Sponsored by
Choir in appeal to find new organ
Julie Hemmings A DUTCH choir about to sing at York Minster is appealing for help to find a new instrument.
Members of Leidse Cantorij, the choir of the St Pancras or Hooglandse Kerk, in Leiden, will be singing Eucharists and Evensongs in the Minster on Saturday and Sunday.
Among the music the choir will sing this weekend are Preces and Responses composed by York Minster's Master of the Music Philip Moore, as well as works by Charles Wood, Balfour Gardiner, Herbert Howells and Morten Lauridsen.
The singers will be conducted by the choir's director of
music Hans Brons and accompanied by its organist, Theo Visser.
At home in the Netherlands the choir's church, which dates back to the 14th century, has a baroque organ built in 1565 but this instrument is not suitable for performing or accompanying English choral or organ music.
Church leaders in Leiden have launched a million-euro appeal to build the new organ, which would be the largest instrument of its kind in continental Europe, but this could take several years.
So the 32-strong choir is hoping an English church may have a redundant organ which could be adapted into a cathedral-type pipe organ.
In 1998 the Leidse Cantorij were the first Dutch choir to sing choral evensongs in St Paul's Cathedral in London, where they returned in 2000. In 2004 they deputised for the regular choir at Rochester Cathedral.
Last year the Cantorij sang at the wedding of a member of the Dutch royal family, sharing the bill with chart-topper Katie Melua.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Three-inch blanket of snow heading our way today
- Alan Shearer in list of favourites for Leeds and England jobs: Latest odds
- Barnsley’s Keith Hill invokes Fawlty Towers over link with Leeds job
- McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down
- Redfearn throws down gauntlet as queue builds at Elland Road
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
