Follow the Journey: A UK Choral Pilgrimage

Who actually runs a cathedral? The bishop has the chair, the dean has the Chapter, the organist has the manuals, the verger has the keys, and somewhere, someone knows exactly where the spare service sheets are hiding.In Episode 8 of Follow the Journey: A UK Choral Pilgrimage, Clara and Miles explore the living human machinery behind England’s great cathedrals: deans, canons, Precentors, vergers, choristers, organists, volunteers, administrators, conservators, bell ringers, flower arrangers, café staff, and the mysterious people who keep ancient buildings from becoming romantic ruins with gift shops.Along the way, they connect the dots from earlier episodes on Evensong, psalms, canticles, Wells Cathedral, cathedral towns, and what it means for the St. James choir to sing as guests in someone else’s sacred house.Educational, affectionate, and increasingly unhinged, this episode is a love letter to everyone who keeps the doors open, the candles lit, the choir rehearsed, and the procession moving in the right direction.Follow or subscribe, give us five stars, and share with a friend who understands that the person with the keys may be the most important person in the room.

In this episode, Clara and Miles explore the anthems the St. James by-the-Sea choir will carry on pilgrimage to Wells Cathedral and St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, all by North American composers.What is the difference between a canticle and an anthem? Why does the anthem act almost like the choir’s sung sermon? And what happens when music by Carson Cooman, Moses Hogan, Healey Willan, Lee Hoiby, Morten Lauridsen, Stephanie Martin, and David Hurd enters the ancient soundworld of English cathedral worship?Anthems Across the Atlantic Playlist

In Episode 6 of Follow the Journey, Clara and Miles step outside the cathedral walls for a lively guide to Wells, Somerset. From Wednesday and Saturday markets to historic pubs, Cornish pasties, Somerset cider, tea and scones, independent shops, the Bishop’s Palace, and the famous bell-ringing swans, this episode explores what to eat, drink, see, and do between rehearsals and Evensong.Come for the cathedral. Stay for the pasty. And if you hear a bell near the Bishop’s Palace, it might be a swan.

At the heart of Evensong are two ancient songs: Mary’s Magnificat and Simeon’s Nunc Dimittis. One is bold, unsettling, and full of holy reversal. The other is quiet, luminous, and full of peace.In this episode, Clara and Miles explore why these two canticles have become the emotional center of Anglican evening worship, how composers bring their words to life, and what the Choir of St. James by-the-Sea will carry from La Jolla into the cathedral stalls of Wells and Windsor.Expect cathedral beauty, Prayer Book language, a little musical listening guide, and the usual amount of affectionate Anglican nonsense.No musical examples are played in this episode, but you can hear the canticles the choir will sing on pilgrimage on the St. James Music Series Spotify playlist.Follow or subscribe to Follow the Journey as we continue toward the UK Choral Pilgrimage.

In this episode of Follow the Journey, Clara and Miles take a deep dive into Anglican chant, the psalms, and the daily musical life of the cathedral tradition. They explore how ancient poetry becomes sung prayer, why cathedrals chant through the Psalter, and how Anglican chant turns English speech, harmony, breath, and cadence into something both disciplined and deeply human.Along the way, they trace the emotional arc of the psalms the Choir of St. James will sing at Wells and Windsor, from distress and bewilderment to memory, majesty, blessing, urgency, and intimate divine presence. It’s smart, funny, and full of the peculiar beauty of cathedral music, with just enough tenor-related wayfinding trouble to keep everyone honest.For the chant sound-world discussed in this episode, visit the St. James Music Series Spotify page and listen to the dedicated psalm playlist.

Clara and Miles continue their lively tour through Wells Cathedral, moving beyond the first arrival into the deeper marvels of the building. From the great West Front, with its medieval statues, singing gallery, and mysterious trumpet holes, to the towers, chapels, Jesse Window, astronomical clock, Chapter House, cloisters, grotesques, Vicars’ Close, tombs, Chained Library, and High Parts, this episode explores Wells as a whole world of stone, sound, memory, and delight.Along the way, they discover medieval immersive audio, tiny jousting knights, books literally chained to the furniture, carvings with suspiciously strong opinions, and the continuing possibility that Basil the Cathedral Cat may secretly outrank everyone. It’s a funny, educational, and wonder-filled walk through one of England’s most extraordinary cathedrals as the St. James choir prepares to sing there.

In this episode of Follow the Journey, Clara and Miles begin a traveler’s day at Wells Cathedral, starting just across the Cathedral Green at the Swan Hotel. From the first glimpse of the West Front to the Welcome Desk, bookstore, café, and the beloved Basil the Cathedral Cat, they introduce Wells not as a museum, but as a living place of worship, hospitality, music, and memory.Along the way, they explore the Song School, the Quire, the Nave, and the famous scissor arches, showing how each space helps shape the sound, rhythm, and life of the cathedral. It’s an educational, witty, and warmly guided walk through one of England’s most extraordinary sacred buildings as the Choir of St. James prepares for its residency there.

Welcome to Follow the Journey: A UK Choral Pilgrimage, a companion podcast following the choir and pilgrims of St. James by-the-Sea as they travel through England. In this opening episode, we look ahead to the places, music, services, and spirit of pilgrimage that will shape the journey from San Diego to Wells, Windsor, and beyond.