Our 2 juvenile falcons fledged around the middle of June and are becoming strong, confident young Peregrines learning their skills in the sky over St David’s and returning to the church to roost – any further donations to defray the cost of streaming the video from the nest box to the website over the past 4 months would be most welcome. Thank you.

Thanks also to Alex & Sophie, Nigel, Graham and others for a veritable feast of music in June, with excellent & enjoyable Concerts by VOCES8, Exeter Chorale, the Choir of Queen’s College, Oxford, and the Selwyn Consort from Cambridge. Our own St Michael’s Choir had orchestral support for Music Sunday, and also sang away from home for the Prayer Book Society at Bovey Tracey, the Guild of Servants of the Sanctuary at Barnstaple, and for St Martin’s Church 950th Anniversary in the Cathedral Close.

This summer is a time of transition for the choir at St Michael’s. We thank Alex West for his inspirational lead and conducting, and his keen ear for tuning, over the past year as Director of Music. We wish him and Sophie well and hope to see them here again before too long. Our Choir Tour to Germany will be a celebration of our Choral tradition from 16th to 21st century, as well as a time to hand-over to Erika Borley as our “new” Director of Music. We also thank Sabrina for organising the Tour and host families in her home town of Wolfenbuettel.

Three of our Choral Scholars also finish their tenure. We wish Rebecca and Vicki all the best as they graduate in Maths and move away to jobs – thank you for your commitment to St Mike’s and its music over 3 and 4 years, come back and visit, and keep singing. Marianne also stands down as a Scholar, but continues in the choir, as our @StMikes_Exeter tweeter, and in her other roles – again, thank you. We’re glad that Saffron will be returning as a Scholar in September.

The choir is delighted to have been awarded funding from the Ouseley Trust. As well as auditioning for new Choral Scholars from the University in September, Erika will also be looking to appoint 2 or 3 Junior Scholars, 16-18 year olds who might want experience before applying for University or College Choral Scholarships, or who just love singing church music – if you know of anyone who may be interested, see /music/scholarships/ and contact Erika.

Sung Masses continue with reduced resources over the Summer. Advanced notice that Tuesday & Thursday Plainsong Vespers will have a break for August. Check Events & twitter for updates.

So, here’s a summary of our Music List and events for July.

Thursday 2 July at 6pm, CBS Mass for the Eve of St Thomas the Apostle, with Hymns and Plainsong. Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed.

Sat 4 July, in Barnstaple at St Peter & St Mary Magdalene Church, for the Guild of the Servants of the Sanctuary Anniversary Service, 12noon Mass with Handel’s Zadok the Priest and Vaughan Williams’ Old 100th. 3pm Guild Office & Benediction.

Sun 5 July, Trinity V, Mass, 10.45am. Anglican Folk Mass, Shaw. Almighty and everlasting God, Gibbons.

First Sunday Evensong on 5th July will be at 5pm in St Martin’s Church in Cathedral Close, preceded by Tea from 4pm, to celebrate the 950th Anniversary of a church on that site. Bishop Robert Atwell is the guest preacher. Tallis Responses, Weelkes Short Service, Locus iste a Deo factus est, by Bruckner. All welcome.

Sat 11 July, Glastonbury Pilgrimage, St Benedict of Nursia.

Sun 12 July, Trinity VI, Sea Sunday, Mass, 10.45am. Byrd 5-part Mass. Jesu, the very thought of Thee, Victoria. And farewell to Scholars Vicki and Rebecca.

Tues 14 July. John Keble, Priest, Tractarian, Poet, 1866. Keble College, Oxford, was founded in his memory and William Gibbs funded its polychromatic brick Chapel.

Wed 15 July. Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, c.862. Associated with weather lore.
Wed 15 July at 7.30pm. St Michael’s Lecture, Ash Leighton Plom will be speaking on Exeter – a Christian society for over 1,500 years- expressions of Christian charity in present day society.

Sun 19 July, Trinity VII, Mass, 10.45am. Missa L’Hora Passa, Viadana. [Tu es Petrus, Palestrina.] Rejoice in the Lord alway, Redford.
Sun 19 July. Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop, and his sister Macrina, Teachers of the Faith, c.394 and c.379.

Friday/Freitag 24th July – Concert in the Kirche in Groß Denkte at 7pm/19Uhr.

Saturday/Samstag 25th July – Service of music and reflective readings in the Hauptkirche Beatae Mariae Virginis in Wolfenbüttel at 6pm/18Uhr.

Sun 26 July, Trinity VIII, Mass, 10.45am. (Most of the Choir will be singing in Wolfenbuettel, Germany.)
Sunday/Sonntag 26th July – Service in the St Trinitatis Kirche in Wolfenbüttel at 10am.

Sunday/Sonntag 26th July – Concert in the St Katharinen Kirche in Braunschweig at 5pm/17Uhr.

Sun 2 August, Trinity IX, Mass, 10.45am. Missa O Quam Gloriosum, Victoria. Ave Verum Corpus Byrd.

Sun 2 Aug, 6pm, Choral Evensong & Benediction. Byrd Responses, Morley Fauxbourdon Canticles, Te Lucis Ante Terminum byTallis.

Richard Barnes.