THE Callington Singers returned from their visit to St Paul's Cathedral with stars in their eyes — and have been invited to return to sing again.
The choir sang at the cathedral for Evensong on four consecutive days at the end of July and musical director Graham Williams said it was hard to describe the feeling of singing in a building of that size.
'The echo seems to go on forever. The arches were certainly ringing,' he said.
The choir was invited to sing at the cathedral after submitting an audition tape.
Only the very best choirs are accepted for the honour.
They arrived in London on one of the hottest days of the year.
After lunch close to the cathedral they rehearsed for two-and-a-half hours before the first actual service.
'The normally cool crypt resembled a sauna and the cathedral itself was warm, but all this faded into insignificance once the singing started,' said Mr Williams.
At each service on the four days a psalm, the responses, the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, as well as an anthem were sung.
Works included Like as the Hart by Herbert Howells, Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel Fauré and Te Lucis, the evening hymn by H Balfour Gardiner.
The Magnificat settings were by Stanford, Walmsley and Tertius Nobel.
The magnificent organ was played for the services by the choir's accompanist Jenny Coombe, who thoroughly enjoyed the experience although she admitted she was frightened by the size of the instrument.
Graham Williams also managed a voluntary on the organ one evening, and said he was as thrilled with the experience of the visit as the members of the choir.
He even managed to conduct a live interview with Chris Blount on Radio Cornwall in the crypt during the final rehearsal.
Not every member could manage the whole week in London and some only joined in for one day, but on average each service had around 55 singers and a congregation of over 200.
During their time in London members also visited the Tate Modern, had a ride on the London Eye and visited the Royal Albert Hall.
'It was an unforgettable trip and one which is to be repeated, as we have been invited to return to St Paul's to sing again in 2004,' Mr Williams said.