A new choral compendium from the highly regarded Choir of Royal Holloway, comprising twentieth- and twenty-first century works inspired by the adulation of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music.

In many ways it was Britten’s Hymn to Saint Cecilia—first performed on the radio in 1942—that rekindled musicians’ interest in celebrating their patron saint. The Musicians Benevolent Fund revived the tradition of an annual service of celebration for St Cecilia in 1947, and has marked the occasion with a new commission almost every year. Many of the pieces on this recording are the result of those commissions. Also included is a new work by Gabriel Jackson, one of the most popular choral composers of today, featuring Dame Felicity Lott.