LFCCM 2022’s eight-day programme included concerts at St Pancras Parish Church and liturgical services at more than 30 churches across London, with a particular focus on celebrating the 70th birthday of Judith Bingham and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams.
There were nearly sixty events in 2022’s Festival, including:
Ursula Wood married Ralph Vaughan Williams in the vestry chapel of St Pancras Parish Church in 1953. The Festival celebrates this occasion, and the 150th anniversary of Vaughan Williams’ birth, with the world premiere of a specially commissioned choral arrangement of his Four Last Songs, alongside his Mass in G Minor, choral works by Judith Bingham, and the world premiere of Phillip Cooke’s new Festival Te Deum.
A stunning programme of ancient and modern repertoire for large-scale choirs performed by The Lacock Scholars, featuring the iconic Spem in alium by Thomas Tallis, the ethereal Ecce beatam lucem by Alessandro Striggio, and contemporary works for 40-part choirs by David Bednall, Gabriel Jackson, and Alec Roth.
Founded in 2002, the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music has been promoting and performing new sacred music for 20 years. In this lunchtime recital, Artistic Director and Festival founder Christopher Batchelor presents some of his favourite selections from the past 20 years of new sacred music at St Pancras Parish Church.
This concert places a new Missa Brevis by Alastair Borthwick in the context of 16th-century English sacred music, with works by John Taverner, Thomas Tallis, and William Byrd. Music both ancient and modern is interspersed with readings in Old and Middle English that relate to the Latin text of the Mass, painting a broader picture of the world out of which musical Mass settings emerged.
Organ Recitals at St Pancras
An innovative collaborative event that takes a journey into the world of music and movement, adding a fascinating new dimension to the traditional organ recital. Four groups from London Contemporary Dance School are joined by organist Paul Plummer in this presentation of new dance works accompanied by organ music submitted to the Festival’s “Call for Scores” project.
A delightful recital programme of contemporary organ music performed by the organ teachers and students of Highgate School.
The Byron Consort of Harrow School performs a programme of contemporary choral music focusing on commemoration and remembrance, with music by Kenneth Leighton, Geraint Lewis, William Mathias, Hilarion Afleyev, Ola Gjeilo, Robin Orr, Arvo Pärt, and John Tavener.
A beautiful programme of choral works by Judith Bingham to celebrate her 70th birthday in 2022, alongside music by Grace-Evangeline Mason, Michael Cryne, and Hugh Wood.
2022 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams. In this interactive workshop, Simon Wright, an expert on the hymnody of Vaughan Williams at Oxford University Press, explains how the composer created his iconic hymn tunes from a varied range of sources, transforming them into cornerstones of modern English hymnody. Simon’s presentation is accompanied by musical examples provided by the Choir of St Pancras Parish Church.
There’s also nearly fifty choral services and recitals taking place during the Festival, featuring premiere performances of new music from Call for Scores.
About the Festival
The London Festival of Contemporary Church Music was founded in 2002 with the aim of showcasing contemporary liturgical music in both service and concert. Based at St Pancras Parish Church, London, the LFCCM has grown to include more than 50 events in venues across London and beyond, dozens of composers, hundreds of performers and thousands of audience members, both live and online.
Funding Partners
The London Festival of Contemporary Church Music is grateful for the support and sponsorship of
Event Calendar
Review LFCCM 2022
LFCCM 2022 included 58 events between Saturday 7 May and Sunday 15 May 2022.
Saturday 7 May
