Feathers on the breath of God

Photo: The Lady Chapel Singers at the Royal Foundation of St. Katharine in London

 Feathers on the breath of God

Just as  St. Hildegard burst  out of the  Bingen cloister, singing and  preaching along the Rhine, we,  the seekers,  burst forth from the chapel, chanting aloud.  Our voices resounded.    Honoring our St. Mark's birthplace, we became the "Lady Chapel Singers," but  soon we chanted far beyond Locust Street.  Thanks to a generous grant from the Bishop, we sang for the Episcopal Church General Convention 1997 and then throughout the Diocese of Pennsylvania.  That Philadelphia Convention directed the Standing Commission  on Liturgy and Music to prepare a  new hymnal  supplement, Voices Found.  

 Soon we  sang abroad. In London we offered  Evensong for the 1998 Congress of the International Alliance of Women in Music.  We also sang for  services  at the Royal Foundation of  St. Katharine, which offered amazing hospitality.  In Dartmouth, Devon, we sang at St. Savior's Parish, a splendid ancient church  built with timbers from the Spanish Armada, a perfect setting for our  repertoire of medieval song, spirituals, and contemporary music. They  loved our soaring  chants  and  energetically  joined  in  rousing spirituals.  At  St. Petrox, an iconic castle on the Dart River,  we led Evensong and  the "Blessing of the Sea." Astonishingly  blessed and far from home, we felt,  with Hildegard, that we  were like "feathers on the breath of God."

The Evensong music we offered on this UK tour included "The Song of Mary" Voices Found 152, the Phos Hilaron and Nunc dimittis, VF 153 and 154.  

St. Katharine's Foundation and St. Saviour's parish continued enthusiastic support for our work,  offering expertise and hospitality.  We were privileged to include the parish music director, Christopher Helyer, on our Voices Found hymnal committee, thus bringing in more Anglican voices.

St. Petrox, Dartmouth, Devon, UK