Wednesday 23 April – Shakespeare’s Birthday
11:00 am Coffee, Cakes and Sonnets performed by the Trinity Players
Join the Trinity Players in Holy Trinity Church singing Happy Birthday to William Shakespeare and blowing out the candles on his birthday cake which will be available for everyone to share – free event
11:30 noon to 3:30pm A full peel of bells by Westminster Abbey band
5:30 pm Organ Recital by resident organists: Benedict Wilson, Stephen Dodsworth and Jim Fellows
followed by…
6:00 pm A special Festal Evensong service
These are taking place in the church in which William Shakespeare was christened and buried and will be one of the first events of Shakespeare Birthday Week 2014, to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the playwright’s birth.
Stratford College will be recording this Evensong which will be led by the Choir of Holy Trinity Church and its incumbent, Revd Patrick Taylor, and will follow the 1559 Book of Common Prayer: the prayer book in use during Shakespeare’s life.
The music selected for the service will consist of canticles and anthems Shakespeare might have heard, by composers Shakespeare might have even known: Gibbons, Morley, Byrd, Tomkins and Weelkes.
The parish register will be on display and available to view following the service when refreshments will be available prepared by the Friends of the Music.
All are very much welcome to attend this special service of celebration
Thursday 24th April – Singing Shakespeare launch concert
Click here for more information
11:15 am Sunday 27th April – Shakespeare Sunday Service
This year’s service will adopt the theme of baptism with the RSC performing ‘the baptism of Elizabeth’ scene from Henry VIII. Also, the parish register will be on display showing the record of William Shakespeare’s baptism in the church 450 years ago on 26 April 1564. RSC musicians will also be performing music to complement the baptism theme.
The sermon will be given by Carol Rutter who is Professor of Enlgish at Warwick University and the Dean of Westminster will lead the intercessions.
