Music, Fellowship, and Tradition: The Choir’s Return to Pontigny Abbey

In September 2025, the Choir of St Edmund Hall returned to Pontigny Abbey for another week of music and friendship. As has become the custom, the choir spent five days in Burgundy rehearsing and performing in the magnificent Cistercian building that has become so special to the Hall.

The tour began with a characteristically bumpy start: owing to political protests in France, travel plans had to be brought forward by a full day. Miraculously, every singer (except one, who arrived the following day) managed to reach Pontigny safely and on time, where we were welcomed by members of the local community who drove us to our accommodation.

The choir of twenty-three, including outgoing Senior Organ Scholar, Alyssa Chan, and our new Junior Organ Scholar, Augustine Ober, was joined by a team of generous helpers whose support was indispensable. Our warmest thanks go to Paddy Carpenter, Ruth-Ann Kendrick and Suzette Grard, for their wisdom and tireless good sense; to Justin Stead for his steadfast backing; and to Lindsay Stead and Claire Marijon for their kind and practical assistance throughout the week.

Our home once again was the Maison de la Communauté Mission de France, a short walk from the Abbey, where group meals and activities bookended a busy schedule of rehearsal. The concert programme, Vers la paix du soir, was one of the choir’s most ambitious to date, featuring music by Byrd, Bruckner, Victoria, and Tavener, alongside MacMillan’s Miserere — one of the most demanding works in the choral repertoire, performed with extraordinary precision and emotional depth.

For the first time, the choir sang in the nearby town of Noyers, at the invitation of Bernard and Marie-Odile Poitout, in support of the restoration of the town’s historic organ. We were met with great hospitality, including a tour of the beautiful medieval city, and the concert received a standing ovation from a full and appreciative audience.

The following day, a second performance of the programme in Pontigny Abbey drew another full audience and a second standing ovation, the choir’s singing praised for its expressive power above all. Between the choral works, Alyssa Chan and current Senior Organ Scholar Michelle Ng gave superb performances on the newly restored grand orgue of the Abbey, a highlight of the afternoon.

We were joined by the Principal, Fr Guillaume Michel, parish priest of Pontigny, Luc Feillé and Yves Audart, President of the Pontigny Organ Society, as well as Fr Jean-Marie Ploux, whose early collaboration with Paddy Carpenter and my predecessor Chris Watson first established the Hall’s enduring relationship with Pontigny, which we continue to cherish and strengthen. The concert was followed by drinks at the Mission, speeches, and an evening of celebration.

We left Burgundy early on the Monday morning, slightly bleary-eyed, with a deep sense of gratitude: for the music we had shared, the hospitality we had received, and the lasting musical bonds between the Hall and the resting place of its founder. Floreat aula!