Join us for an extraordinary evening celebrating the 60th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, as Chichester Cathedral celebrates its 950th anniversary. Originally commissioned for the Southern Cathedrals Festival in 1965, this iconic work will be performed by Chichester Cathedral Choir in its exquisite arrangement for harp, organ, and percussion, under the direction of Charles Harrison.
The programme also features a world premiere by an acclaimed composer. The newly commissioned piece, inspired by Psalm 133 ("Behold how good and joyful a thing it is, brethren, to dwell together in unity"), will beautifully complement Bernstein’s masterpiece, and will be performed alongside other choral favourites.
This event forms part of Chichester950, further details on this event will be released soon, so keep an eye out for updates!
Chichester950
To celebrate 950 years of religious, cultural, and civic life across the City, District, and Counties, the Diocese and Cathedral have curated a diverse program of events taking place in 2025.
In 1075, the decision was made to move the seat of the Bishop from Selsey to the more populous town of Chichester, formerly the Roman settlement known as Noviomagus. This significant move was followed by the construction of the Cathedral, a sacred place of worship and the Mother Church to the Diocese, a thriving Christian community that covers East and West Sussex.
2025 also marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which resulted in the Nicene Creed—a document still recited by Christians summarizing the essence of their beliefs.
