ChoirTours
In June 1981 I joined Belfast Cathedral Choir and
went on my first choir tour to Canterbury
Cathedral. The first of many happy weeks spent
singing in some of the most wonderful buidings in
the world.
The main purpose of these tours was to spend a week singing Choral Evensong every afternoon, just like our professional colleagues in the English Cathedral Choirs.
In 1981 Belfast Cathedral Choir, despite being a voluntary choir, was one of the best in the United Kingdom, broadcasting regularly on BBC radio and television.
These tours were a lot of fun, many nights spent in traditional English pubs, supping beer and enjoying good company.
We also had the opportunity to travel abroad on tour. We travelled to Norway, singing in Trondheim and Bergen. It was interesting to participate in a Lutheran Mass, singing hymns in Norwegian.
The highlight was in 2001, when we travelled to New York and Albany, singing for our American cousins. We spent the first weekend in a hot and humid Albany before moving to New York city for a week. The choir sang at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Fifth Avenue. We sang mass in another Roman Catholic church and finally the sunday services at the Episcopal Cathedral of St John the Divine, the largest gothic cathedral in the world.
We were lucky enough to see the fireworks display on the 4th of July and stand on the top of the World Trade Center.
The main purpose of these tours was to spend a week singing Choral Evensong every afternoon, just like our professional colleagues in the English Cathedral Choirs.
In 1981 Belfast Cathedral Choir, despite being a voluntary choir, was one of the best in the United Kingdom, broadcasting regularly on BBC radio and television.
These tours were a lot of fun, many nights spent in traditional English pubs, supping beer and enjoying good company.
We also had the opportunity to travel abroad on tour. We travelled to Norway, singing in Trondheim and Bergen. It was interesting to participate in a Lutheran Mass, singing hymns in Norwegian.
The highlight was in 2001, when we travelled to New York and Albany, singing for our American cousins. We spent the first weekend in a hot and humid Albany before moving to New York city for a week. The choir sang at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Fifth Avenue. We sang mass in another Roman Catholic church and finally the sunday services at the Episcopal Cathedral of St John the Divine, the largest gothic cathedral in the world.
We were lucky enough to see the fireworks display on the 4th of July and stand on the top of the World Trade Center.
New
York
Norway
Edinburgh
Windsor
Exeter
A
Mix of Tours
Canterbury