracted to the RSCM Voice for Life awards scheme, and the Dean’s and Bishop’s Award, now called Bronze and Silver respectively. As an affiliated choir, it is possible to recognise long service as happened recently for one of our long serving choir members. Margaret Bates has sung in the choir for 25 years, a fantastic achievement and one the the choir celebrated earlier this year. She is pictured below receiving her certificate from Simon Headley.
So whether you want to dip a toe in the water and come and sing with us occasionally or are perhaps looking for a choir to join and like Margaret rehearse with every week, you will find a warm and supportive welcome here at All Saints.
