A packed house and a lengthy standing ovation bore testament to the popularity of Truro Cathedral’s director of music, Christopher Gray, at his farewell concert on Friday.
Chris joined the cathedral in 2000 as assistant director of music, taking the helm in 2008. He will leave at Easter to take on the role of director of music at St John’s College, Cambridge.
During his 22 years at the cathedral, the choir has made numerous critically acclaimed recordings, and in 2014 Chris oversaw the introduction of girl choristers to the choir.
While Chris still has a few weeks to spend in Truro, Friday’s performance was the final public concert of the choir under his baton.
The programme included six works specially commissioned by the cathedral from present-day composers: Sir James MacMillan, Philip Stopford, Paul Drayton, Dobrinka Tabakova, Gabriel Jackson and Russell Pascoe.
It was topped and tailed by what Chris cheerfully referred to as “bangers”, that is popular pieces by traditional choral composers including Charles Villiers Stanford and Charles Hubert Parry, whose Blest Pair Of Sirens has been the anthem for the end of each academic year for over 20 years.
In the middle was one of Chris’s own arrangements: The Turtle Dove, a setting of the English folk song composed during the first lockdown of 2020.
“A lot of those pieces have a special resonance for me, a strong emotional connection – so it was quite a rollercoaster, and utterly exhilarating,” said Chris.
“I was surprised to see a full house – people are so kind. Plus three composers were here to hear their work, which really took me back.”
He added: “Cambridge is very flat and has no beaches or coastline, but it does have a world-class choir and it will be a complete privilege to work with them.
“I’ve been in Truro all my working life, arriving just after graduation aged 22. My life will be upended but it’s good to shake things up occasionally. Sometimes you just need a change.”
Interim Dean Simon Robinson said the concert would leave its audience “with a lasting memory of sheer excellence”, and praised Chris Gray.
“His constant hard work, his deep commitment to the highest of standards in worship and in performance, his tenacity, grit, determination and passion are the very reason why Truro Cathedral Choir sits on the international stage at the highest possible level,” he said.
“Chris will be missed, of that there is no doubt; however, his wonderful legacy will continue. It manifests itself not only in our current choir but in countless singers and musicians who have been under his talented tutelage over many years.”
Truro-based composer Russell Pascoe was in the audience. “We have been living in halcyon days since Chris took over,” he said. “It was an amazing honour to be commissioned to write music for the cathedral choir, and whatever challenge I set them, they always rose to it with magnificence. Chris is inspirational, and Cambridge is lucky to have him.”
Interviews are currently in progress for Chris’s replacement, with a “strong shortlist” and an announcement due soon.