LFCCM 2023’s ten-day programme included concerts at St Pancras Parish Church and Hampstead Parish Church, liturgical services at more than 30 churches across London, and a particular focus on celebrating the 75th birthday of Michael Berkeley, the 80th birthday of Philip Moore, and the 20th anniversary of Christopher Batchelor's founding and artistic leadership of the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music.
There were sixty events in 2023’s Festival, including:
Composers from across the UK come together in a remarkable collaboration that celebrates 20 years of Christopher Batchelor’s founding and leadership of the LFCCM, with the premiere performance of new music inspired by the collaborative creation of the Missa Cantantibus organis Cæcilia in the 1580s by Palestrina’s students in honour of their renowned teacher.
A celebration of the 75th birthday of Michael Berkeley CBE, the 120th anniversary of the birth of his father Lennox Berkeley, and the 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd, featuring the premiere performance of a new work by Michael Berkeley, Released by Love, and a Q&A with the composer led by Petroc Trelawny.
Sir Lennox and Michael Berkeley in 1977. © ANGELA GORGAS. Used with permission.
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. Dance groups from London Contemporary Dance School are joined by organist Martyn Noble, Sub-Organist at His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, in this presentation of new dance works accompanied by organ music submitted to the Festival’s “Call for Scores” project.
Contemporary organ music is featured in lunchtime recitals presented by two of London’s finest organists.
David Goode presents a varied programme of organ works from the 16th to the 21st centuries, including submissions to the Festival’s “Call for Scores” project by Nicholas O’Neill and George Haynes.
This recital performed by Southwark Cathedral’s Assistant Organist James Gough features contemporary organ works by David Bednall and Cecilia McDowall.
“LFCCM @ Home”:
Events streaming online
Enjoy contemporary music for voices and organ from the comfort of your own home by following our online streaming series LFCCM @ Home. New programmes, selected from the Festival’s recording archives, are released daily for listening online, featuring past commissions, live recordings, and premiere performances from past Festivals.
Follow the release of new streaming programmes on Twitter
Young Composers’ Workshop
The LFCCM’s outreach and educational activities continue after the conclusion of this year’s Festival. School-aged composers from both Jewish and Christian traditions take part in an inter-faith composition workshop led by Roxanna Panufnik and Toby Young in October, and the LFCCM’s open submission project for new vocal and organ music, “Call for Scores”, opens in September for selection and performance in next year’s Festival in 2024.
Contemporary motets by Tarik O’Regan, Judith Bingham, Anthony Powers, Cecilia McDowall, and Gail Randall interweave the movements of William Byrd’s exquisite “Mass for Five Voices” in this beautiful and reflective lunchtime recital programme.
5.30pm, Friday 19 May
St Pancras Parish Church
The Choir of St Pancras Parish Church dir. Christopher Batchelor
A beautiful recital of sacred music by two of the United Kingdom’s most prolific church music composers, honouring both the 80th birthday of Philip Moore and the 10th anniversary of the death of Stephen Dodgson.
There were also more than forty other choral services and recitals taking place during the Festival, featuring premiere performances of new music from “Call for Scores” and the first two performances of the “Missa Brevis”, a new commission by Toby Young for four-part choir.
Performances of “Missa Brevis” by Toby Young
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
The Thanet Street Trust
The Stephen Dodgson Charitable Trust
Event Calendar
Review LFCCM 2023
LFCCM 2023 included 60 events between Friday 12 May and Sunday 21 May 2023.
