Frideswide Voices Tour Netherlands To Conclude 10th Anniversary Year

Christ Church's girls' choir Frideswide Voices will mark the completion of their tenth anniversary year tomorrow when they set off for a tour of the Netherlands.

Over six days, they will perform concerts in churches around the country under the Direction of Helen Smee accompanied by the Clerks of the Cathedral Choir, beginning with Choral Evensong at the Lebuïnuskerk in Deventer on Friday 25th July.

After further services of Evensong at Amsterdam’s Co-Cathedral Basilica of St Nicolaas and Leiden’s Gothic Hooglandse Kirk (where they will also offer a short recital following the service), the choir travel to Sneek and Wijk Bij Duurstede. Here, they will perform ‘Strong Peace’, a program of music inspired by the translated moniker of Oxford’s patron saint and the choir’s namesake, Saint Frideswide, whose medieval shrine is located in Christ Church Cathedral.

In addition to celebrating the choir’s anniversary year, the tour also represents Helen Smee’s final performances with Frideswide Voices as their Director before she moves to a new role as Director of Music at Southwark Cathedral in September. Helen has led the choir for the past six years, overseeing its transition from an independent group to an integral part of our Christ Church choral foundation. She has made an immense contribution to music at the Cathedral in her time here, and goes with our gratitude for her many achievements and our best wishes.

If you are based in the Netherlands or will be there this July, make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to hear the ensemble! You can find the locations and times of their performances along with livestreaming links below.

 

Frideswide Voices 2025 Tour: Performances

 

Fri 25 July

Choral Evensong in Lebuinskerk, Deventer, 7.00 pm

Livestream: https://lebuinuskerk.nl/uitzending/

 

Sat 26 July

Choral Evensong in St Nicolaas Basilica, Amsterdam, 5.00 pm

https://www.youtube.com/@nicolaastv5951

 

Sun 27 July

Choral Evensong and short post-service concert in Hooglandse Kirk, Leiden, 5.00 pm

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ26kA-DdeJdyBgKza57u8A

 

Mon 28 July

Concert in Mertinikerk, Sneek, 8.00 pm

 

Wed 30 July

Concert in Grote Kerk, Wijk bij Duurstede, 8.15 pm

https://youtu.be/NtEswKIXMUw