Southwell Minster is a Cathedral and Parish Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and Marian feast days are of particular importance. Sing we of that Mother blest from the Girls’ Choir and Lay Clerks is a musical celebration of the life of the Virgin Mary, and of the music and words she has inspired generations of artists to compose.

The collection includes works for all the annual church festivals celebrating the Virgin Mary, together with the complete five dances for organ in praise of Mary, Mariales, by Naji Hakim. There are well-known pieces by Grieg, Willcocks, Haydn, Dyson, Hadley, and Howells, coupled with recent and unfamiliar works from James MacMillan, Paul Drayton, Simon Johnson, and Matthew Larkin, and a selection of Marian hymns.

The ancient Norman and Romanesque vaults of Southwell Minster have echoed with the inspiring melodies of human song for hundreds of years, with the historic music foundation dating back to at least the tenth century. In 2005 the Girls’ Choir was formed – joining this tradition – and is currently directed by the Cathedral’s Assistant Director of Music, Simon Hogan. Members of the Girls’ Choir are drawn exclusively from the Minster School, with girls ranging in age from eleven to eighteen.

The girls currently sing at least two services per week and their repertoire encompasses works from the eleventh century, through to the present day including works commissioned specifically for them. Sing we of that Mother blest is their second recording.