The Chamber Singers are now in London, where they have performed a Choral Evensong in St. Paul’s Cathedral and will sing in Westminster Abbey before heading home mid-week.
The forty-six-member chorus—conducted by Professor Angela Batey, associate dean for diversity in the College of Arts and Sciences—has been on a twelve-day tour of England, where they are performing in some of the country’s most historic and best-known cathedrals.
In Canterbury, the group performed four Choral Evensong services in Canterbury Cathedral and a benefit concert at St. Peter’s Anglican Church.
The Chamber Singers arrived in London on Saturday. They toured the city by bus before enjoying a welcome dinner at the Minories Pub, a traditional English pub near Tower Bridge and the London Dungeon.
There was more time for sightseeing on Sunday and early Monday before rehearsals for the group’s performance of the Choral Evensong at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
For more than 1,400 years, a cathedral dedicated to St Paul has stood at on London’s highest hill. The present cathedral, designed by Britain’s most famous architect, Sir Christopher Wren, is at least the fourth to have stood on the site. Construction began in 1675, after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, and the cathedral was completed in 1710. Services began in 1697, even before it was complete.
The cathedral was the setting for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981 and the services celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s golden and diamond jubilees. It was the site of Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s funeral in 1965 and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s funeral in 2013.
Today the singers will cap off their performance tour with the Choral Evensong at Westminster Abbey.
Two members of UT’s Video and Photography Center are traveling with the choral group to chronicle the adventure with photos and videos that will be shared during the trip via UT’s website and social media. When they return, the UT videographers will produce a documentary about the trip, which will be featured on UT’s website and social media, and may be shown on Knoxville’s East Tennessee PBS channel.
Keep up with the Chamber Singers during their trip by following UT on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The students are also chronicling their adventures by using the hashtag #VolSingersUK on Twitter and Instagram.
The trip is the third choral sojourn for the group. In 2012, they traveled to Ireland and Northern Ireland to perform in some that area’s most famous cathedrals. They went to Carnegie Hall in 2007.
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CONTACT:
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)