The school’s Chapel Choir has a rich, centuries-old history of performing in the chapel and at other venues. The choir regularly tours, alternating between a residency at an English cathedral and European destinations such as Belgium, France, Spain, and Italy. This year, it returned to the iconic Salisbury Cathedral, having previously toured there in 1991, performing the role of choir in residence (see article and photo from the 1991 edition of the Ousel here).
Members of the OB community congregated in the nave to listen to the choral evensong sung by the choir. Pieces included ‘Evening Canticles’ by Richard Shephard and ‘A New Song’ by Sir James Macmillan.
James Watson (17-22), who was recently welcomed into the OB Club, enjoyed playing the organ during evensong. He recently fulfilled a dream, having been appointed as the organ scholar at St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire.
Following the service, DVP for Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire, Paul Mantell (66-71), kindly organised a gathering in a local hostelry for OBs and their partners. All reflected on the exceptionally high quality of the choir, which included current pupil, Alexander Olleson, who was named BBC Young Chorister of the Year in 2020.
The next major event in the choir’s calendar is the annual Founders and Benefactors service, which this year takes place on Sunday 9th October.
