Chelmsford Cathedral's own Director of Music, Emma Gibbins, will be taking to the organ for her Lunchtime Concert next week. She's given us an early insight into her repertoire...
What will you play? ‘It’s going to be slightly offbeat and, I hope, appealing to the audience! There’s a suite called Cat Suite by a Canadian composer Denis Bédard, starting with a ‘Prrrelude' and then 'Cats at Play', ‘Catnap' and 'Toc-cat-a', a nod to the toccata style of organ music. There’s also a Chinese folk story told through music and a piece inspired by the Lord of the Rings by a contemporary Dutch composer. The music is definitely concert repertoire rather than liturgical music, so it’s a nice chance to do something a bit different.’
How does it feel to play in the Cathedral? ‘I love being able to play when you’re the only person in the Cathedral – you can play as loud as you like! It’s particularly special at nighttime, when it’s dark and you can’t see how big the space is. Then you play a really loud chord and get an echo and can really feel that you’re in a cavernous space!’
Can you tell us why you love your role at the Cathedral? ‘I feel working here is an enormous privilege, I love working with young people and introducing them to church music. It’s such a privilege to have the chance to transform a child’s life. When choristers first join us, we don’t expect any prior musical experience – we’re really looking for enthusiasm and we want to invest in them as people by supporting their musical, educational, spiritual and social development. It's important for us to create a choir community and for the Cathedral to feel like a second home for them and their families. For some of our choristers I feel sure church music will be an important part of their futures.’
Emma’s Lunchtime Concert is on May 2nd at 12pm, tea and coffee will be served at 11.30am.