May 23 2011
A visit to Kirkwall by the “Friends of Cathedral Music”
I’ve been a member of the “Friends of Cathedral Music” for several years, this wonderful group exists to raise funds and award grants (over £1.85 million since 1956) to sustain the tradition of music in cathedrals. I’ve never been able to attend any of the FCMs regular “gatherings” but this year the FCMs Northern Gathering started in Aberdeen and finished up in Kirkwall so I was able to attend the Kirkwall events. On Wednesday afternoon 40 of us were given a tour of St Magnus cathedral in Kirkwall followed by a demonstration of the organ by Dr George McPhee, organist at Paisley Abbey for the last 48 years; his daughter is a GP in South Ronaldsay, hence his Orcadian connection. Later that day we attended a civic reception hosted by James Stockan, deputy convenor of OIC, before going to the St Magnus Centre to hear a concert by the Mayfield Singers. On Thursday I opted out of the coach tour of Orkney but rejoined everyone for a marvellous and inspiring Choral Evensong in Kirkwall cathedral after which we adjourned to dinner at the Kirkwall Hotel before making our way back to the cathedral to hear Compline sung by the Orkney Schola. A very enjoyable couple of days listening to good music and enjoying good companionship; I discovered that I’m the most northerly member of Friends of Cathedral Music and I think I’ve persuaded more than one person to come back to Orkney for a holiday next year.
As readers probably already know I’m the organist at Stronsay’s kirk. This year we formed a small choir which sang a couple of items on Easter Sunday. We had begun having practices in the church hall on Wednesdays but the kirk ran out of heading oil. It was so bitterly cold in the church hall that the following week the choir gathered at our house where Maureen’s “baronial hall” was put to good use. Thankfully the kirk was soon re-stocked with heating oil and rehearsals continued in the church hall.
We had to smile when the national press was bemoaning the price of petrol which had reached £1.35 a litre - it’s been that price on Stronsay for the last 12 months. Petrol here is now £1.58 a litre. Highland Fuels delivered 600 litres of heating oil to our house the other week and I await the bill with some trepidation, the last delivery was 70p a litre!
Summer is on its way, the daffodils and primulas are just about finished, the cattle are back in the fields after their winter sojourn indoors and the “nursery” next to Sampsons Lane has been very busy with lambing - there seem to be quite a few twins & triplets this year.
The May 2011 edition of the Limpet, Stronsay’s monthly newsletter, is now available online at www.stronsaylimpet.co.uk
It is now more than seven years since we moved to Stronsay after I retired from the Civil Service. We had intended to spend our retirement in Scarborough (North Yorkshire) but we soon decided we wanted somewhere quieter and more peaceful. Having spent a couple of holidays in Stromness in the late 1970s (when I was working in Brora, Sutherland) we used the internet to investigate the housing situation in Orkney and took the plunge; we arranged to rent a cottage in Orphir (Orkney mainland), sold our house, put all our effects into storage in York and on 31 January 2004 headed northwards. Shortly after arriving in Orkney we found a suitable property and on 28 March 2004 we moved into Claremont. You can read about this on the old BBC Island blogging site.
6 responses so far
Sounds like you had a really good time in Kirkwall.
Those petrol prices! I think that comes out to about $9.60 a US gallon–maybe the $4 we’re seeing isn’t so bad. I use public transport as much as possible.
We have the smallest cathedral (I believe) in Europe in Millport, designed by Butterfield, and a beautiful building it is too!
During the summer, there is usually some sort of music every Sunday, which varies enormously in it’s content…Big Man and I picked up a form to join the Friends Of The Cathedral of The Isles , but I think it’s still waiting to get filled in, woops…
Glad you enjoyed the Mayfield Singer’s concert and the Choral Evensong. I’d just like to point out for the benefit of anyone reading your blog that the Choral Evensong was by the Choir of St Olaf’s Episcopal Church and not the cathedral choir, which is Church of Scotland. I was thrilled with the Choral Evensong but must in all honesty put down it’s success in a large part to the wonderful playing of George McPhee, who played to London cathedral standards in my opinion.
And you met me too - I’m the assistant custodian and took you on the tour of the cathedral! It was a lovely week, and the Choral Evensong was very special - well done to everyone who made the whole visit such a success.
So it was you Stromness Dragon! Many thanks for such an interesting tour.
Thank you - glad you enjoyed it! Say hello next time you’re in