On Saturday 13th September Downside held our inaugural OG Chorister Reunion, welcoming back choristers from far and wide to share a wonderful dinner, and to join the Downside Chamber Choir in singing Mass on Sunday morning.
With choristers representing every decade back to the 80s, as well as Sixth Form representatives from our current choir, the dinner was a wonderful opportunity to exchange stories about what remained constant in life as a chorister, and to celebrate how things have evolved over time. Mr Thomson, Downside’s Director of Choral and Liturgical Music, took the opportunity to share his thoughts with the old choristers on what his vision for the choir looks like, whilst listening closely to what the highlights of their time were, and how that might influences the decisions made for our current choristers, whilst James, current Head of Schola, spoke passionately and eloquently about what his time in the choir at Downside had meant to him. After some delightful impromptu singing and stories being exchanged long into the night, choristers and OGs returned on Sunday morning to sing Mass, featuring movements from Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices, as well as an anthem chosen for the Exultation of the Holy Cross. Mr Thomson had the following words to say about the weekend:
“What a joyous occasion it was to welcome back our OG choristers to Downside this weekend for our inaugural Old Chorister event. It was such a treat to get a chance to chat with our guests over dinner and to hear their stories of life in the choir stretching back decades. What was apparent was the profound impact their time in the choir had made on them, and I was delighted that our current choir members had the opportunity to meet and talk to our guests about their experiences singing at Downside. There were musical moments during Mass on Sunday that were as good as any I have heard in my short time here at Downside and after such a delightful weekend, I am already looking forward to when we can host our next OG Chorister event in future.”