Festival of St Cecilia November 18, 2009

Every year, the Musicians Benevolent Fund co-ordinates the Festival of Saint Cecilia and Royal Concert. The Festival is held in London on the Wednesday nearest to St Cecilia's Day, the 22nd November, and the Royal Concert usually takes place one week earlier.

The Festival Service is held in the morning and rotates annually between St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral. The music is sung by the combined choirs of the three churches and the Service is the only time in the year when the three choirs come together. A new anthem is specially commissioned each year. The Service also features a spectacular robed procession by the City Livery companies.

The Service is then followed by a Lunch at a historic location close to the Cathedral where guests will enjoy a three course meal and a speech will be given by a leading figure in the arts. Previous speakers have included Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Tony Hall (Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House) and Sir Nicholas Kenyon (Managing Director of the Barbican Centre and former Director of the BBC Proms).

Official Website: http://www.mbf.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=festivalofstcecilia