Wayns Augmented half term blog May 2026
Wildflower meadows and pastures new
A Wildflower Meadow
Our summer term is always the musical wildflower meadow of the year. Compared to the previous terms, when we sing those cherished and cultivated perennials which bloom regularly in the choral world, the summer term is a time to revel in something different and unexpected. We step outside the formal rows of black and white and beyond the traditional walls of the Cathedral, free instead to let our imaginations and our music run just a little wild.
This year is a particularly wonderful example of this. As the evenings have lengthened and mellowed, the music in our rehearsal room has become a swaying field of blue, full of colourful surprises and skipping syncopation. There is a feeling of having escaped all that is imposing and grand in order to trip towards the carefree and light.
And all this while we’ve yet to even meet our Mass in Blue soloist whose voice will dance freely above us, or to hear the band, or to witness David Owen Norris’ summer firework spectacular on the piano… we are a budded meadow about to burst into fantastic full bloom.
A new recruit
There’s a new flower in the meadow! New member S2 Deborah joined us this term. We wish her a warm and summery Wayns welcome.
Pastures New
The term began with the announcement that Andy Lumsden will be leaving us for pastures new after Christmas 2026, with pastures new for us too in the confirmation that our new director from January 2027 is to be Katherine Dienes Williams. With this new landscape for the choir already well within sight there has been a sense of poignancy in the air; a savouring and appreciation of our time with Andy, as each completed rehearsal brings us one step closer to the end of his directorship of the Wayns. But there’s also been a feeling of a complete change in the wind. We have journeyed onwards with Andy, leaving his time at the Cathedral behind and travelling instead towards the brand-new and incredibly exciting future which awaits him, which has been an uplifting and refreshing experience for us all.
The changes which we are in the process of experiencing are one of life’s many reminders that nothing stays the same. Sadly, as well as these more positive and life affirming changes we have also been hit this term by some very bad news- the passing of former member Edward Hepper, and - to our great shock - the loss of S1 Felicity. McElderry. We have had to draw breath before continuing to sing, and we have sung blues of the deepest and darkest shade.
Felicity McElderry (in the centre of the second row), December 2015
And our choir shall carry on singing, both into the future and now when “high summer holds the earth”, as we continue to grow our summer meadow of music and prepare for what is surely going to be a truly shining night.