Christmas carols broadcast from University chapel

Each night of the week beginning the 16 December one of the choirs will perform on BBC Spotlight, during a series of special broadcasts.

Representing Devon, the University of Exeter’s Chapel choir of 16 choral scholars singers chose to sing ‘Lully, Lulla’ by Kenneth Leighton and the well-known carol ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’, led by the Director of Chapel Music  choir master Michael Graham.   The ‘Lully, Lulla’ carol is one of Michael’s favourites, he said: “The angularity of his twentieth century writing captures the medieval spirit of this ancient text and the choir was able to respond to the challenges of the text and the music. Choral music has always played an integral part of the Christian celebration of the Nativity. With the term finishing soon this is a great opportunity for the students to get into the Christmas spirit.  We are thrilled to be able to have our first collaboration with the BBC so early in our development as a choir.”

The University’s Lazenby Chaplain, James Theodosius said:“It was a great pleasure to host choirs from around the region in the Mary Harris Memorial Chapel and to share and show off this great treasure at the heart of the University. Our own Chapel choir of choral scholars sings to a very high standard and it was particularly pleasing to see students from the region’s schools making use of the impressive acoustic.”

The chapel is particularly important for the University community because it encourages a sense of awe and wonder. It is a stunning Grade II listed building, overlooking the city and the cathedral; aesthetically beautiful, calm and peaceful. According to the Lazenby Chaplain it openly expresses the significance of spirituality. He added:“It allows those who enter to stop a while, to look beyond the everyday and contemplate the sacred. It is offered to all staff and students as a place of sanctuary in a hectic world and it maintains a regular pattern of Christian worship and prayer.”

The choirs and soloist who will be singing throughout BBC Spotlight’s festive Christmas carol broadcasts are:

Sterts Singers, Cornwall

University of Exeter Chapel Choir, Devon

Sherborne Girls School Choir (soloist Eleanor Nickerson), Dorset

Kings College Taunton Chamber Choir, Somerset

The Virger for the Mary Harris Memorial Chapel, Alexander Baldwin Smith was pleased to have the BBC onsite.  He said:“The University Chapel choir sang two beautiful Christmas carols. Hopefully the broadcast on BBC Spotlight will bring to the attention of those in the community the splendid asset of our Grade II listed chapel and chapel choir.”