Tickets are now available for Chichester Cathedral‘s highly anticipated concert Together in Unity, on Saturday 17 May 2025. Part of Chichester950, the year-long celebrations marking the Cathedral’s 950th year, the concert will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and unveil a major new musical commission to mark this milestone year.
The concert will feature a special performance of Chichester Psalms, originally commissioned in 1965 by then Dean of Chichester, Walter Hussey. Bernstein’s masterpiece, composed for the Southern Cathedrals Festival, will be performed in its exquisite arrangement for harp, organ and percussion by the Cathedral Choir under the direction of Charles Harrison, Organist and Master of the Chorister.
Alexander Bernstein, Leonard Bernstein’s son, visited Chichester with his parents and sister in July 1965, to attend the first performance in the Cathedral of Chichester Psalms. Alexander will be a guest of honour at the concert and will unveil a memorial plaque for his father within the Cathedral Quarter. Alexander comments: “My sister Jamie and I tagged along to Chichester for the performance in the Cathedral. I was 10, she was 13. We remember the wonderful Dean Hussey and hearing the piece in that magnificent building. What a glorious sound there was that evening in the Cathedral from the chorus, orchestra, and soprano!”
As well as marking this important anniversary, the concert will also premiere a newly commissioned piece of work by acclaimed British composer Joanna Marsh. Hailed by The Guardian as “one of today’s leading composers for the voice,” Marsh has created a piece inspired by Psalm 90 (‘Behold how good and joyful a thing it is, brethren, to dwell together in unity’). This is one of the most significant musical commissions for the Cathedral in 60 years and underscores its commitment to sustaining choral music for future generations.
Joanna Marsh comments: “I am delighted to have been commissioned by Chichester Cathedral for this landmark concert. To have my work premiered in this historic space, alongside Bernstein’s work, is a true honour. The Cathedral’s choral tradition is extraordinary and to contribute to its 950-year legacy is deeply meaningful to me. My setting of Psalm 90 has been commissioned as a partner piece to Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. Often described as one of the most philosophical and cosmic of the psalms, Psalm 90 reflects on the vastness of divine eternity in contrast to human mortality and fleeting existence. This subject matter naturally invites broader phrasing, slower-building textures, and expansive harmonies, offering a distinct contrast to Bernstein’s dancelike energy.
While Chichester Psalms is beloved in both concert and cathedral festival settings, this new work will be equally at home in both, providing choirs with a learnable yet deeply expressive counterpart for the same instrumentation of organ, harp and percussion. Given the nature of the commission, the title of the work will be A Psalm for Chichester.”
Charles Harrison comments: “This concert is a defining moment in our 950th anniversary year. The opportunity to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Chichester Psalms in the very place that inspired its creation, alongside the premiere of Joanna Marsh’s new commission, is truly special. We are also honoured to welcome Alexander Bernstein to Chichester, strengthening the bond between the Cathedral and this extraordinary musical legacy.”
As part of its commitment to secure the future of its choir and music, the Cathedral has launched the Chichester Cathedral Platinum Endowment Trust for Music and is seeking to raise £5 million. Thanks to the generosity of a number of anonymous donors, all donations received over the next year will receive match funding, up to a total of £950,000.
Together in Unity is a key moment in a year of extraordinary music at Chichester Cathedral, with further highlights including:
- A second new commission by Judith Bingham, premiering at the Ecumenical Patriarchal Conference in June, making 2025 the most significant year for new music at the Cathedral since Chichester Psalms.
- John Rutter’s 80th Birthday Gala in October, featuring Sir John Rutter conducting some of his most beloved works.
Chichester Cathedral is grateful to its sponsors, including headline sponsors Henry Adams and Stagecoach, for their generous support in celebrating this landmark year. Their contribution helps bring to life a vibrant programme of events throughout 2025, marking 950 years of history, community, and culture at the heart of Chichester.
Tickets for Together in Unity can be purchased online.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chichester Psalms:
Q. Why did Leonard Bernstein, one of the twentieth century’s most influential composers and conductors—renowned for West Side Story, Candide, On the Town, and Wonderful Town, among many other orchestral and choral works—write a piece for Chichester Cathedral?
A. The then Dean of Chichester Cathedral, Walter Hussey, was a prolific patron of the arts. In 1963, he wrote to Leonard Bernstein, inviting him to compose a piece for an upcoming choir festival. Not only did Bernstein accept, but their correspondence also sparked an extraordinary and lifelong friendship. The result was Chichester Psalms, now one of the most performed choral works in the repertoire.
Q. Did Hussey give Bernstein a brief?
A. Hussey suggested: “The sort of thing that we had in mind was perhaps, say, a setting of Psalm 2, or some part of it, either unaccompanied or accompanied by orchestra or organ, or both.”
He also encouraged Bernstein to embrace a more popular style despite the sacred nature of the piece, adding: “Many of us would be very delighted if there was a hint of West Side Story about the music.”
(Source: LeonardBernstein.com)
Q. What is Chichester Psalms about?
A. Chichester Psalms is a hopeful and life-affirming work. It blends vocal writing characteristic of Christian choral traditions (such as homophony and imitation) with the melodic and rhythmic contours of Hebrew liturgical music. Bernstein insisted that the text be sung in Hebrew—without an English translation in the score—using the language’s natural rhythm to shape the music’s expression. By fusing Hebrew scripture with Western choral tradition, Bernstein issued an implicit plea for peace in Israel during a turbulent time in its history. The work consists of three movements, each featuring a full Psalm alongside excerpts from another, carefully chosen to complement its themes.
(Source: LeonardBernstein.com)
About Chichester950 and Chichester Cathedral
Celebrating 950 years of Chichester Cathedral and the Diocese of Chichester, Chichester950 marks the relocation of the Cathedral from Selsey to the more populous town of Chichester (formerly Roman Noviomagus) in 1075.
Chichester Cathedral is both a living church and the Mother Church of the Diocese, stretching nearly a hundred miles along England’s south coast between East and West Sussex. The Cathedral is renowned for its ancient and modern art, featuring works by Lambert Barnard, Graham Sutherland, Marc Chagall, Ursula Benker-Schirmer, John Piper and Philip Jackson. It also boasts a celebrated musical heritage, from the Cathedral Choir to connections with esteemed composers such as Leonard Bernstein and Gustav Holst. Additionally, it is the only English Cathedral with a surviving detached medieval Bell Tower, dating from around 1400.
Chichester950 offers a vibrant and inclusive events programme, inviting visitors to explore the Cathedral’s rich nine-century history. Highlights include an interactive exhibition, concert, summer festival and immersive light show.
For more information, visit www.chichestercathedral.org.uk/Chichester950
Read: Crucial fund-raising year for music at Chichester Cathedral / Chichester950 on Music in Portsmouth.
Image credit: The Leonard Bernstein Office
