A Centenary Finale – York Minster Carol Service
As the perfect culmination to a year of special events celebrating Sedbergh’s centenary, the School community is warmly invited to gather on Monday 8th December for the annual Sedbergh School Carol Service, this year in the breathtaking surrounds of York Minster.
Built in 1220, York Minster is one of the largest medieval Gothic cathedrals in northern Europe and is renowned for its magnificent architecture. It houses the country’s greatest expanse of medieval stained glass – the Great East Window – depicting stories from the first and last books of the Bible, Genesis and Revelation. The cathedral is awe-inspiring year-round but becomes truly magical at Christmas when the annual Christmas Tree Festival brings around 70 twinkling trees, decorated by local organisations, to illuminate its Chapter House, Nave, and Lady Chapel.
Beginning at 7.30pm, the programme will feature Sedbergh’s exceptional Chapel Choir performing a selection of pieces. The Choir’s strong reputation is well deserved: in January, as the School prepared to celebrate Sedbergh’s 500th anniversary year, the Choir reached the Grand Final of the Barnardo’s National Choir Competition. As well as regular performances in the UK throughout the anniversary year, the Choir travelled to Belgium in September singing ‘O Valient Hearts’ at Thiepval and Tyne Cot and were invited to sing Faure’s ‘Requiem’ at St Martin’s Cathedral in Ypres.
York Minster also holds a particular resonance for Sedbergh this year. Back in June, the Archbishop of York sent a prayer to mark the School’s 500th anniversary, which was carried in a baton during the Summer Solstice Stride, a fundraising run for the Roger Lupton Scholarship and Bursary Scheme. The runners, who ran 90 miles over three days, set off from the cathedral’s old stone steps.
Prior to the service, a sell-out dinner is being held at the nearby Merchant Adventurers’ Hall – one of the finest surviving medieval guildhalls in the world – where Old Sedberghians, parents, and friends will gather for a celebratory meal before proceeding to York Minster.
The Carol Service promises to be one of the highlights of the year. We look forward to sharing an evening of music and celebration that will bring Sedbergh’s centenary year to a joyful close, while lighting the way for the future.