I've been re-watching the Morse TV series on DVD and yesterday I felt like I was part of one - thankfully the only accompaniment was the pipe organ and the 18th Century Concert Orchestra, not a dastardly murder!

It was a real pleasure to enjoy rehearsing during the afternoon, in preparation for the evening concert. The sun was shining and, through the open windows of Keele University Chapel, the rustling leaves on the trees and birds twittering filled any silent bars. We sang a new piece (to us) with a Jongen Mass. Jongen is a Twentieth Century Belgian composer who was unfamiliar to me until we began rehearsing this piece - I liked it a lot! The concert concluded with some favoured Faure; Cantique de Jean Racine and the delicious Requiem. It's timely as I sing the Requiem as I am watching the Morse episodes. Tonight I'll be watching the final episode and, as Morse suffers his heart attack, the choir rehearsing in the background are singing In Paradisum, the closing number of the Requiem. There's a timely symmetry to the close of the TV series at the time I perform the Requiem. Years ago our family took a Morse pilgrimage around Oxford and my eldest son, who is my murder mystery buddy, and I stood on the actual spot where John Thaw was filmed in that tragic scene. We must go back again one day, now that my son is old enough to buy me a pint in the Morse Bar at the Randolph Hotel!

So much beautiful music and so many memories: Thank you Ceramic City Choir!