“ A Transformative Experience ”: Peterborough Singers ’ Families Describe the Durham Trip (html)

Between July 28 and August 3 of 2025, fifty-six Peterborough Singers, conducted by Artistic Director Syd Birrell, sang services at Durham Cathedral, the largest and finest example of Norman architecture in England, according to UNESCO. The Cathedral, constructed in the late 11th and early 12th centuries on a religious site that has been in use for over 1000 years, is a stone’s throw away from Durham Castle. Both of these places of secular and spiritual power sit on a great rock towering above a wooded horseshoe bend of the River Wear. Accompanying the choir were over a dozen supporters, friends and family who made the visit especially meaningful and fun. This delegation is by far the largest that the Singers have ever taken on an international trip, so you can imagine the remarkable efforts that went into planning, rehearsing, and trip-specific fundraising.

Another remarkable aspect of this trip is less obvious – but it bodes well for the continuing vitality of the choir. Among the Durham Peterborough Singers were many family groups, some of which were multigenerational. Here are a few of their special recollections.

The first memory has to do with Durham Cathedral’s spectacular setting, which is difficult to reach by modern transportation. Barb and Rick Hilts, who have been choir members for close to twenty years, were very impressed by how welcoming the city was when it came to providing the necessary accessibility for our large group.

When we arrived on Sunday, July 27, after just shy of a day’s travel, the drivers of the coaches transporting us from Edinburgh Airport to our residence at St. Chad’s College were none too sure that they could get anywhere close, given the winding, purposefully defensive medieval streets of the town. “One favourite memory,” says Barb, “was our bus entering Durham, and then the climb up to the cathedral. Our bus driver was incredible!” Guided by Pam and Syd Birrell, who walked in front of the buses, the drivers made their way cautiously up to the cathedral commons and dropped us off near Dun Cow Lane – a short walk away from our rooms. Then, when we had to leave early on Monday, August 4, the city arranged to have the road work done on the only street that the bus could squeeze through to reach the cathedral commons, covered over temporarily, so we could be picked up and driven off to Edinburgh. “I will always remember the buses in front of the cathedral at 3 am, and the cooperation of the city to allow them to be there,” Barb remarks.

Many special memories focus on the Chapter House, where the Singers rehearsed and gathered before processing into services. The acoustics were remarkable, as Judy Ward (Keith) remarks. “Within the Chapter House and the soaring walls of Durham Cathedral, the music seemed to take flight as it expanded, reverberated, and filled the space.” Judy and her son Ben are both Peterborough Singers, and Ben played the significant role of cantor at most of the choir’s Durham evensong services. To give you an idea of the challenge, the cantor has to pluck the correct note out of the air – luckily Ben has perfect pitch – and sing the solo bits in the call-and-response patterns of the musical worship. At Durham, the choir sang the “Rose Responses,” composed by Bernard Rose, the very influential organist and master of choristers at Magdalen College, Oxford, between 1957 and 1981. (Rose’s students included Dudley Moore, Kenneth Leighton, and Harry Christophers of The Sixteen.)

Ben’s brother Andrew also travelled to Durham, much to Judy’s delight. “I will always treasure the sight of Andrew across the choir loft at evensong … supporting and participating … and of Ben directly in front of me in the tenor section, singing his heart out,” she notes.

The Chapter House figures largely in the memories of other Singers’ families at Durham. Lochlan Wotherspoon, who is in the choir with both his mother Melissa and his sister Eilis, rates “singing ‘Lift Thine Eyes’ with my sister in the rehearsal space” as a special moment. Melissa agrees.

Just walking into the Chapter House on that first Monday morning to rehearse was a thrill. We approached through a 12th-century cloister where monks would have meditated, studied, and exercised.

Entering the Chapter House doorway, we saw the room open up – and I mean up! – expanding into a space whose acoustics were purposefully “hot” so the monks could gather on the stone benches lining the room and hear one another easily while they conducted the business of the monastery.