1:00pm, Saturday 7 May“The Hymnody of Ralph Vaughan Williams”: Simon Wright with the Choir of St Pancras Parish ChurchSt Pancras Parish Church2022 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams. In this interactive workshop, Simon Wright, an expert on the hymnody of Vaughan Williams at Oxford University Press, explains how the composer created his iconic hymn tunes from a varied range of sources, transforming them into cornerstones of modern English hymnody. Simon’s presentation is accompanied by musical examples provided by the Choir of St Pancras Parish Church. 7:00pm, Saturday 7 MayPre-Concert TalkSt Pancras Parish ChurchGregory Rose discusses the music and its context ahead of tonight’s Gala Concert at St Pancras Parish Church. 7:30pm, Saturday 7 May“Hands, Eyes, and Heart”: Vaughan Williams, Bingham, and CookeSt Pancras Parish ChurchUrsula Wood married Ralph Vaughan Williams in the vestry chapel of St Pancras Parish Church in 1953. The Festival celebrates this occasion, and the 150th anniversary of Vaughan Williams’ birth, with the world premiere of a specially commissioned choral arrangement of his Four Last Songs, alongside his Mass in G Minor, choral works by Judith Bingham, and the world premiere of Phillip Cooke’s new Festival Te Deum. Sunday 8 May
10:00am, Sunday 8 MayChoral EucharistSt Pancras Parish ChurchMusic by Alan Gibbs, Bernard Hughes, Judith Bingham, and Michael Berkeley 10:30am, Sunday 8 MaySung MassSt George’s BloomsburyMusic by Sonny Fielding and Ralph Vaughan Williams 10:30am, Sunday 8 MayMorning PrayerEton College Lower ChapelMusic by Matthew Martin and James MacMillan 11:00am, Sunday 8 MayEucharistSt Paul’s Church, KnightsbridgeMusic by Kerensa Briggs 11:00am, Sunday 8 MayChoral MatinsThe Chapels Royal, HM Tower of LondonMusic by Kenneth Leighton and Gordon Jacob 11:00am, Sunday 8 MayChoral EucharistThe St Marylebone CE School (Sixth Form Site)Music by Bertie Baigent, Cecilia McDowall, and Howard Goodall 11:00am, Sunday 8 MayParish MassSt Patrick’s, Soho SquareMusic by James MacMillan and Stefan Bednarczyk 11:00am, Sunday 8 MaySung EucharistSt George’s, Hanover SquareMusic by Ghislaine Reece-Trapp, Ben Parry, and Daniel Saleeb 11:30am, Sunday 8 MayHoly CommunionSt James Church, West HampsteadMusic by Philip Godfrey, Howard Goodall, and Harold Darke 5:00pm, Sunday 8 MayEvensongSt Bartholomew the GreatMusic by Philip Wilby 5:00pm, Sunday 8 MayChoral EvensongHampstead Parish ChurchMusic by Judith Bingham, Howard Skempton, Gabriel Jackson, Mark Zang, Christopher Ouvry-Johns, Ghislaine Reece-Trapp, and Thierry Escaich 5:30pm, Sunday 8 MayChoral EvensongSt Bride’s ChurchMusic by Grayston Ives, Matthew Martin, Kerensa Briggs, Liz Deane, and Janet Wheeler 6:00pm, Sunday 8 MaySolemn MassSt Mary of the Angels, BayswaterMusic by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Elizabeth Coxhead, Daniele Croce, Richard Nye, and Phillip Cooke 6:00pm, Sunday 8 MayChoral EvensongSt Pancras Parish ChurchMusic by Samuel Kemp, Christopher Upton, David Fawcett, Christopher Batchelor, Will Sims, Alan Gibbs, and Judith Weir 6:30pm, Sunday 8 MayChoral EvensongSt Mary Magdalene, RichmondMusic by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Philip Moore, Alexander Knight, Alexander L’Estrange, Lennox Berkeley, Clement Cotterill Scholefield, and Percy Whitlock Monday 9 May
6:00pm, Monday 9 MayChoral EvensongSt Michael, CornhillMusic by John Rutter, James Cryer, John Bertalot, Charles Villiers Stanford, Rhiannon Randle, and Francis Pott 7:30pm, Monday 9 May“Contrapunctus”: A Brief History of MassSt Pancras Parish ChurchThis concert places a new Missa Brevis by Alastair Borthwick in the context of 16th-century English sacred music, with works by John Taverner, Thomas Tallis, and William Byrd. Music both ancient and modern is interspersed with readings in Old and Middle English that relate to the Latin text of the Mass, painting a broader picture of the world out of which musical Mass settings emerged. Tuesday 10 May
5:30pm, Tuesday 10 May“Cymbals and Dances”St Pancras Parish ChurchDancers from the London Contemporary Dance School are joined by organist Paul Plummer in this presentation of newly-choreographed dances to organ music submitted to the Festival’s “Call for Scores” project. Wednesday 11 May
1:15pm, Wednesday 11 MayChoral EucharistSt Pancras Parish ChurchMusic by Howard Skempton, James MacMillan, Stuart Rea, Anselm Elis McDonnell, Julian Jarvis, and Samuel Kemp Thursday 12 May
1:15pm, Thursday 12 May“Retrospective”: 20 Years of Commissioning New MusicSt Pancras Parish ChurchFounded in 2002, the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music has been promoting and performing new sacred music for 20 years. In this lunchtime recital, Artistic Director and Festival founder Christopher Batchelor presents some of his favourite selections from the past 20 years of new sacred music at St Pancras Parish Church. 6:15pm, Thursday 12 MayEvensongRoyal HollowayMusic by Anthony Piccolo, Matthew Coleridge, and Nathan James Dearden Friday 13 May
