Choir Launches Weekly Webcasts

The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, one of the finest collegiate choirs in the world, is the first Choir of its kind to broadcast weekly webcasts of its services. The first service was made available today (Tuesday 14 October) at:

http://www.sjcchoir.co.uk/webcasts

This innovative and exciting enterprise not only widens awareness of the Choir's day-to-day work, enhancing its already high reputation - established through its many fine recordings and broadcasts made during the past sixty years'“ but also makes their performances accessible to people around the world in a way that was unthinkable even a few years ago.

The Dean, the Revd Duncan Dormor, said:

Launching this service, our intention is simple: to provide the very best the Anglican Choral tradition can offer, free at the touch of a button to anyone, anywhere in the world. With these new weekly services we will be able to bring the distinctive sound of the Choir 'at home' in its Chapel to new audiences and old friends.

The weekly webcast is one of a number of initiatives planned by the Director of Music, Andrew Nethsingha, who was appointed last year:

We are excited to be the first British choir to webcast services weekly. We hope this will appeal to worshippers and general music lovers alike'“ both in this country and around the world. George Guest, my predecessor who first established the reputation of the Choir, was a great pioneer and innovator with the Choir; introducing important new repertoire to Britain through services and recordings, creating a new and distinctive choral sound and taking the St John's Choir to parts of the world which were new to British choirs. These webcasts continue in this innovative spirit.

Music for the first webcast is by the Cambridge composer C. V. Stanford, including his Service in B flat and For lo, I raise up.