The Girls Choirs of Liverpool Cathedral and the Metropolitan Cathedral visited Cologne to sing at an Epiphany service, helping to celebrate 60 years of friendship between Liverpool and the German city.
The service at Cologne Cathedral attracted a congregation of more than 2000 people, and began with a procession involving clergy (including the retired Archbishop of Luxembourg, and Bishops from Albania, and Bosnia Hertzogovina), star bearers, people in medieval uniform and Dean Tony O’Brien from the Metropolitan Cathedral.
During the service, the choirs from the three Cathedrals led the responses and sang an introit. The service was attended by all the Link group members, the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Liverpool, and Neil Peterson from the Town Hall. On Saturday, the girls and staff explored the city before lunch at the Music School and rehearsals for a programme of music at the Town Hall.
The Liverpool Choirs opened a Town Hall ceremony which was followed by speeches from the Civic Leaders, reinforcing the importance of the twinning of two cities. The agreement was signed in 1952, when both cities were rebuilding themselves in the aftermath of World War II. It is thought that this twinning was the first of its kind between a UK and German city in the post-war period.
All three choirs closed the civic ceremony by singing “The Leaving of Liverpool” and finally “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”
On the last day, girls from the Metropolitan Cathedral sang at the Mass at St Aposten’s Catholic Church while the girls from the Anglican Cathedral sang for the Eucharist at St Antonite's Protestant Church. The Anglican Cathedral girls sang two Epiphany carols, “Three Kings from Persian Lands” and “Eastern Monarchs”.
They were then taken on a tour of the Shrine of the Three Magi, the Cathedral organ and the high galleries which circle the Cathedral, ending in the roof space.
Val Jackson, who accompanied them, said, “New friendships have been made between the girls in all three choirs and team work has grown. The staff, supervisors and all the girls are to be congratulated on being excellent ambassadors for the city and Cathedral as well as giving everyone a splendid weekend of music, so that we can now look forward to Pentecost when the Cologne Choir will be in Liverpool.”