Church of St Anne


A British choir sings in the crusader church of St Anne*
A British choir sings in the crusader church of St Anne

On a recent visit to Jerusalem I naturally visited the crusader church of St Anne, near St Stephen's Gate. The building has the most amazing echo, as well as being cool and dark, so it is always refreshing to spend a few minutes just sitting and enjoying the acoustics.

This time, however, I heard singing as I approached and when I entered, I found a choir giving what appeared to be an impromptu concert. As everyone else was filming, with cameras and phones, I did too (though in this film a couple of pieces are combined.)

The group is the Choir of London, founded in 2003 with the aim not only of creating beautiful music, but of developing connections across cultural, social and politial frontiers. They have done several tours of the Middle East and have recently established a Bursary Scheme to assist young Palestinian musicians who wish to come to Britain to extend their musical education.