Choir visits Windsor to sing Evensong

On Tuesday 12 October 40 members of the Lancing College Choir travelled to sing Evensong at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. We were privileged to be invited to such a glorious and well-known venue, steeped in hundreds of years of royal history. This was our first outing since Evensong at Hampton Court Palace in February 2020, just before the pandemic, so it was exciting to look forward to the prospect of taking our music beyond Lancing once again.

I make an understatement in saying that our journey was not straightforward to reach Windsor, though – a logistical mishap ensued for us not to leave Lancing until one hour after the time planned! This led to a necessary costume-change into our cassocks whilst still in transit to the venue; a comical, robed, walk through a train station and the shops of Windsor; and no time left for the rehearsal that we had envisaged to do beforehand. Nevertheless, with some unforgettable moments having been engrained into our memories along the way, the service was quite wonderful. We were grateful for a sizeable congregation, and the acoustic was particularly pleasing to work with.

Repertoire for the service included Bainton’s anthem And I saw a new heaven, and Noble’s spectacular Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in B minor. I believe that the latter may have become my favourite choral piece so far in my time at Lancing – it suits the dynamic of the voices extremely well, and is a joy to sing. I can testify that other members of the Choir share my love of the Noble, including Miss Harlow and the Alto section. Following the service, we made the short walk to a local restaurant for a well-earned feast of pizza.

All in all, this was an enjoyable experience and the most perfect way to recommence Choir excursions.

Hannah C, Fifth Form