Great day in St Albans - another cathedral notched 

2 June: The choir enjoyed an action-packed outing to St Albans on Saturday 30 May, going strong despite the temperature touching 28C during the afternoon (82F in old money). 

CMVC sings in its latest cathedral (photos Paul Binge)

The choir travelled to the Hertfordshire cathedral city in waves.  A sizeable advance guard group arrived on Friday, visiting numerous pubs in a purported reconnaissance for the following day. 

St Albans supposedly had the advantage of direct trains from  East Croydon but a Thameslink algorithm, spotting the choir’s plans, decreed that engineering works should take place that weekend, requiring the cross-London section to be undertaken by underground.  Even so members began arriving in the Market Square rendezvous from 11.30 onwards, the number gradually swelling as S Hour (S=Sing) approached.

At 1.15 the choir assembled alongside the city museum and enthralled passers-by with Can't Help Falling in Love and You'll Never Walk Alone.  It progressed to St Albans Clock Tower, occupied by local band the UKie-TooNes, where it sang two pieces, Saints and Fix You, with some band accompaniment and vocal applause.

Then it was on to the Cathedral,  the group gazing at the astonishing Norman nave, 21 metres high and, at 85 metres, the longest cathedral nave in England. 

Looking down on England's longest cathedral nave as MD Andrew Moore conducts

MD Andrew Moore introduced the first of the choir’s three sets which began with Vivaldi’s Gloria and ended with the Dona Nobis canon, enthralling the audience with its wrap-around sound.  Accompanist Sam Prouse, playing resounding chords of the cathedral’s magnificent 4500-pipe organ, came into his own with the choir’s stirring performance of the Hallelujah Chorus.  The choir finished with its second rendition of Fix You followed by an encore of a thunderous Nessun Dorma. 

Accompanist Sam Prouse thrills on 4500-pipe organ

Among the enthusiastic audience were two members of a local community choir who said they were astounded by the choir’s technical quality.

Choir and supporters adjourned to an après at the local Spoons, commandeering much of the outside seating and, despite the heat, sustaining the singing for another two hours.  All agreed that it had been a splendid day, which also marked another notch on the choir’s lengthening list of cathedrals where it has performed.