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Concordia Winter 2024

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those listening; the choice of well-known hymns is crucial so that everyone in the cathedral feels able to participate; and the inclusion of Taylors’ Brass is designed to enhance and create a further layer of celebration. Once the music has been selected, rehearsals begin. Members of the Choir practise twice weekly — a sectional rehearsal with individual voice parts to learn the notes, followed by a full rehearsal with the whole choir to put the different musical lines together. I think of music as being the ultimate team sport: each

musician needs to have the skills for their own part and, when they meet together, they consolidate their own skills as well as hearing and reacting to the musical lines from the rest of the group. It is always an exciting moment when the choir, brass and organ rehearse together for the first time, a few days before the service. The first few minutes are nerve wracking as the disparate elements are brought together, and then when all the parts interlock it is a wonderful feeling knowing that everyone is working together towards the best possible performance.

Merchant Taylors’ Company Remembrance Concert, Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 2018