1:15pm, Friday 13 May“Da pacem, Domine”St Pancras Parish ChurchThe Byron Consort of Harrow School performs a programme of contemporary choral music focussing on commemoration and remembrance, with music by Kenneth Leighton, Geraint Lewis, William Mathias, Hilarion Afleyev, Ola Gjeilo, Robin Orr, Arvo Pärt, John Tavener, and Roxanna Panufnik. 5:45pm, Friday 13 May“The Clouded Heaven”: Choral Music by Judith BinghamSt Pancras Parish ChurchA beautiful programme of choral works by Judith Bingham to celebrate her 70th birthday in 2022, alongside music by Grace-Evangeline Mason, Michael Cryne, and Hugh Wood. Saturday 14 May
7:30pm, Saturday 14 May“Dazzling Light”: Choral Music for 40 VoicesSt Pancras Parish ChurchA stunning programme of ancient and modern repertoire for large-scale choirs performed by The Lacock Scholars, featuring the iconic “Spem in alium” by Thomas Tallis, the ethereal “Ecce beatam lucem” by Alessandro Striggio, and contemporary works for 40-part choirs by David Bednall, Gabriel Jackson, and Alec Roth. Sunday 15 May
10:00am, Sunday 15 MaySung EucharistSt Mary-at-Finchley Parish ChurchMusic by Margaret Poston and Thomas Hewitt Jones 10:00am, Sunday 15 MaySung Family Mass St George’s Cathedral SouthwarkMusic by Frederick Stocken and Cecilia McDowall 10:00am, Sunday 15 MayChoral EucharistSt Stephen’s, DulwichMusic by Frederick Bridge, Philip Stopford, Francis Jackson, Thomas Hewitt Jones, and Howard Goodall 10:00am, Sunday 15 MayChoral EucharistSt Pancras Parish ChurchMusic by Tim Ambler, Nicholas O’Neill, Stuart Rea, Jonathan Dove, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Paul Davis 10:15am, Sunday 15 MaySung EucharistSt John the Baptist, WimbledonMusic by David Fawcett 10:30am, Sunday 15 MayParish CommunionSt John the Evangelist, RedhillMusic by Tamsin Jones and Timothy Hamilton 10:30am, Sunday 15 MayChoral EucharistAll Saints Church, FulhamMusic by Jonathan Wikeley, Ruth Gipps, and Richard Shephard 10:30am, Sunday 15 MaySung MassSt Saviour’s, PimlicoMusic by Lucy Walker, Jonathan Dove, Eleanor Daley, and Patrick Gowers 10:30am, Sunday 15 MaySung Holy CommunionHampstead Parish ChurchMusic by Peter Tranchell, Geoffrey Webber, and Huw Watkins 11:00am, Sunday 15 MaySung Latin MassOur Most Holy Redeemer and St Thomas MoreMusic by Stuart Beatch and Ian Gilbert Coleman 11:00am, Sunday 15 MaySolemn High MassSt Magnus the MartyrMusic by Anthony Esland, Grayston Ives, and Stuart Beatch 11:00am, Sunday 15 MayMorning WorshipMethodist Central HallMusic by Sarah MacDonald and Nathan James 11:00am, Sunday 15 MayHigh MassAll Saints, Margaret StreetMusic by Philip Moore 11:00am, Sunday 15 MayChoral EucharistSt Bride’s ChurchMusic by Judith Bingham and Michael Wolniakowski 11:00am, Sunday 15 MaySung EucharistThe Chapels Royal, HM Hampton Court PalaceMusic by Philip Moore and Andrew Smith 11:00am, Sunday 15 MayChoral MatinsThe Wren Chapel, Royal Hospital, ChelseaMusic by Sarah MacDonald, Ben Parry, William Vann, Roderick Williams, Jonathan Dove, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Morgan Hayes 11:00am, Sunday 15 MayChoral EucharistThe King’s Chapel of the SavoyMusic by Timothy Hamilton and Martyn Noble 11:00am, Sunday 15 MayMassSt Cuthbert’s ChurchMusic by William Lloyd Webber and Edmund Jolliffe 11:00am, Sunday 15 MaySung MassChrist Church, ChelseaMusic by Alice Rivers, Gareth Wilson, and David Bevan 11:00am, Sunday 15 MayChoral MatinsThe Chapels Royal, HM Tower of LondonMusic by Humphrey Clucas, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Thomas Tallis 11:00am, Sunday 15 MayHigh MassSt Mary’s Bourne StreetMusic by Will Harmer and Philip Weller 12:00pm, Sunday 15 MaySung Solemn MassSt George’s Cathedral SouthwarkMusic by Nicholas Wilton and Kerry Andrew 5:00pm, Sunday 15 MayChoral EvensongHampstead Parish ChurchMusic by Jon Laukvik, Lucy Walker, Gabriel Jackson, Philip Moore, Peter Foggitt, and Cecilia McDowall 6:00pm, Sunday 15 MaySolemn MassSt Mary of the Angels, BayswaterMusic by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Edmund Jolliffe, William Petter, Aurélien Hallopeau, and Patrick Gardner 6:00pm, Sunday 15 MayChoral EvensongSt Pancras Parish ChurchMusic by Janet Wheeler, Christopher Batchelor, Gregory Rose, Elliott Park, Sebastian Forbes, William Petter, and Cecilia McDowall 6:00pm, Sunday 15 MayChoral EvensongAll Saints Church, FulhamMusic by Elliott Park, Jonathan Wikeley, and Peter Tranchell 6:30pm, Sunday 15 MayChoral EvensongSt Michael’s Church, HighgateMusic by Paul Dean, Humphrey Clucas, and Herbert Brewer 
