The Choral Pilgrimage 2025: Hexham

In an age of resurgent conflict and frenetic demands on our attention, our 2025 Choral Pilgrimage: Angel of Peace offers a slice of tranquillity in many forms courtesy of luminous, purifying music traversing six centuries. From the enraptured songs of the medieval abbess Hildegard of Bingen to the magical realm of a brand new work by the contemporary composer Anna Clyne, nine pieces of music from across the centuries speak of peace and acceptance and the ecstatic joy their reassurance can bring.

This year’s tour takes its title from words by Cardinal Newman, set to music by Will Todd – ‘Let me be an angel of peace’. Newman’s meditation on the challenge of existence suggests life’s deepest valleys only help its highest mountains feel more wonderful. Perhaps, when we see that joy co-exists with sadness, we’ve been visited by our own Angel of Peace.