James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater is a monumental contemporary setting of the ancient Marian hymn, contemplating the sorrow of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the foot of the Cross. Deeply rooted in the Catholic tradition, MacMillan’s music unites modern expression with the resonances of Gregorian chant and liturgical practice, giving voice to grief, compassion, and ultimately hope, with an intensity that is both reverent and arresting.

This is complemented by Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, a work inspired by the sacred polyphony of the English Renaissance. Drawing on Tallis’ Psalm Tune, the Fantasia unfolds with noble simplicity and radiant calm, its spacious sonorities evoking contemplation, humility, and the enduring beauty of sacred music.

The concert will begin with Sir James MacMillan in discussion with Fr Patrick van der Vorst, Precentor of Westminster Cathedral and Founder of Christian.art.

Wednesday 18 March 2026, 6.45pm.

Tickets, in aid of the work of the Cathedral, will be available in the Cathedral Gift Shop or via Ticketmaster from 12 January 2026.

Westminster Cathedral Choir is acclaimed as one of the world’s great choirs. Their most recent release, recorded in 2024, is Veni Creator Spiritus: Second Vespers of the Solemnity of Pentecost, on the Ad Fontes label, and was acclaimed by Gramophone Magazine as being ‘consistently polished, with exquisite and strain-free singing under Simon Johnson’s inspired direction’, and ‘as much an adjunct to spiritual elevation as a musical experience’ by MusicWeb International.

Rooted in the East of England, where it is the only professional orchestra working throughout the region, Britten Sinfonia also has a national and international reputation as one of today’s finest ensembles. ‘Innovative as always’ (Guardian, 2025), it is equally renowned for the remarkable breadth of its collaborations – from Steve Reich, Mahan Esfahani and Sarah Connolly to Anoushka Shankar, Jacob Collier and Pagrav Dance Company – and for its nurturing of new compositional voices: over three decades, Britten Sinfonia has premiered more than 250 new works.

Britten Sinfonia’s main concert activity is in London, Saffron Walden, Cambridge and Norwich, and it also performs out east in Bury St Edmunds, Ely, Peterborough and Chelmsford. The orchestra often performs at London’s Wigmore Hall and appears at UK festivals including Aldeburgh, Brighton, Norfolk & Norwich and the BBC Proms. Its prolific discography features many award-winning recordings on labels such as Harmonia Mundi, Chandos, Warner and Hyperion.