On a Musical Pilgrimage with St Cuthbert

We began our musical pilgrimage in Bamburgh near Lindisfarne on 2 February, where we performed a shortened version of the work in a lunchtime concert in St Aidan’s Church. Originally, we were supposed to give the first performance in Lindisfarne; however, Lindisfarne is situated on a tidal island linked to the mainland by a long causeway which is covered by the North Sea during high tide twice each day, and we would not be able to access it during the times that we needed. Nevertheless, the Grade I listed St Aidan’s Church in Bamburgh dating from the late 12th century made the start of our journey very special.

St Aidan’s Church in Bamburgh where we started off our pilgrimage

During the following week, we visited four different primary schools across Northumberland and County Durham, selecting places on our way down to Durham: Seahouses, Darras Hall, Seaham and Chester-le-Street. We performed a specially-produced version of the work which allowed pupils to join in and perform alongside the choir. It was great to see that children know a lot about Cuthbert and his significance in their local area. They were able to follow the story and interact, and I was pleasantly surprised with their musical talent as they joined in!

Performing for primary school children in Chester-le-Street

Our week-long musical pilgrimage culminated in a world premiere in Durham Cathedral, where the full work was performed semi-staged. A lot of attention was paid to the staging and lighting which helped create a theatrical atmosphere. Each scene of the work presented a chapter in Cuthbert’s life and the transition between them was accompanied by lighting and stage movement. For me a particular highlight was working under conductor James Burton who helped the choir produce a captivating performance. The concert was a great success and marked a very special end to this project.

Life of St Cuthbert was a remarkable project, combining academic research, student performances, outreach work and professional partnership. It has been a complete pleasure to sing to over 500 primary pupils and to perform the world premiere in the magnificent setting of Durham Cathedral, and I feel very honoured to have been part of the project.

 The final performance in Durham Cathedral nave  James Burton conducing the world premiere of Life of St Cuthbert  Durham University Chamber Choir with the soloists, orchestra players, director Jonny McCauseland and conductor James Burton