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SONGS OF THE SPIRIT Music & words by Thomas Hewitt Jones

The Royal School of Church Music launches a major new choral commission as part of its centenary celebrations in 2027.

Songs of the Spirit is an exciting new suite of songs by award-winning British composer Thomas Hewitt Jones, created to uplift and inspire singers of all ages and backgrounds. With accessible yet impactful music, this 40-minute piece is perfect for community choirs, youth ensembles, chamber choirs, church choirs and can be performed in a wide range of settings. 

At its heart, the work explores a deeply human theme – the longing for safety and belonging in an increasingly complex world. Rooted in Christian values, the piece offers a message of kindness and hope, whilst inviting reflection on profound questions about identity, purpose and the human spirit in 2026 and beyond.

Unforgettable melodies, lyrical clarity, and radiant harmonies will all weave into a musical tapestry expressing the emotional weight and beauty of the themes at play. 

The piece is scored for SATB but is flexible and will include movements suitable for children’s choir alone, and a rousing final hymn-like movement with the option of audience participation. It will be suitable for performance either as a whole, or as standalone movements, with scoring options for piano, organ and strings. 

Listen to an excerpt here:

Following the success of A Season to Sing, the RSCM’s previous co-commissioning project with composer Joanna Forbes L’Estrange and over 50 choirs worldwide, the RSCM now invites choirs to be part of its centenary celebrations. In exchange for a donation of £300, co-commissioning choirs will have the exclusive right to perform Songs of the Spirit during its first year, and also receive the following benefits: 

  • A commemorative, hard-bound signed score 
  • Your choir’s name in the list of commissioners in the printed score 
  • 30% off all scores purchased for your choir within the first year of publication. 
  • Access to full support resources to aid learning 
  • Media promotion of your choir and its performance of the piece 
  • A personalised video message from Thomas Hewitt Jones for your choir 

This is an exciting opportunity to bring a powerful, appealing and uplifting new work to the contemporary choral music repertoire while allowing choirs to share their journey with the RSCM to ensure choral music stays accessible and widespread.

Songs of the Spirit will be available from September 2026

FIND OUT MORE / GET INVOLVED

The success of a previous jointly commissioned work, A Season to Sing by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange (premiered in Spring 2025, with over 50 performances world wide to date), demonstrates the value of this model, with co-commissioning choirs praising the excellent resources provided, efficiency, and feeling valued throughout the process.

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Originally composed during the UK Covid lockdown in 2020, Can You Hear Me? by award-winning British composer Thomas Hewitt Jones still has the power to resonate with its enduring message of kindness.

The piece was written to offer comfort and strength in difficult times, and its message is celebrated as universal and timeless. The song was originally released in May 2020, during Mental Health Awareness Week. The beautiful words by poet Matt Harvey touch upon themes of loneliness, longing and hope of better times to follow, accompanied by gentle, yet heartfelt music.

While originally scored for choir, soloist and orchestra, Can You Hear Me? was created for the enjoyment of singers and instrumentalists of all abilities worldwide. This accessibility underscores the composer’s intention for the piece to reach a wide audience and offer solace and connection through music.

The power and beauty of Can You Hear Me? are captured in a recording by the Choir of Royal Holloway, University of London, with soprano Laura Wright. This recording serves as a testament to the emotional depth and enduring quality of the work.

Can You Hear Me? stands as a poignant reminder of the shared human experience during challenging times and continues to offer a message of hope and connection. This reshare marks the fifth anniversary of the first lockdown and provides an opportunity to revisit this powerful and uplifting work.

The music is available on all major streaming platforms and the score is published by Stainer & Bell

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Following on from the success of the first Choral Inspirations project in 2019, Sonoro has launched Choral Inspirations: Volume 2, a collection of six contemporary works for choir inspired by well-known ‘choral classics’ by Bach, Brahms, Elgar, Franck, Lotti and Mozart, written at a level that choirs everywhere will be able to sing.

Composers Rebecca Dale, Michael Higgins, Cecilia McDowall, Oliver Tarney, Gareth Treseder and Errollyn Wallen CBE have been commissioned by Sonoro to write new works for choir, each inspired by well-known choral classics, such as Franck’s Panis angelicus and J S Bach’s Jesu, joy of our desiring.

