Eton College Choir to sing at Princeton University Chapel April 6, 2011

By Bruce Jordan
The Eton College Chapel Choir will perform a choral Evensong on Wednesday evening, 6th April at 7:30 pm in the Princeton University Chapel. It is a rare treat
to have this choir, one of England’s finest, in Princeton. Richard Morrison writing in the London Times described the choir as ““…a staggering good school choir……beautifully balanced, alert, intelligent, passionate and sensitive.”
The choir is directed by Ralph Allwood, a major figure in English choral music.
The choir of over 50 boys sings in College Chapel on average three times a week and there are seven rehearsals. Entry is by audition, and members have either sung at major English Cathedrals or are very experienced singers.
The choir tours each Easter and has visited many countries in Europe as well as Australia, China, Japan, India, and the USA. The choir has performed in BBC radio broadcasts, symphonies with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, at the 50th Anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation, and has recorded many CD’s.
The Eton College Chapel Choir’s repertoire is extensive, incorporating music from the 15th century Eton Choirbook to major works of modern composers. This year’s two-week tour begins with concerts in Boston and services at Harvard, proceeds to New York and Princeton, and concludes at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
The choir boys will be in Princeton for two days, rehearsing and getting to know
an American university town. Residents may hear proper British accents on Nassau Street and see boys scurrying past with choir robes and music.
The service in Princeton will include Henry Ley’s A Prayer of King Henry VI along with Edward Bairstow’s Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D and Gerald Finzi’s Anthem: Lo! The full, final sacrifice.
Eton College was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI who simultaneously founded its sister institution of King’s College in Cambridge. The original foundation provided for 10 men and 16 boys to sing the services in Eton’s splendid chapel. Eton College Chapel has survived from the 15th Century to the present day despite the English Civil War and nearby bombings in World War II
All are welcome at the choral service sponsored by the Episcopal Church at Princeton: there is no admission charge. Choir CD recordings will be available for sale after the service.