Wells Cathedral

Do you know that our Saint Nicholas Choir and Schola Cantorum have been invited to be the Visiting Choir at Wells Cathedral in July of 2022? It’s true! Based on the last two successful Choral Residencies at Ely Cathedral (2019) and at Worcester Cathedral (2016), we have been approved to sing at this cathedral, which, aside from its historical situation, is also known as the home of a wonderful liturgical choir involving both boys and girls.

Here at Saint Philip’s, we believe that this kind of Choral Residency program is vitally important. Why? Because a choral residency is a sort of musical pilgrimage, with remarkable formational value for our youths. In the course of a residency, the choristers will sing eight full choral liturgies in one of the very places where our choral tradition developed and where it still thrives. They come to see how their work in Tucson, Arizona is connected to that of Christians on the other side of the world. Singing music our choristers love in situ can have a powerful integrative effect on these budding worshippers, cementing their relationship to the Church for years to come.

So, as we move toward the summer, and the one-year-out mark for this residency, we plan to bring you more information about this project. We want you to hear from our youths, from adult choristers, and friends who have experienced this program, and who can tell you how it has impacted their lives.

For the moment, I will share two very brief videos to help “put a picture” on the idea of Wells Cathedral. In the first, Rick Steves visits the cathedral during the summer and hears a visiting choir. In the second, a trailer for a longer tour, you hear the rich and distinctive sound of the Cathedral Choir and get a closer look at the Lady Chapel's magnificent stained glass. Enjoy!

Dr Justin Appel, Director of Music

Rick Steves visits Wells Cathedral. Here’s the link.

The Grand Tour of Wells Cathedral: Sacred Spaces & Hidden Secrets. Click video below.