We were treated to three special services at Rochester Cathedral over the weekend, all celebrating musical history.

On Saturday, former Cathedral Organists Barry Ferguson (1977-1994) and Roger Sayer (1994-2008) and former Organ Scholar David Price (1991) conducted and played the organ for the Old Choristers, including founder members of the King’s Singers (Chris Gabbitas OR), The Sixteen (Chris Royall OR) along with former KSR teacher and lay clerk, Nick McMillan. 

On Sunday morning, the BBC van was parked outside the North door of the cathedral to broadcast a short radio interview with cathedral Director of Music Adrian Bawtree and Lay Clerk Isabella Chambers (OR) on R4’s Broadcasting House programme. The broadcast returned to the end of Matins in which the cathedral choir sang Stanford’s Jubilate in B♭ with great gusto. 

Sunday Evensong involved the playback of the first ever recorded live broadcast of the Magnificat of Stanford in B♭, which was broadcast over telephone lines in 1926 and cut onto a Shellac Vinyl at 80rpm. The performance of the Nunc dimittis was live and incorporated the Old Choristers once again. 

You can listen to the recording on the Cathedral’s website: https://www.rochestercathedral.org/articles/2024/5/16/earliest-known-recording-of-a-live-cathedral-choir-rediscovered

And find out more about this amazing discovery: https://www.rochestercathedral.org/articles/2024/5/16/earliest-known-recording-of-a-live-cathedral-choir-rediscovered

As well as coverage by the BBC the story has been featured in the Telegraph and Church Times, Radio 3 and Radio 4.

A brilliant weekend and a chance to feel part of the incredible musical history which surrounds us at Rochester. 

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