ORA Singers, Suzi Digby: Music for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

June 3, 2022, 9:00 am

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The award-winning ORA Singers celebrate the reign of Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, by releasing two works that draw inspiration from her equally illustrious predecessor, Elizabeth I. ORA has commissioned the renowned British composer Bob Chilcott to write a new work based on O Lord, make thy servant Elizabeth our Queen by William Byrd. These words have been sung in praise of nearly all the British monarchs since it was written, with each monarch’s name replacing the original. After 400 years, Byrd’s work can once again be sung with its original title. Chilcott’s work makes a beautiful companion piece, using the same text so that both pieces praise two of England’s most influential monarchs and create a bridge over nearly half a millennium of history.