Each July, Homerton College Charter Choir take a tour to a Europe country (and beyond), showcasing their singing. Iceland was this year's chosen destination and it lived up to expectations with a volcanic eruption, breathtaking scenery and an earthquake during the week away! In Iceland the Choir were very well received. The excellent acoustics of the cathedrals and churches the choir visited only enhanced the sense of occasion and elevated the choir’s performances to another level.
Encompassing a week of concerts and masses, the annual Choir Tour takes Homerton to a wider audience, connecting with local people and tourists in the countries visited and sometimes meeting up with alumni. The Charter Choir is composed of 22 student singers and two student organists and it is led by Homerton's Director of Music Dr. Daniel Trocmé-Latter. The members of the choir change annually with about a third leaving each year as they graduate. The tour offers the choir members a wonderful opportunity to sing in some amazing venues, and Iceland proved to be no exception.
The choir bought a repertoire of different psalm settings from across the ages along with some personal favourites including work by composers Purcell, Sumsion, Bruckner, Bach, Rutter and McMillan as well as a new work composed by a current member of the choir. The new piece “And we die” was composed by Amber Coxill, who was inspired by the poetry of Emily Brontë, Emily Dickinson and Katherine Castle.
Whilst on tour, a typical day for the choir might include an evaluation of their previous performance as well as a rehearsal for the next. Some days they fitted in concerts and church services as well as a bit of sightseeing visiting geothermal waters, natural wonders and volcanoes. In fact, only hours after arriving back in the UK, the Mount Fagradalsfjall volcano they had visited, erupted!
Wednesday 5 July Concert at Víkurkirkja, Vík
The iconic red roofed church at Víkurkirkja, Vík was the first concert on the tour. Set on a hill above the small town, in the southernmost tip of Iceland, the church has panoramic views to the black sand beach and the sea beyond.
Friday 7 July Concert, Skálholt Cathedral
Wending their way along the Golden Circle route, the choir stopped to perform at Skálholt. The current cathedral was built in 1963, but it is the 10th cathedral to be built on this culturally important site, the first of which was built in 1056.
Sunday 9 July, 11am Lutheran Mass, Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík
Sunday 9 July, 12.30pm-1pm Concert, Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík
Returning to the capital, the choir performed a Lutheran mass and a concert at the imposing church of Hallgrímskirkja, which at 74.5m high is one of the tallest buildings in Iceland.
Sunday 9 July, 6pm Catholic Mass, Landakotskirkja (Christ the King Cathedral), Reykjavík
Sunday 9 July, 7pm Concert, Landakotskirkja (Christ the King Cathedral), Reykjavík
The final concert and mass of the tour took place in Reykjavik at Landakotskirkja, the only Catholic Cathedral in Iceland.
