Salisbury Cathedral resume 'in person' choral worship
Today three new Choristers will be joining the Cathedral's Choir for their first service since Christmas
Members of Salisbury Cathedral's choir are singing at their first 'in person' worship of the year today.
It is the first service since Christmas that choral singing is allowed.
Instead of singing to an empty Cathedral and a camera for recording, a congregation will be allowed to attend.
David Halls, Salisbury Cathedral's Director of music, says a lot of people in the community who live near the cathedral have been itching to get back in to worship:
"It's one of the reasons the vaccinations have been so good because that has been another way to get in to the cathedral, but coming to worship and to hear the choir and hear the clergy with the sermons and the prayers, seeing and hearing everything in person must make such a difference."
The virus has disrupted Chorister recruitment but that hasn't stopped them finding three trainees who are being admitted as full choristers during the 2nd May Evensong.
The three girls will be admitted as full choristers during Evensong at 4:30pm, a personal achievement for all three and a historic day for the Cathedral.
Although it's a church service and not a concert, David said it means the choristers, musicians and men's choir will have an audience.
"We do services but there is no doubt that when you have people there it does make a difference, even if they aren't allowed to make any noise."
The congregation won't be allowed to sing along with the choir or say the sermons.
"I don't even think they can join in the spoken bits like the lord's prayer. We are worshipping on everybody's behalf, but people can still think with words.
"It's very much a question of the choir, we're very separate from the congregation, even the priests are very well spaced.
"The choir will sing a hymn at one point, the congregation won't be as they aren't allowed to."
The meaning of Communion is sharing, coming together and worshiping with other people, which is what David is looking forward to today.
During the pandemic he has been in and out of the cathedral playing the organ while people have been having their vaccinations.
"That for me has been a very humbling and special experience, my memories of this time, of course there is the choir and working with the choristers virtually and finally in person.
"But there is this parallel idea of people coming through the cathedral in literally their thousands and turning this pandemic around."