Events streaming online
LFCCM @ Home Choral EvensongMusic by Richard Nye, Anthony Esland, Sarah Rimkus, Michael Wolniakowski, Christopher Batchelor, and Phillip Cooke LFCCM @ Home Choral RecitalMusic by David Bednall, Phillip Cooke, Lennox Berkeley, Judith Bingham, Elizabeth Coxhead, James MacMillan, and Paul Ayres LFCCM @ Home ComplineMusic by Christopher Upton, Simon Brown, Philip Moore, David Barton, and Cecilia McDowall Live Performances
Friday 12 May
7:00pm, Friday 12 MayPre-concert talkSt Pancras Parish ChurchAn introduction to the music in tonight’s concert programme and a Q&A on the founding of the LFCCM with Christopher Batchelor. 7:30pm, Friday 12 May“Blesséd Cecilia”St Pancras Parish ChurchComposers from across the UK come together in a remarkable collaboration that celebrates 20 years of Christopher Batchelor’s founding and leadership of the LFCCM, with the premiere performance of new music inspired by the collaborative creation of the Missa Cantantibus organis Cæcilia in the 1580s by Palestrina’s students in honour of their renowned teacher. Sunday 14 May
10:00am, Sunday 14 MaySung Family MassSt George’s Cathedral SouthwarkMusic by Frederick Stocken and Amy Summers 10:00am, Sunday 14 MayChoral EucharistSt Pancras Parish ChurchMusic by Peter Racine Fricker, Richard Nye, Philip Moore, Owen Elsley, and Richard Pantcheff 10:00am, Sunday 14 MayChoral MatinsSt Martin of Tours, EpsomMusic by James MacMillan, Iain Macfarlane, Benjamin Britten, Helen Williams, and Thomas Hewitt Jones 10:30am, Sunday 14 MaySung MassAll Saints Church, BlackheathMusic by Daniele Croce and Derry Bertenshaw 11:00am, Sunday 14 MaySung MassSt Cuthbert’s ChurchMusic by Herbert Sumsion 11:00am, Sunday 14 MayHigh MassSt Mary’s Bourne StreetMusic by Kenneth Leighton, Caroline Shaw, and Jacob Fitzgerald 11:00am, Sunday 14 MayMorning WorshipMethodist Central HallMusic by David Barton and Derry Bertenshaw 11:00am, Sunday 14 MayChoral EucharistSt Marylebone Parish ChurchMusic by Jonathan Dove 11:00am, Sunday 14 MayChoral EucharistSt Bride’s ChurchMusic by Ghislaine Reece-Trapp, Matthew Martin, and Ēriks Ešenvalds 11:00am, Sunday 14 MaySolemn High MassSt Magnus the MartyrMusic by Gerald Near and James MacMillan 11:00am, Sunday 14 MayChoral EucharistChrist Church, ChelseaMusic by Gareth Wilson and Milly Atkinson 11:00am, Sunday 14 MayChoral MatinsThe Wren Chapel, Royal Hospital, ChelseaMusic by Eloise Irving, William Petter, Angus McPhee, and Cecilia McDowall 11:00am, Sunday 14 MayParish MassSt Patrick’s, Soho SquareMusic by James MacMillan and Stefan Bednarczyk 11:00am, Sunday 14 MaySung EucharistSt George’s, Hanover SquareMusic by Judith Bingham, Cecilia McDowall, and Thierry Escaich 12:00pm, Sunday 14 MaySung Solemn MassSt George’s Cathedral SouthwarkMusic by Neil Cox and Peter Foggitt 12:00pm, Sunday 14 MaySung EucharistSt George’s Chapel, WindsorMusic by Judith Bingham 5:00pm, Sunday 14 MayChoral EvensongHampstead Parish ChurchMusic by Sarah Cattley, David Trendell, Philip Moore, and Eoghan Desmond 5:15pm, Sunday 14 MayEvensongSt George’s Chapel, WindsorMusic by Alexander L’Estrange, Kerensa Briggs, and Cheryl Frances-Hoad 6:00pm, Sunday 14 MaySolemn MassSt Mary of the Angels, BayswaterMusic by Łukasz Urbaniak and Henryk Górecki 6:00pm, Sunday 14 MayChoral EvensongSt Pancras Parish ChurchMusic by Francis Jackson, Herbert Howells, Janet Wheeler, David Beeby, Paul Drayton, Derry Bertenshaw, and Alexander Blustin Monday 15 May
1:00pm, Monday 15 MayOrgan Recital by David GoodeSt Michael, CornhillMusic by William Byrd, Nicholas O’Neill, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, George Haynes, Max Reger, and Johann Sebastian Bach 5:30pm, Monday 15 MayChoral EvensongSouthwark CathedralSung by the Cathedral’s girl choristers and lay clerks, with music by David Bednall, Kenneth Leighton, Philip Moore, and Cecilia McDowall 9:00pm, Monday 15 MayComplineSt Pancras Parish ChurchMusic by Ian Gilbert Coleman, Simon Brown, Richard Nye, and Ed McCauley Tuesday 16 May
