I am thrilled that I have been asked to write a piece for the 50 year anniversary of St. Mark’s church in Wimbledon. It was fifty years ago that St. Mark’s was re-built after a fire. Alex of St. Mark’s and also a member of Wimbledon Choral Society as I am, had been given the task of setting up some celebrations to mark the event. That is where the pub environment after a WCS rehearsal is so helpful as the commissioned piece was born there. It is appropriate that the handover also happened there too and you can see myself and Alex exchanging the music in the photo below. The celebrations will happen on the 29th June.
I have chosen the hymn text “We love the place, O God, in which your honour dwells”. The hymn takes us through the aspects of church which make it so unique and important. The recent fire at Notre Dame reminds us of that. The piece will be performed by members of Wimbledon Choral Society ( which rehearse at St. Mark’s ), St. Mark’s church choir and also a children’s choir from Bishop Gilpin’s school, a local Church of England School that is affiliated with St. Mark’s.
