Radio 3 broadcast to launch the Britten Sinfonia residency at Merton

On Wednesday 26 February at 3pm, Choral Evensong will be broadcast live from Merton College Chapel. The service, which is sung by the College Choir and the Girl Choristers, is accompanied by the Britten Sinfonia, marking the beginning of the orchestra’s year-long residency at Merton. The music for the service includes Elgar’s O hearken thou and Sursum Corda, and Bairstow’s Lord, thou hast been our refuge in its original version for choir and orchestra, as featured on the second album of ‘Orchestral Anthems’ recorded on the Delphian label for release in May. 

During the course of 2025, the College Choir and Britten Sinfonia will collaborate for concerts in Oxford and London, featuring music from Bach to Pärt, via Stravinsky and Messiaen. The orchestra’s principals will also coach chamber groups and instrumentalists at Merton, and two recordings with the orchestra and choir will be released. We are enormously grateful for the generous support of Reed Rubin and Nigel Hamway, who have made this residency possible.