Hereford Cathedral Choir visited Bolgna, Italy, where they gave the local community a taste of traditional Christmas carols.

The British Embassy in Rome, organised the trip with the Choir departing from Hereford on Sunday, December 8th. On their flight from Gatwick they entertained their fellow passengers with a rendition of Hark the Herald Angels Sing to begin the festivities. EasyJet have published a video of the performance on their Facebook account which received over 10,000 views within 24 hours.

After a morning of rehearsals on Monday, December 9th, the choir visited Piazza Nettuno where they sang a selection of Christmas carols in front of the city’s Christmas tree, much to the enjoyment of passers-by. The highlight of the trip was an evening concert in the Church of San Procolo which had been arranged by GGI Confindustria Emilia Area Centro, an organisation similar to the Chamber of Commerce.

The specially-chosen programme featured a wide selection of seasonal music including the famous Herefordshire Carol ‘This is the truth sent from above’ arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and other pieces ranging from the 16th to the 21st century. During the concert Peter Dyke also performed Christmas music on the church organ, which is around 500 years old.

The gentlemen of the choir attended the formal post-concert reception which was held at the Red Cross Headquarters in Bologna where they finished their day of singing with energetic arrangements of Winter Wonderland and Jingle Bells.

Director of Music at Hereford Cathedral, Geraint Bowen said: “It was a pleasure for the choir to perform in the glorious acoustic of the beautiful Chiesa di San Procolo and we all enjoyed our visit to Bologna enormously.”

British Ambassador to Italy, Jill Morris said: “I am delighted that the Hereford Cathedral sang for the first time in Italy in beautiful Bologna. The carols in Bologna truly marked a perfect start to Christmas celebrations.”

The Cathedral Choir sings Evensong at 5.30pm on five days a week, and at three services on Sundays. The choristers rehearse for these services, and extra events five mornings a week from 8.10am to 9am and on Sundays from 8.55am to 9.50am.