5:30pm, Tuesday 16 May“Cymbals and Dances”St Pancras Parish ChurchDancers from the London Contemporary Dance School are joined by organist Martyn Noble in this presentation of newly-choreographed dances to organ music submitted to the Festival’s “Call for Scores” project. 6:00pm, Tuesday 16 MayChoral EvensongSt Michael, CornhillMusic by Philip Moore, Herbert Howells, Sebastian Johnson, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Cecilia McDowall 6:30pm, Tuesday 16 MayChoral EvensongRobinson College, CambridgeMusic by Ben Ponniah, Bernard Rose, George Dyson, and Jeremy Thurlow Wednesday 17 May
1:15pm, Wednesday 17 MayChoral EucharistSt Pancras Parish ChurchMusic by Bernard Rose, Michael Tippett, Joshua Ballance, Gianluca Pantaleo, Nicholas O’Neill, Will Sims, Paul Davis, and Donald Wetherick Thursday 18 May
12:00pm, Thursday 18 MaySolemn MassSt Mary of the Angels, BayswaterMusic by Charles Villiers Stanford, Michael Wolniakowski, and Felix Mendelssohn 1:15pm, Thursday 18 May“Music for Four, Five, and Six Voices”St Pancras Parish ChurchContemporary motets by Tarik O’Regan, Judith Bingham, Anthony Powers, Cecilia McDowall, and Gail Randall interweave the movements of William Byrd’s exquisite “Mass for Five Voices” in this beautiful and reflective lunchtime recital programme. Friday 19 May
5:30pm, Friday 19 May“Lo, God is here”St Pancras Parish ChurchA beautiful recital of sacred music by two of the United Kingdom’s most prolific church music composers, honouring both the 80th birthday of Philip Moore and the 10th anniversary of the death of Stephen Dodgson. Saturday 20 May
7:30pm, Saturday 20 May“A Berkeley Celebration”Hampstead Parish ChurchA celebration of the 75th birthday of Michael Berkeley CBE, the 120th anniversary of the birth of his father Lennox Berkeley, and the 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd, featuring the premiere performance of a new work by Michael Berkeley, Released by Love, and a Q&A with the composer led by Petroc Trelawny. Sunday 21 May
10:00am, Sunday 21 MayParish EucharistSt Giles’ Cripplegate ChurchMusic by James MacMillan, Alexander Ling, Rachel DeVore Fogarty, and David Bednall 10:00am, Sunday 21 MayChoral EucharistSt Pancras Parish ChurchMusic by Arthur Honegger, Michael Wolniakowski, Toby Young, Paul Hayward, and Simon Hancock 10:00am, Sunday 21 MayParish CommunionSt John the Evangelist, RedhillMusic by Edmund Jolliffe 10:00am, Sunday 21 MaySung EucharistSt Martin of Tours, EpsomMusic by Judith Bingham, Noel Rawsthorne, Janet Wheeler, and Peter Inness 10:30am, Sunday 21 MayChoral EucharistSt George’s BloomsburyMusic by George Haynes 10:30am, Sunday 21 MayMorning PrayerEton College Lower ChapelMusic by Matthew O’Donovan and John Rutter 11:00am, Sunday 21 MaySung MassSt Cuthbert’s ChurchMusic by Francis Jackson and Patrick Gowers 11:00am, Sunday 21 MaySung Latin MassOur Most Holy Redeemer and St Thomas MoreMusic by Richard Rodney Bennett, Aurélien Hallopeau, and Ian Gilbert Coleman 11:00am, Sunday 21 MaySung EucharistThe Chapels Royal, HM Hampton Court PalaceMusic by Neil Cox and Andrew Parnell 11:00am, Sunday 21 MayChoral EucharistChrist Church, ChelseaMusic by James Walton and Robin Burlton 5:00pm, Sunday 21 MayChoral EvensongHampstead Parish ChurchMusic by Grayston Ives, David Trendell, David McGregor, and Judith Bingham 5:30pm, Sunday 21 MayChoral EvensongSt Bride’s ChurchMusic by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange, Tony Britten, and Owen Elsley 6:00pm, Sunday 21 MaySolemn MassSt Mary of the Angels, BayswaterMusic by Will Sims, Chris Hutchings, and Tim Ambler 6:00pm, Sunday 21 MayChoral EvensongSt Pancras Parish ChurchMusic by Herbert Howells, Simon Hancock, Helene Hauglin, Anthony Esland, David Barton, and George Haynes 6:30pm, Sunday 21 MayChoral EvensongSt Michael’s Church, HighgateMusic by Bernard Rose, Herbert Brewer, and Gerald Finzi 6:30pm, Sunday 21 MayChoral EvensongSt Martin of Tours, EpsomMusic by Frederick Viner, Felton Rapley, Iain Macfarlane, Herbert Sumsion, Gerald Finzi, and Paul Patterson Sunday 11 June
5:00pm, Sunday 11 JuneChoral EvensongHampstead Parish ChurchMusic by Will Sims and Samuel Kemp Sunday 18 June
11:00am, Sunday 18 JuneFamily MassSt Mary of the Angels, BayswaterMusic by Lennox Berkeley, Matthew Power, and John Rutter 6:00pm, Sunday 18 JuneSolemn MassSt Mary of the Angels, BayswaterMusic by Michał Malec, Rodney Lister, George Haynes, and Julian Jarvis 
