Written by Victor Tolomeo, Vestryman and Choir Member

It’s good to be back! The St. George’s Choir and Choristers have returned from our weeklong residency at Gloucester Cathedral and are looking forward to rejoining all of you in worship this Sunday. With a packed schedule of sightseeing, rehearsals, and a total of seven sung cathedral services in the course of the week, it’s impossible to give a full account here of all our adventures – so I encourage you to check out Dr. Ben Keseley’s blog if you haven’t already. With that said, I would like to offer a few reflections.

Gloucester Cathedral describes itself as “In tune with heaven; in touch with daily life.” I’ve found myself returning again and again to this theme of connection over the past days.

Gloucester has a tradition of daily worship dating back some 1,300 years; it was a huge privilege and a very moving experience for us to be a small part of that. To sing in the Great Quire, to feel the stone of the Norman-era nave, to stand in awe of the fan-vaulted ceiling of the cloisters is to encounter, however tangentially and fleetingly, all the Christians who have preceded us in offering their own sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving in that space.

There is often a moment in choral singing when the harmonies “lock in” – disparate notes aligning and coming in tune to create something greater than the sum of the parts. Offering daily services improved our musical cohesion as a choir, yes, but the experience also deepened friendships and forged new bonds within our community. When I look back on our residency I’ll remember all the post-evensong meals, laughs, and (yes) pints shared more than our repertoire or any technical details of our performances.

Finally, I would like to thank all of you, the people of this parish, for your support of our choirs and music programs at St. George’s. It’s our privilege to sing with and for you each Sunday.

I’ll leave you with the Choristers’ Prayer which our choirs recite after each rehearsal:

Bless, O Lord, us thy servants, who minister in thy temple.

Grant that what we sing with our lips, we may believe in our hearts,

and what we believe in our hearts, we may show forth in our lives.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May we all grow evermore in tune with heaven and each other as we raise our voices in praise this Sunday, and every Sunday.

Cross-posted with DRAGON BYTES: 7/25/24