The Canterbury Cathedral Choir, under the direction of Cathedral Organist and Master of the Choristers David Flood, returned to North America for the first time in five years in April to make a highly successful fifteen-day tour of the US and Canada.
The tour Choir - consisting of the complete, full-time ensemble from Canterbury - performed in some of the most distinguished venues in major cities and offered a rich program of masterworks spanning the centuries, including several pieces by contemporary American composers. The venues comprised
- The Cathedral of St John the Baptist, St John's, Newfoundland
- Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa
- St Paul's Anglican Church, Toronto
- Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago
- St James Episcopal Church, Lancaster, PA
- St Mark's Church, Philadelphia
- Trinity Episcopal Church, Hartford
- The Cathedral of St Philip, Atlanta
- Church of the Incarnation, Dallas
- University Christian Church, Fort Worth
Over half of the tour concerts were sold out, with the remaining performances drawing near-capacity crowds. The Choir garnered local television coverage in most of the American cities, and Mr Flood participated in a number of interviews, including for WFMT Radio's weekly 'Music in Chicago' programme, 'The Atlanta Journal & Constitution', and the 'FW Weekly' in Fort Worth. In addition to many regional magazines, the Choir received coverage in major newspapers such as 'The Philadelphia Inquirer', 'The Dallas Morning News', the 'Fort Worth Star Telegram', 'The Hartford Currant', and 'The Lancaster (PA) Sunday News'. National coverage included 'British Heritage' magazine, 'Early Music America', 'The American Organist', and 'Episcopal Life', among others.
The Choir performed a sampler mini-concert on Monday afternoon, 12 April, in the Grand Court of the Lord and Taylor Philadelphia store. The Grand Court is home to the famous Wanamaker Organ - a national historic landmark and one of the country's musical treasures. Tour Organist Andrew Bryden, Assistant Organist at Ripon Cathedral in Yorkshire, UK, accompanied the choir and played two solo works. The sampler concert was part of a year-long celebration of the Wanamaker Organ's 95 Anniversary.
Master of the Choristers David Flood, who is in high demand as a specialist and clinician on the development of children's voices, continued this work during the tour. He conducted a workshop and open rehearsal for regional choristers on Saturday afternoon, 17 April, during the Choir's weekend in Atlanta at the Cathedral of St Philip. Mr Flood prepared the boys of St Philip's and Christ Church (Episcopal), Charlotte, North Carolina, in music they then performed under his direction the following morning. The Very Revd Dr John Simpson, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, flew over from the UK to participate in the Sunday morning services at St Philip's, and was Guest Preacher.
The Canterbury Cathedral Choir is the resident musical ensemble for the spiritual seat of the 70 million member world-wide Anglican Communion that reaches into more than 160 countries. Under David Flood's leadership, the Choir has conducted critically acclaimed tours in Europe and North America. In 1997 they celebrated the 1400th anniversary of the arrival of St Augustine in Canterbury, with concerts in Rome and throughout France. That same year, Mr Flood and the Cathedral hosted an American Children's Choir Festival with over 400 participants.
The tour was under the joint management of Stewart Strategies Group and MTS Travel. Based in Cambridge, Mass., Stewart Strategies Group (www.stewartgrp.com) is a marketing and communications management firm that works with a variety of corporate and non-profit leaders. Their performing arts practice has included projects for a number of the nation's most distinguished organisations and music festivals. Headquartered in Lancaster County, PA, and with ten offices throughout the US, MTS Travel (www.mtstravel.com) is a leading travel management company with a more than 50-year history. Primary areas of service are professional and cost-effective travel management solutions for religious and non-profit organisations; custom tours and group travel for the leisure, educational and religious markets; business and executive travel; and meetings management.