An interview with composer Michael Finnissy

Showcasing the excellence of choral writing

The Choirbook for The Queen was born out of an inspirational idea from Robert Ponsonby and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies some eight years ago: to produce a collection of contemporary anthems, published for the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen in 2012 and accompanied by a year-long celebration of services that will showcase the excellence of choral writing and the continuation of the choral tradition by cathedral choirs and other choral foundations around the country.

Since the idea was suggested in 2003, plans for the Choirbook have been developed by Ian Ritchie and Carol Butler, working with a distinguished advisory group and in consultation with composers, publishers and choral foundations. The Choirbook contains forty four anthems, including eleven commissioned for the Choirbook by The Choirbook Trust. Eighty cathedral and choral foundation choirs will sing the anthems during the Jubilee year in the context of services, many of which will be broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and on local radio.

The publication of the Choirbook has been made possible by extremely generous support from The Foyle Foundation, the principal supporter of the publication, and from Friends of Cathedral Music and a number of other trusts. We would also like to thank the Diamond Subscribers, each of whom has donated of a set of Choirbooks to a choir of their choice, so that they will have Choirbooks from which to sing the anthems in 2012 and for many years into the future. The eighty choirs that are taking part in the Choirbook celebration of services in 2012 are each choosing two Choirbook anthems that they will sing during 2012; the diary of performances on this website gives details of the services that include a Choirbook anthem and we would be very pleased to hear from any choir that is intending to sing one of the Choirbook anthems so that we can keep the diary up to date. We are confident that the Choirbook for The Queen will enrich the choral repertoire and create a legacy that is a testament to the creativity and endurance of the choral tradition in this country.

Professor Peter Toyne

Chairman, The Choirbook Trust