St John's College, Cambridge and its choir take services on-line

With the chapel at St John's College being closed during the present crisis, the services have gone on-line. From Tuesday 21 April 2020 for eight weeks, the chapel's regular service schedule including services sung by the choir, musical director Andrew Nethsingha, are being hosted on the choir's Facebook page as daily virtual services featuring archive recordings along with short reflections and sermons by the Chapel’s Dean and Chaplain, recorded from their homes. Each service will be around 15 to 20 minutes long and will be available on the St John's College website for 24 hours.

The College will release virtual services in the same pattern as its usual timetable, with the Choir of St John’s uploading an Evening Service at 6:30pm every evening from Tuesday to Sunday in addition to a Morning Reflection at 10:30am on Sunday. Each Monday Evening Service will feature St John’s Voices and other services include College Communion at 8:30am on Sunday and Morning Prayer at 8:30am Monday to Friday. The services will be in line with the liturgical calendar, including Ascension Day and Pentecost.

About the repertoire being chosen from the archive recordings, Andrew Nethsingha says:

"Whilst aiming to comfort people with familiar repertoire, I am also seeking to introduce people to fine music which they may not have heard before. In the latter category I am especially keen to promote works by women composers. Music which has been commissioned for the College Choir is indicated by an asterisk, together with the year of its composition."
Full details from the choir website, and services available via the choir's Facebook page.