After a summer of wonderful conferences and musical experiences, the music department is ready for another year of music-making in liturgies and concerts.
I’m so over the moon about the first Friends of Music concert; I’m literally bonkers! Not since the Boy Choristers from St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, in 2018 have we had a chance to host such a world-class choir. On Tuesday, September 15, at 7 p.m., we will have the privilege of hearing The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, under the direction of Steven Grahl. Don’t get me wrong: we have had amazing choirs since 2018, but none have recorded as much, received as many awards, or earned as many effusive reviews from around the world as Trinity College Cambridge.
Why does this matter? Why should you care about this? Because you know the power of music, and you know what it’s like to be at a live performance, with the whole room tied up together having the same sublime experience. It’s also an amazing thing to hear glorious sounds come out of a person—their voice, their soul—not to mention thirty-two of them singing in harmony. One of the finest American choral conductors, Robert Shaw, once said, “It is a monumental accomplishment for… voices to sing one note in tune—let alone 80 minutes of 4- to 7-part harmony. And it takes everybody caring every second.”
Everyone caring every second.
That’s beauty in and of itself. People caring about what they do. Wanting to communicate. Wanting to share. Wanting to do it together. And when they do, well, why would you want to be anywhere else but on the receiving end of that beautiful gift?
Read on and click on the links to hear various recordings of this internationally renowned choir.
Voted the fifth-best choir in the world in Gramophone magazine’s ‘20 Greatest Choirs’, The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge comprises around thirty Choral Scholars and two Organ Scholars, all of whom are students at the University. The College’s choral tradition dates back to the all-male choir of the fourteenth century, when former Chapel Royal choristers studied in King’s Hall, which later became part of Trinity College. It is currently under the direction of Steven Grahl.
During term, the Choir’s main focus is the singing of the liturgy (daily Evensongs and weekly Eucharists) in the College Chapel, exploring a wide-ranging repertoire drawn from both Catholic and Protestant traditions. Outside term, the Choir’s program of performances and recordings has included BBC broadcasts of large choral works with some of England’s finest orchestras.
Over the years, the choir has recorded over 70 albums, many of them award-winning, and nominated for Grammys and Gramophone Awards. One of the Choir’s most recent releases was named by The New York Times as one of the Best Classical Recordings of 2024.
An ambitious tour schedule has taken the choir to destinations in Europe, the USA, Canada, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Peru, and on two month-long nationwide tours of Australia as part of the Musica Viva International Concert Season.
Have I convinced you yet to come to this incredible (and FREE) concert on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.?
Yes, you’ve convinced me. Can’t wait!
We are looking forward to it♥️
I can feel your excitement, my friend. Thanks for your outstanding music leadership at Calvary and in Memphis. Mary