Choir Residential at Douai Abbey

Twenty members of the Choir of St Edmund Hall travelled to Douai Abbey at Upper Woolhampton, near Thatcham, as part of this summer’s choir residential, to sing in the Abbey’s luxurious acoustic and to enjoy the hospitality and warmth of the community there.

Originally, the Choir was destined for Pontigny, France, but the switch to a local residency meant the chance to inhabit the Hall at a period of relative serenity and to enjoy the spaces and beauty in a concentration rarely available during term. Their road trip to Douai Abbey enabled them to record one of the pieces they had prepared for Advent Carols last year – ‘Serenity’ by Ola Gjeilo. For anyone who missed it last Christmas, we hope you will share our enjoyment now of this lovely piece.