World Premieres keep coming

Continuing our run of world premiere performances, the choir was honoured to give the first outing (in Glasgow University Memorial Chapel) of Psalms for Rosemary, by the Orcadian composer, Gemma McGregor, on Sunday 4 November. This new setting of six ‘responsorial’ psalms for Evening Prayer was specially commissioned using funds generously bequeathed by Rosemary O’Hanlon (1920-2017), who was for years parish organist at St Peter’s, Partick and custodian of its choral tradition. The music was warmly received by the sizeable congregation who had come along to hear them; they also had the benefit of hearing two pieces by another of our Director’s choirs, the Scottish Plainsong Choir. Our picture shows our Director, Alan Tavener, with Emma McGregor at the Chapel.

Hot on the heels of this premiere, we gave a further world first performance at our Farewell to Arms concert in Cathcart Old on Wednesday 14 November. This time the featured work was a new setting of ‘Dona nobis pacem’ (grant us peace) by the Belarus composer, Anna Bychkova. Full details can be found on our concerts page.