It felt fitting then, to end the year with another joint venture: a lunchtime concert with the choir of St George’s Parish Church, Belfast. St George’s was Belfast’s first parish church and sits proudly at the heart of the city to this day. Much like Winchester College and The Pilgrims’ School, St George's has a treasured choral tradition, an increasing rarity in parish churches. Having served as organ scholar at St George’s during my formative years as a musician, it was a particular pleasure to welcome the choir to Winchester.

Following evensongs in Winchester and Salisbury Cathedrals, the College Chapel was St George’s final stop on their tour. The first part of the programme featured highlights from their tour programme, including Stanford’s Magnificat in A and Vaughan Williams’ Antiphon, as well as two motets by Maurice Duruflé.

Enter the Quiristers, who gave a short solo contribution, a section of Leighton’s An Easter Sequence; the jaunty ‘Alleluias’ gave way to the more reflective setting of that favourite text for composers, Psalm 23. Finally, both choirs joined to perform Bairstow’s Blessed City, Heavenly Salem, a choral favourite which both choirs relished performing. ‘Bright thy gates of pearl are shining’ goes the tenor and bass section, bursting through the calmness and light of the upper voices. ‘When we get to that bit, can we go for it?’ I was asked earnestly by a St George’s bass before the concert. Why not?

Mixing choirs can be a challenge, with differing approaches in style and technique, but there were many comments about how well the choirs’ voices blended to give an effective performance. Both St George’s Church and the College Chapel are similar in scale, so perhaps singing to a similar acoustic had its advantage.

It is easy to remark upon how different these two choirs are: the parish and college routines in their respective cities are very different, and St George’s choristers do not attend a choir school as the Quiristers do. Nonetheless, these singers are able to stand together and give an accomplished and impassioned performance of a piece of Bairstow, loved by generations of choristers (and Quiristers) their senior, and doubtless many to follow. In addition, it is plain to see how both choirs nurture the same qualities: older boys leading and helping younger, learning how to organise themselves for performance and, of course, the ability to be cool and deliver under pressure.

At the end of the concert, St George’s bid farewell to its Head Chorister, echoing our own valedictory service not a week prior for the Year 8 Quiristers. I was reminded as we finished the concert that this cycle of departures and arrivals continues with choirs across the country, and indeed the world, but that all who pass through it gain experience and skills they will take with them the rest of their lives. It will not be long until the College Chapel fills with music once again but, for a few short weeks, a well-deserved break!

Dónal McCann
Organist and Head of Chapel Music, Winchester College