The Davey Consort
The Davey Consort was founded in 2016 by composer and conductor Ryan Wigglesworth and soprano Sophie Bevan MBE. The Consort sing at the 11am Latin Mass every Sunday. Their repertoire features both Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony much of the latter from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and often recently transcribed from original sources by Archivist, Francis Bevan. The ancient servcies of Holy Week provide a highlight for our litugical year. The Consort is a charitable incorparated organsiation(CIO) whose charitable objects include education and bringing sacred music to a wider audience both in concert and in our Catholic liturgy. The St Birinus Festival was established by the Davey Consort to facilitate this wider spiritual engagement of Catholics with their musical and cultural heritage.
The St Birinus Festival
Each July the parish comes alive for the St Birinus Festival, four days of concerts, sung liturgies, workshops and talks celebrating the rich heritage of Catholic sacred music, in and around St Birinus Church and Dorchester Abbey.
The festival was founded by Ryan and Sophie as a celebration of the music St Birinus himself brought to England in 634, together with his fellow Benedictine monks.
Everyone is warmly invited — many events are free to attend.
To see what the Consort is singing this Sunday, and to find out more about the choir and the festival, visit The Davey Consort's website.