Pontigny Choir Tour 2024

The Choir of St Edmund Hall recently returned from their annual tour to Pontigny, France, led by new Director of Music Carlos Rodríguez Otero. Many thanks to Katie Kirkpatrick (2020, Modern Languages) for the following tour report, and to Luc Feillée and Katie for the wonderful photography. We also extend our sincere thanks to Paddy Carpenter and Justin Stead for their continued and invaluable support for the tour.

The trip involved two public performances, the first of which was a late evening service of Compline. This featured primarily plainchant, as well as pieces by Thomas Tallis and Eric Whitacre.

On Friday 6 September, the Choir gave their main concert to a large and enthusiastic audience in Pontigny Abbey. Music for the concert included works by Taverner, Stainer, and Byrd, as well as contemporary pieces by Eleanor Daley and Joanna Forbes L’Estrange. The concert also featured performances on the newly restored organ by the College’s Organ Scholars.

The concert was part of an ongoing relationship between the College and the Abbey, where the remains of St Edmund of Abingdon, after whom the College is named, rest in a stunning golden casket above the High Altar.

Overall, a wonderful week was had by all, with the tour including outings to the local town of Auxerre, and wine tasting in the Caves Bailly-Lapierre. The Choir now looks forward to an exciting year of music-making with their new Director of Music.

On another successful tour to Pontigny, Carlos comments:

This year’s tour to Pontigny was a fantastic showcase of our choir’s talent and dedication. We enjoyed spending six days together, preparing a challenging and varied programme of music and enjoying each other’s company in the beautiful Burgundy region of France. It was certainly a baptism of fire for me, it being my first time meeting the Choir! But I couldn’t have hoped for a better start than two extraordinary performances (the audience asked for two encores after the Friday concert!) and the opportunity to sing in the amazing acoustic of Pontigny Abbey. Two of our Organ Scholars, Alyssa Chan and Michelle Ng, are to be congratulated for their excellent solo performances on the newly restored grand orgue. It was a wonderful trip, and I am thrilled to continue making music with the Choir once term starts!

You can view more tour images taken by Luc Feillée at our online media gallery.