On Saturday 1st June at 19:30, the Abbey Choir will give a concert including the world premiere of a new Mass setting written for the choir by Martin Baker (former Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral). This new piece is for SATB choir + organ, and incorporates various musical themes from Gregorian chant and other existing pieces associated with the feast of the Blessed Sacrament. The choir will record the new work a week after the concert and the musical score will be published by Ad Fontes in the autumn. The premiere will be in the second half, but the concert also includes a range of choral music from Gregorian chant, polyphony by William Byrd and Thomas Tallis, alongside more recent music by César Franck and Colin Mawby; in short, there should be something here for everyone!
As always, you can make an evening of it by booking a table for dinner in the pizzeria, or the restaurant at Northgate House Hotel, both of which are a five minute walk from the Abbey.
Buckfast Abbey is conveniently located midway between Exeter and Plymouth, just off the A38. Home to a community of Benedictine monks, the Abbey offers a unique, tranquil ambience, and is open seven days a week to the public. For more information about music at Buckfast Abbey visit www.buckfast.org.uk/music or you can buy tickets by visiting https://www.buckfast.org.uk/events/o-sacrum-convivium/