Ah Christmas. Roaring log fire; candles; children screeching about the imminent arrival of Father Christmas; chestnuts; mulled wine; carols………sung by a chorus of angels?

There is not a person who can maintain a dry eye when the descant strikes during Hark The Herald. Even the toughest of gents is likely to soften to the beautiful sounds of Brittens Ceremony of Carols and even those who believe that the ‘best music’ was written centuries ago, could not fail to love Chilcott’s Mid-Winter.

Choristers are vital to the sound we associate with Christmas. That isn’t the whole story though. To enable such beautiful live music to be heard, Choristers must rehearse daily; sing services several times a week and of course ‘work weekends’ – not many of us adults would choose to be so dedicated….let alone children between 8 and 13!

Rochester Cathedral Choir is frequently seen on television and heard on radio and has a formidable list of CD recordings to its name including a rather more diverse collaboration with James Taylor Quartet which was more “Sanctus & Gloria” than “Starksy & Hutch”. The Choir is also well travelled, with tours in recent years taking them to Holland, Malta and Germany. In 2017, the boys will be touring Malta and we are actively seeking sponsorship to support this.

We have this year chosen to support the Choristers of Rochester Cathedral as part of our traditional Christmas Message. We believe the beauty of this music must live on, and with the cost of each Chorister being around £250,000 to the Cathedral with limited funding streams, we urge you to support them too. If you enjoy the music linked to this e-shot, please take a couple of minutes to donate – If you do, I’m sure they will sing so loudly on Christmas Eve that you will be able to hear them wherever you are……..