Resumption of sung services in cathedrals

[Pulcinella]

York Minster resumed sung services on Wednesday, its choral evensong featuring the first of three commissions to be sung on consecutive evenings, with the first repeated on Sunday.

https://d10okuw2vik61v.cloudfront.net/uploads/2020/09/Scheme-2020-August-30-September-19-2.pdf

Eight adults in the choir (Songmen and Choral Scholars), socially distanced under the central space, behind the congregation (over 50 of us, I would say) facing west (so at least with a window to look at rather than all the scaffolding on the organ screen).
A very special day for everyone involved.

I understand that Norwich and Chichester have resumed or are about to resume sung services too.

[DracoM]

If the specialists are to be trusted, ironically, it is the BOYS who should be singing as presenting less likelihood of being infected etc. i.e. NOT the lay clerks at all!!
Weird.

[Pulcinella]

If the specialists are to be trusted, ironically, it is the BOYS who should be singing as presenting less likelihood of being infected etc. i.e. NOT the lay clerks at all!!
Weird.

No, not weird.
They've only just gone back to school: BOYS and GIRLS, by the way!!
There are separate 'Boy' and 'Girl' bubbles here at York, with services involving them hoping to start soon (the music list I linked to only goes to 19 September, so soon after that, I imagine).
In Norwich, boys return on Sunday and girls on Tuesday.

[jonfan]

FGS, I KNOW it's boys and girls.................crikey!
I just used 'boys' as generic terms for choristers.

BTW,
I am at York frequently.

Steady on DracoM or you’ll blow a gasket! Mm, not sure that ‘boys’ is a generic term that assumes girls are included.

[Old Grumpy]

Steady on DracoM or you’ll blow a gasket! Mm, not sure that ‘boys’ is a generic term that assumes girls are included.

Well, one never knows these days; it depends entirely on how they identify

[cat]

It seems most cathedrals are getting back to sung services. Most I know of so far seem to be having the boys/girls/adults singing separate services. However I know St Paul's had both front and back rows singing together yesterday (in the stalls, with an empty row in the middle on each side)... does anyone know of any other place doing likewise?

I'm interested in what the collegiate foundations will do - New College don't plan to have their choristers singing any live services at all this term, with just the men of the choir singing thrice-weekly in chapel. Perhaps places with boarding choristers might have less difficulty?

[Keraulophone]

Tomorrow at 10am, Truro Cathedral Choir will sing it’s first service since March, with (you’ll be glad to hear, Draco!) boys and adults (girls next week). First morning service back, it’s always Stanford in C here, with I Was Glad (Parry) as the anthem and the introit View me Lord (Lloyd). We will indeed all be extremely glad to be operating once more, having rehearsed during last week with the new intake of scholars and trebles as well as a new ADoM.

Avoiding the choir stalls, we will sing 2m apart at the crossing beneath the tower, facing a ticketed congregation of approximately 5% capacity. The sound balance is weird from individual singers’ positions, but it should mix fairly well down the nave. Fingers crossed for my 32nd year!

[DracoM]

[Roger Judd]

My wife and I attended a very moving first evensong in Hereford Cathedral on Thursday (Sept 10th). The boys rehearsed for the first time that morning, and they sounded as though they were returning after a short half-term break! The psalms for the day were sung complete, along with Brewer in D and Richard Lloyds' View me Lord. Peter Dyke played a Bach Trio Sonata movement to send us on our way rejoicing! There was more than one moist eye ...! The boys sang in the front stalls, decently spaced, and the lay clerks were in the back stalls, with an empty stall between them and the boys (both Decani & Cantoris as normal). Geraint Bowen stood in the middle, between the stalls. The Dean and Canons were in their Nave stalls under the tower. The congregation was all well spaced in the Nave. It was a very special moment for us all.
RJ

[Finzi4ever]

My wife and I attended a very moving first evensong in Hereford Cathedral on Thursday (Sept 10th). The boys rehearsed for the first time that morning, and they sounded as though they were returning after a short half-term break! The psalms for the day were sung complete, along with Brewer in D and Richard Lloyds' View me Lord. Peter Dyke played a Bach Trio Sonata movement to send us on our way rejoicing! There was more than one moist eye ...! The boys sang in the front stalls, decently spaced, and the lay clerks were in the back stalls, with an empty stall between them and the boys (both Decani & Cantoris as normal). Geraint Bowen stood in the middle, between the stalls. The Dean and Canons were in their Nave stalls under the tower. The congregation was all well spaced in the Nave. It was a very special moment for us all.
RJ

Well if anywhere was going to get it 'right' it was going to be Hereford. Sad to hear of Very Revd Michael Tavinor's impending retirement - few deans as supportive of cathedral music as he, as indeed he was in Ely & Tewkesbury.

[DracoM]

Ahem........I have been regularly sending to Forumistas on here webcast links to Hereford's services.

[Roger Judd]

Out of curiosity, just wondering what the 'Ahem' signified. I was talking about a 'real' service, in 'real' time, with a 'real' choir of boys and lay clerks, participating in a 'real' act of worship, with a 'real' congregation. Nothing to do with previous webcasting at all, or the flagging up of the same, for which, I'm sure, we are all grateful.
Yes, Hereford is going to miss Dean Michael hugely. Both he and the Precentor, Andrew Piper, could not be more supportive of Geraint Bowen and the whole music team ... it is a wonderful set-up presently. We all hope and pray that it will continue that way.
RJ

[DracoM]

So are you saying that the posting of, and thus encouragement of, such webcasts to help keep such and such choir in the public eye and thus care, is a fool's errand?

[Roger Judd]

Good Lord, of course I'm not. I thought that this thread was about the joyous resumption of services with choirs singing the daily office in their stalls with clergy and congregation ... forgive me if I got that wrong.
RJ

[Old Grumpy]

Out of curiosity, just wondering what the 'Ahem' signified. I was talking about a 'real' service, in 'real' time, with a 'real' choir of boys and lay clerks, participating in a 'real' act of worship, with a 'real' congregation. Nothing to do with previous webcasting at all, or the flagging up of the same, for which, I'm sure, we are all grateful.
Yes, Hereford is going to miss Dean Michael hugely. Both he and the Precentor, Andrew Piper, could not be more supportive of Geraint Bowen and the whole music team ... it is a wonderful set-up presently. We all hope and pray that it will continue that way.
RJ

Probably meant Amen, which suffered autocorrection!