Members of the Chamber Choir had a wonderful action-packed day as they headed to Cambridge to perform in a joint Choral Evensong Service with the choir of Jesus College in their historic chapel.

After arriving following an early start, the musicians met up with recent Old Stopfordian Caitlin Cutts (OS 2021) who is currently a choral scholar at Jesus College.

Caitlin commented:

I was so excited to welcome the choir of SGS into the Cambridge choral scene for a day. These trips had been a highlight of my time at school and it was a privilege to share that experience with a fresh generation of talented musicians. Despite the chapel choir being a now treasured community of mine, it is not something that I had considered I would be capable of until I went on these trips myself. The encouragement from Music teachers convinced me to apply and I have not looked back since.

Upon the completion of lunch, tours of King’s, Trinity, Christ’s and Jesus Colleges were on the agenda.

At King’s College they walked around the grounds and explored the chapel. This part of the tour was hosted by former pupil Henry Brearley (OS 2015) who is now a Lay Clerk singer in the world-famous King’s College Chapel Choir. The Old Stop was a great host and he pointed out interesting facts about the history of the college, including its royal patronage.

At Director of Music Mr Dow’s old college, Christ’s College, the travelling party listened to a talk from the college’s Director of Music Dr David Rowland about pathways in higher education and opportunities in Music at Oxbridge colleges and other universities, such as choral and organ scholarships. There was an opportunity at the end for pupils to ask questions and learn more about future opportunities that may be of interest.

Singers from both Stockport Grammar and Jesus College took part in a joint rehearsal in Jesus College chapel. During the service, which was attended by several friends and family members, the singers performed a number of choral pieces, including ‘Preces and Responses’ by Reading, Stanford’s setting of Psalm 150’, ‘Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D’ by Wood and Handel’s ‘And the Glory of the Lord’.

To read more about the trip click here.