News & Events

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY …
As previously advertised, the ECA is holding a ‘Gaudy’ on Saturday 21st November and I’m please to be able to advise that we have secured a brief visit to the Muniment Room where all the historic records of the Abbey are preserved by Cathedral Archivist, Dr David Kelsall and his team, including some very old original photographs of the choir.

This is quite a unique opportunity for the ECA so we are now extending the invitation to ALL choristers and lay clerks who sang in the Cathedral Choir up to and including 1985 (and their spouses/partners). There is no charge for the day except lunch which is at members’ own cost.

The programme for the Gaudy will now be as follows:

• 11.30 Coffee/Tea on arrival in the Chapter Room, The Deanery
• 12.00 An exhibition and a short talk on the development of the Cathedral Choir Archive and a chance to listen to some early choir recordings
• 13.00 Lunch
• 14.00 Visit to the Muniment Room – in groups of 10 MAX (optional – please be aware, the Triforium is a high narrow passage so is not recommended for anyone who suffers from vertigo. There are also 45 stone steps in a circular staircase, each one slightly higher than a domestic stair tread.)
• 15.00 Cathedral Choir Rehearsal (optional)
• 16.00 Choral Evensong in the Quire
• 17.00 Nostalgic Visit to the Lay Clerk’s Hostelry, The White Hart (optional)

There is also an IOFS Organ Recital by the Danish organist, Bine Bryndorf.

If you would like attend the ‘Gaudy Day’ please email me at malcolm.bury@stalbanseca.org or telephone me on 01296 630169 by no later Monday 9th November. Please indicate if you would like to come with your spouse or partner and give their name.

Thank you.

Malcolm Bury
Chairman

You will be aware that other than the Annual General Meeting in April, there have been no STAECA activities this year. It has been proposed that, following the enjoyable and successful STAECA camp at Luccombe in 2013, we revisit the village during the weekend of 4th / 5th/ 6th September (Friday to Sunday).

Availability of key personnel and finding a suitable weekend in June/July for the usual ‘field camp’has not proved possible this year however there is still an opportunity for us to visit Luccombe, staying local B&B’s/hotels as many of us did previously, (or staying at the local camp site near Horner), and using the village as the meeting place/base for our walks (Dunkery/Selworthy/Barle Valley) and evening gatherings and also singing Evensong on the Sunday afternoon.

The detailed weekend programme and the necessary endorsement from The Dean still need to be worked through but in order to ascertain whether the trip is feasible we need to know the likely ‘take-up’ from the members; clearly a critical mass and a quorum of voices is a must if the weekend is to be a success.

I should be grateful if you would let me know (to malcolm.bury@stalbanseca.org) by no later than Sunday 21st June whether you (and spouse/partner) are interested and would like to participate in this weekend trip.

 

Many thanks

The 8th Annual General Meeting of the St Albans Cathedral Ex-Choristers Association will be held in The Crypt on Sunday 19th April 2015 at 12.15pm.

Please put this date in your diary and try to attend this meeting.

Click here to download the Agenda and Nomination papers..

Please note that the positions of Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary are open for election and it is vital that these two positions are filled if we are to comply with our Constitution and continue to maintain the ECA in its present form.   If you are available and wish to put your name forward for election to one of these positions please advise the Chairman accordingly.

Nominations of Officers and Representatives should be returned no later than Saturday 12th April 2015 by email to malcolm.bury@stalbanseca.org or by post to:

The Chairman
23 Long Plough,
Aston Clinton, Aylesbury,
Bucks HP22 5HB

Please also let me know whether you wish to stay for drinks at the White Hart and/or lunch either in the Abbott’s Kitchen or at the White Hart.

On Saturday 21 March 2015 at 7.30pm, former St Albans Cathedral organ scholar and now renowned keyboard soloist, James McVinnie is giving a concert at St Peter’s Church, St Albans, in aid of the St Peter’s Choir tour to Edinburgh in August.  He will be performing three Bach Partitas on the piano.

The current Music Director at St Peter’s, Nick Robinson and organist, Alex Flood are both former organ scholars of the Cathedral.

Click here to download a poster

After nearly seven years research I have now completed a ‘prototype’ of my book on the ‘History of the St Albans Cathedral Choirs.’ The draft needs further work to ‘spruce it up’ and bring it to a state ready for printing and publication.

I am therefore seeking assistance from members with the following skills:

Ph 1 – A technical editor – who should have a good knowledge of the development of choral music from monastic times to the present day, both generally and specifically at St Albans Abbey/Cathedral with a focus on the last two decades.

Ph 2 – A ‘designer’ who can advise and help me produce the final design of the book – 15 chapters and 5 appendices – including the setting of photographs. It’s currently in Word.doc landscape format (97 pages)

Ph 3 – A copywriter/proof reader to check the final document at the end of the process. Must have a good command of the English language!

This is a ‘legacy’ project – it’s not been done before and whilst not intended to be a commercial venture – (net proceeds will be donated to the Cathedral Choirs) – I do have a limited personal budget to finalise the book and I’m happy to discuss remuneration. A number of inquiries external to the ECA are also being pursued but keeping it ‘in-house’ would be helpful logistically and hopefully more economical.  The aim is to have the final document ready for printing/publication/marketing by this coming summer, preferably before the end of the Cathedral Choirs’ summer term.

If you have the above skill requirements and are interested in contributing to this project, or can recommend someone with relevant experience, then please contact me at malcolm.bury@stalbanseca.org.

Thank you.

The Abbey Singers, who are our younger ECA members, sang the service of Choral Evensong on Tuesday, 23rd December 2014.

Under the direction of Assitant Master of the Music Tom Winpenny they sang the Magnificat quinti toni by Praetorius and Nunc dimittis tertii toni by Palestrina and the anthem Emmanuel by Philip Moore which was written “For Andrew Lucas and the Choir of St Alban’s Abbey for the installation of the Dean of St Alban’s”.