Artistic Directors Neil Ferris and Michael Higgins say, “We are so happy to be able to continue the ‘Choral Inspirations’ project and build on the outstanding success of the first set of new pieces in 2019. As well as introducing six new works into the choral repertoire, our aim is to encourage amateur choirs to have the confidence to sing more ambitious and contemporary music, and we are looking forward to introducing our wonderful new pieces to our partner choirs around the country.” Neil Ferris continues: “The composers of our new commissions have all been so skilful at writing at a suitable level for amateur choirs, without being simplistic.”

Composers & pieces

  • Edward Elgar/Oliver Tarney The Spirit of the Lord
  • A. Mozart/Errollyn Wallen Ave verum corpus
  • César Franck/Rebecca Dale Panis angelicus
  • Antonio Lotti Crucifixus a 8/Cecilia McDowall Crucifixus Reimagined
  • Johannes Brahms Geistliches Lied/Michael Higgins See, I am God
  • S. Bach/Gareth Treseder Jesu, joy of our desiring

All six pieces, and the 6 classic partner pieces, are recorded by Sonoro and released online as freely accessible video and audio tracks, both as tools to help choirs learning the works, as well as for anyone to listen to and enjoy. All twelve pieces are released in a new album,Choral Inspirations: Volume 2, available from Spotify, AppleMusic, Deezer and YouTube.

Sing with Sonoro

From July 2022 to March 2023, Sonoro will take all twelve pieces on tour to provide workshop, side-by-side performance and “come and sing” opportunities with choirs around the UK in Newcastle, Derbyshire, Chester, Reading and London. Led by conductor Neil Ferris and Sonoro’s professional singers, the workshops are open to all and aim to give choirs the confidence to sing more ambitious and contemporary music – and by touring and workshopping the music, it means that the new pieces get directly into the consciousness of choirs up and down the country. The project draws on the wide impact and success of Choral Inspirations Vol 1 in 2019 and contributes brand new music to the choral repertoire.

“Choral Inspirations with Sonoro will bring so much to the music programme at the University of Reading. Two outcomes are particularly important for us – an amazing opportunity for our students to experience sitting and singing next to professional musicians, and secondly, sharing the experience with singers in our local community and connecting through music.” – Victoria Ely, conductor & Artistic Director of Music at Reading 

Praise for Choral Inspirations: Volume 1

“Everyone enjoyed it hugely… the singers are still on a high!” Simon Davies-Fidler, Voices of Hope and Quay Voices, Newcastle

“Most enjoyable and inspiring.”

“A well-balanced programme of familiar and new pieces.”

Find out how you and your choir can get involved here

2019 Workshop at Newcastle (photo: Bruno Lasnier)
2019 Workshop at Newcastle (photo: Bruno Lasnier)
Recording Choral Inspirations 2 (photo credit: Helena Cooke)
Michael Higgins, pianist & composer (photo credit Helena Cooke)
2019 Workshop at Newcastle (photo: Bruno Lasnier)
Neil Ferris, conductor (photo credit Helena Cooke)
Recording Choral Inspirations 2 (photo credit: Helena Cooke)

About Sonoro

Sonoro, one of the country’s foremost ensembles, have gained recognition for their warmth of tone, colour and blend.

Combining a passion for excellence in choral music and choral education, Sonoro have rolled out education projects, side-by-side performances, conducting masterclasses and new commissions that have gained significant recognition.

“A rich, robust texture, abundant in vibrant colour and undoubted excitement.” The Guardian

Their performing programme has included appearances at internationally renowned festivals and concert halls, including the St Magnus International Festival, Orkney, the Wimbledon International Music Festival and King’s Place, London and in St Gallen, Switzerland.

“Outstandingly refreshing.” BBC Music Magazine

Their album Christmas with Sonoro was Christmas choice in the BBC Music Magazine in 2018, which followed on from their critically acclaimed debut Passion and Polyphony featuring works of James MacMillan and Frank Martin.

“Classical concerts seldom feel so downright uplifting.” The Scotsman

www.sonoromusic.com