Out of the Cloisters October 2023 Online

AUTUMN 2023 | OUT OF THE CLOISTERS | PERPETUAL TRUST
UPCOMING CONCERTS
CHRISTMAS
ORATORIO
27 JANUARY 2024
Image: Neil Proctor
On Saturday 27 January at
7pm, Hereford Cathedral
Choir will give a complete
performance of J S Bach’s
Christmas Oratorio.
Conducted by Geraint
Bowen, the choir will sing
alongside guest soloists,
and accompanied by periodinstrument
orchestra
Marches Baroque in the
atmospheric setting of the
candlelit cathedral nave.
The Christmas Oratorio is
supported by the William A
Cadbury Charitable Trust
and Hereford Cathedral
Perpetual Trust. Tickets
cost £25 or £18 and will be
available to purchase from
the cathedral website and
shop from Wednesday 1
November.
SAVE THE DATE
FRETWORK
24 FEBRUARY 2024
On Saturday 24 February, the
cathedral will be welcoming
world leading viol consort
Fretwork to perform in a very
special concert alongside
Hereford Cathedral Choir.
Tickets will be on sale from
the beginning of December,
please check the cathedral
website for more details.
DONATIONS
If sending back more than one
donation, booking form or reply slip,
please use only one envelope and
address to the Perpetual Trust office.
FROM THE CHOIR
MEET STEPHEN
CHALLENGER
The adult members of the cathedral
choir, known as lay clerks, provide
the alto, tenor and bass voices. But
what brings them to sing here? Here’s
Stephen Challenger’s story …
“My first memory of Hereford
Cathedral dates back to the 1970s.
I was a chorister (with my father) in
the choir of a small parish church in
Llanfrechfa (near Cwmbran) and we
visited Hereford to attend Choral
Evensong. I had heard nothing like
it before – sublime singing, glorious acoustic and stunning organ – I was
hooked and made it my life’s ambition to somehow join this great choir.
After study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Cardiff
University that unbelievable opportunity arose, so on 8 September 1984
(having been married the previous weekend) my wife, Margaret, and I
arrived in Hereford. Over the last 39 years I estimate I have sung in over
10,000 services in the cathedral and visited parts of the world I would
never have imagined seeing.
The most important part of my job, however, is the singing of the daily
services in our wonderful cathedral. The routine of daily psalms and music
for the church’s seasons brings an order to every day. All the adults have
full time jobs in addition to their commitment to the cathedral choir; I am
privileged to work for the Diocese of Hereford supporting parishes in the
care of over 400 church buildings. For some of us, this involves working a
7 day week during school term time. It also means we rely totally on the
support from our families – something I hope we never take for granted.
We are very lucky at Hereford that there is not a large turnover of lay
clerks – once you arrive you seem to stay! This creates a great team of
professional musicians but also a friendly and supportive group of friends.
Finally, I have been fortunate to be able to sing with both my sons in the
cathedral choir. Firstly, with John (as a chorister in the late 1990s) and
now with Peter (as a bass lay clerk) – we’re not sure if this is unique but it
must be quite rare.”
Image: Richard Weaver
EXCITING TIMES AHEAD
The Perpetual Trust has many exciting plans for
the years ahead. As a fundraising body, everything
we do is to promote the work of the cathedral and
to raise the funds to provide long term security.
We will be holding a Nave Dinner in the cathedral
during 2024. This event has always been a popular
and spectacular event, so keep an eye out for more
details early next year. For more information about
the work of the Perpetual Trust do get in touch
using the details below.
PERPETUAL TRUST | 5 College Cloisters | Cathedral Close | Hereford | HR1 2NG
t: 01432 374 260 | e: perpetual.trust@herefordcathedral.org
Registered with the Charity Commission for England & Wales No. 1051168 | A private Limited Company No. 3123592