Greetings from our Musical Director

Hello and a warm welcome to our website! The Cecilia Consort is a jewel in Newbury's choral crown.

Having reached our 30th anniversary, I have found myself reflecting a great deal on all the music we have sung in that time. This year I have been delving into our archives and we have been performing and recording works that have featured heavily in those 30 years.

Our concert in March will be the last of these reflections and will feature contemporary American music that has more recently been added to our repertoire. It includes works by Muhly, Lauridsen and Whitacre, as well as Barber’s famous choral version of his Adagio and Herbert Howells' haunting Take him earth for cherishing, written for the memorial service of J F Kennedy. I hope there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

Following our delayed 30th Anniversary Concert at Douai Abbey last November, we're reprising the works from that performance to record a celebratory CD. Produced by my Tallis Scholars colleague, countertenor Patrick Craig, the recording should be available on this website – and at future concerts – later this year.

Janet Coxwell - Musical Director