St Albans St Cecilia festival concert

The (notionally) biennial St Albans St Cecilia Festival concert in the Cathedral will be held on Saturday the 15th of November this year. Starting at 7:30 p.m. three awesome choral works should gladden the hearts of all present –

We open with Herbert Howells’ Magnificat 'Collegium Regale', followed by the first part of Dvořák's Stabat Mater, after which there will be an interval.

After the interval (starting at approximately 8:25 p.m.) Mendelssohn's Hear My Prayer will be followed by the second part of Stabat Mater, finishing the concert.

The St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) joins forces with 4 local choirs (Aeolian Singers, St Albans Chamber Choir, Hardynge Choir, and Radlett Choir), 4 professional soloists (Erin Rossington: soprano, Angharad Rowlands: mezzo-soprano, Robert Watson: tenor, and Emyr Wyn Jones: bass-baritone), and a St Albans Cathedral Chorister (William Democratis: treble). The nave will reverberate to the passions expressed by the massed musical forces.

Tickets are on sale now, priced at £28, £22, £16, £10, £1 (accompanied child). Online: click ‘book now’ on https://www.stalbanscathedral.org/Event/st-albans-st-cecilia-festival-society-2025. In person: Visit the Box Office desk in the Cathedral Welcome Centre. Telephone: 01727 890290.

Herbert Howells’ Magnificat 'Collegium Regale': The Magnificat [My soul] magnifies [the Lord] is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary or Canticle of Mary. Howells published 18 settings of the Magnificat over his career, including this Collegium Regale setting, written for King's College, Cambridge.

Antonín Dvořák's Stabat Mater is an extended setting of the 20 stanzas of the 13th-century Christian hymn to the Virgin Mary that portrays her suffering as a mother during the crucifixion of her son, Jesus Christ. The title comes from its first line, "Stabat Mater dolorosa" - "the sorrowful mother was standing". The piece will be performed in two parts, the first part following the Magnificat 'Collegium Regale', the second part following Hear My Prayer.

Felix Mendelssohn's Hear My Prayer uses a text whose sentiments echo what we find in the psalms, particularly Psalm 55, a song of supplication in the face of extreme adversity. The final section is the famous setting ‘Oh for the wings of a dove’, often performed as a piece on its own, but really at its best here, where its soaring lyricism forms an uplifting conclusion to a splendid piece.

For more information visit https://www.stalbanscathedral.org/Event/st-albans-st-cecilia-festival-society-2025