TWO FIRSTS FOR BLACKBURN
Sunday 7 February saw the cathedral choir give the world premiere of A Prayer from South Africa by composer James Whitbourn. Setting words by the internationally-renowned author, the late Alan Paton, with the permission of his wife Anne, the piece was commissioned as a confirmation gift for one of the cathedral choristers, Dominic Chivers. He sang in the first performance having just returned from three months in South Africa where his father was on study leave. “I loved the piece. It was beautiful. It reminded me of the South African national anthem, Nkosi sikelel’ iafrika.”
Attending the service were nine visitors from Bosnia-Herzegovina: three Bosniaks (Muslims), three Croats (Catholics), and three Serbs (Orthodox). 
Later in the day they led a moving programme to open the exhibition, The F Word (the Forgiveness Project) which tells the story of people around the world who have tried to walk the difficult road of forgiveness. They joined Croat Blackburn Rovers’ star, Nikola Kalinic, and cellist Tom Wilkes, who helped to tell the story of the cellist of Sarajevo, Vedran Smailovic, as the main focus of the opening ceremony. Anjum Anwar MBE who has coordinated the exhibition and the visit with Canon Chris Chivers said: “It was wonderful to have our Bosnian friends. They know more than most what forgiveness costs.”
Nobel Peace Laureate, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu sent a message in which he said: “You are doing amazing things, I know, in Blackburn as Christians and Muslims - God's goodwill ambassadors - to try and foster understanding and to put yourselves in the other person's shoes so that you can walk together on the path to peace. May the exhibition be an inspiration to you in this.
There can be no future without forgiveness. There can be no forgiveness without truth-telling. And there can be no truth-telling without people of courage to start the journey.
You are all people of courage. I salute what you are already doing and encourage you to continue travelling along this most important road for the future well-being of our world."
BISHOP ANNOUNCES LENTEN CHORAL EVENSONGS
Following the Diocesan Staff Eucharist on Wednesday 3rd February 2010, the Bishop of Blackburn, The Right Reverend Nicholas Reade announced plans for Choral Evensong to be sung on each weekday during Lent at 5.15pm in the Cathedral. He encouraged members of the Diocesan Staff to attend Evensong when possible and said that he hoped to attend himself on occasions.
A new choir has been formed to sing Evensong on Fridays, The Cathedral Consort and one of the singers is the Bishop's Chaplain, The Reverend David Arnold who said "I am delighted to join this group as part of the Lenten Devotions at the Cathedral".
The Schola Cantorum will sing on Mondays, The Girls' Choir on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the boys of the Cathedral Choir on Wednesdays.
The Gentlemen of the Cathedral Choir will also sing Compline by Candlelight at 9.00pm on Friday evenings in Lent.
There will therefore be 9 Choral Services each week during Lent at Blackburn Cathedral, all sung by members of our volunteer choirs.
Please note that there will not be Choral Evensong on Ash Wednesday (when there will be a Eucharist at 7.30pm sung by the Renaissance Singers) or Thursday 18th February (which falls in half term for the Girls' Choir).
Click here to download the music list for the Spring Term
PATRONAL FESTIVAL EUCHARIST
The Cathedral's Patronal Festival was celebrated in style on Sunday 30th January at the 1030 Cathedral Eucharist. The Bishop of Blackburn was the Celebrant and Preacher and Haydn's Little Organ Mass was sung by the Cathedral Choir, the Cathedral Girls' Choir and the Young People's Choir with Philippa Hyde (soprano) and the Northern Chamber Orchestra. James Davy was soloist in Allegro from Handel's Organ Concerto op 7 no 2 at the end of the service and Albinoni's Adagio was played as a prelude. The choir also sang Rachmaninov's Bogoroditsye Dyevo and Eccard's well known motet for the feast of the Presentation of Christ in The Temple, When to the Temple Mary Went. The Northern Chamber Orchestra was sponsored by The Friends of Blackburn Cathedral Music.
ANJUM ANWAR VISITS OMAN
