St. Olaf Choir: Last Day In London: Concert at St. Clement Danes Church

Our stay in London came to an exciting close on Friday with a final concert in St. Clement Danes Church located across from the Royal Courts of Justice, in the heart of London.

The first structure on the site is believed to have been found by Danes in the 9th century, but it has been rebuilt several times, most notably by famous architect Christopher Wren in 1682 and again in 1958 by the Royal Air Force after it was destroyed by German bombs in World War II. It is now the Central Church of the Royal Air Force and serves as the site for many war memorials and dedications. The war-torn history of this church made our performance, particularly of Penderecki's powerful Agnus Dei, that much more meaningful.

We got dressed in the crypt, the second one to serve as our changing room during the trip! I'm hoping for a few more opportunities in Ireland.

Choro, an excellent local choral group, opened the concert for us with an excellent performance of some great choral works. I especially enjoyed their rendition of our buddy Eric Whitacre's "With a Lily In Your Hand."
After the concert, the church hosted a small reception for us, and then we headed out for night on the town to kick off our great stay in London!