Sister and brother duo Erinn and Andy Burke also mentioned Chapter House singing as among their cherished memories. Both belong to a small group of Peterborough Singers that, at occasional concerts, perform pieces requiring very close and complex harmonies. Four of the group decided to say thank you in song to Durham Cathedral and its Chapter House, a treasured memory for Andy: “The opportunity to sing with Erinn as part of our small group’s fairly impromptu offering of ‘The Parting Glass’ – as a parting gift to the Chapter House and one another after our final evensong – was a special musical experience to share and hold dear.”

Andy, a bass in our choir, also had a solo in George Oldroyd’s “Mass of the Quiet Hour,” which we sang on our last Sunday in Durham. Erinn counts being a part of that service as a precious memory, especially “getting to hear my brother’s solo and being very proud.”

It appears that “singing in sacred spaces,” as Judy puts it, had an even more profound effect on Singers who were there with loved ones. “My whole heart was in one place at the same time,” recalls Melissa Wotherspoon. “I definitely experienced a few moments in the Chapter House and in the choir loft where I was overcome with immense gratitude, hearing my daughter’s voice coming from down the row of sopranos and seeing Lochlan embedded between Wayne and Jonathan on those misericord seats (definitely built for humans of 1600s sizing!).”

But yes, we did much more than sing. There was a lot of history to discover around Durham and beyond. “We wandered through extraordinary places, listening to stories carried across the centuries,” says Judy. “To stand on ancient ground and feel the weight of history was both humbling and awe-inspiring.” And really fun!

The cathedral provided a tour for us, and our very active social convenors booked a cathedral tower climb, a ghost walk, and a river cruise, as well as organizing multiple pub nights and evening gatherings, sometimes with croquet, soccer or Jenga, in the yard of St. Chad’s. (Many thanks to the river cruise company for allowing a slightly overcrowded boat to leave the dock!) A few very ambitious and health-conscious Singers went on daily morning runs, and some even took advantage of a trial offer at a local spa, with gym and pool facilities!

Many Singers ventured further afield for sightseeing, an opportunity afforded us because we had too many choristers to fit comfortably in the quire stalls, so a few people rotated out for a service or two.

Rick and Barb Hilts really enjoyed visiting Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island. It has a recorded history dating from the sixth century CE, and was an important centre of Christianity under Saint Cuthbert, whose tomb is in Durham Cathedral.

The Wotherspoons went on an adventure to Edinburgh when their day to rotate out fell on a Friday, the day after the choir as a whole was off. “Venturing for an overnighter to Edinburgh on the Thursday and Friday was another favourite memory,” says Melissa. “Edinburgh was something, but the train … to Edinburgh and back was such a nice little bonus.” The Keiths also visited Scotland, “stepping outside the routines of daily life and experiencing something completely new.” They were among those able to spend some extra time in the UK, either before or after the Durham visit. A favourite spot for them was the Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye.

A great number of choristers travelled on Thursday, the choirs’ day off, to Berwick-upon-Tweed, where some had a dip in the North Sea (very cold) and sampled excellent fish and chips. Barb liked Berwick’s wool shop, which featured “one woman spinning, many wooden buions (organized beautifully), and lots of wool!”

But the lasting moments were more intimate; they established or deepened connections within our community. Andy celebrated a birthday in Durham, and he was very grateful to his sister Erinn for “arranging a few special pieces to the day that provided a personalized touch and extra fun.” Being able to travel together for the first time in quite a while was “special” to Erinn, too. “In hindsight,” says Andy, “I think singing with Erinn in Durham was most meaningful because it was she who first encouraged me to join her in the  Singers…. This trip, and the chance to contribute to this cathedral choir, was a reminder to me of the many joys, opportunities, and growth that this community has given to me since then.”

“I expected this trip to be transformative,” Melissa explains, “but what I wasn’t expecting was to see my kids objectively as adults, forging their own connections with choir members and choosing many of their own adventures.”

“To be joined together for a common purpose was deeply meaningful,” says Judy. “I am certain the memory of our time in Durham will stay with us always!”

But let’s give the last word to the youngest contributor to this article, Lochlan Wotherspoon. He puts it directly and succinctly: “One of the best parts of this trip was getting to know people better that I wanted to get to know better.” Can’t say fairer than that!