A little drinkie with Robert & Eamonn

Which, as it happens, is not so far from where we last met, Eamonn, and we're quickly today going into some live reportage from July when you and I were in the Cross Keys pub by York Minster following a concert by The Sixteen, a lovely Spanish Renaissance repertoire in your choral pilgrimage tour, along with, uh, a big piece by James, um, James Macmillan, but also, and what we can hear a bit of now.

Yes, a, a lovely piece, um, by Carenza Briggs.

Uh, it's become a, a, a thing now, a part of the choral pilgrimage, uh, in more recent years, that there's always, uh, new commissions, uh, from a composer, or in this case, um, the piece by James was, was not...

I mean, it was a Sixteen commission, but it, it wasn't specifically for the choral pilgrimage.

But Carenza's piece, "Lead Kindly Light," uh, was the, you know, was the commission for this year.

And lovely piece, really enjoying performing it this year.

[singing] Lead, kindly light; Lead, kindly light; Amid the encircling gloom; Lead thou me on; Lead thou me on; The night is dark; The night is dark; And I am far from home; Lead thou me on; Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene; Lead kindly light; Lead kindly light; Amid the encircling gloom; Lead thou me on; One step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, so prayed; But that thou shouldst lead me on; I love to choose and see my path; But thou lead thou me on; Lead kindly light; Lead kindly light; Lead kindly light; Lead kindly light; Lead kindly light Remember not past deeds Lead, kindly light; please guide me, please guide me home Please guide me, kindly light

The first part there of Carenza Briggs' lovely Lead, Kindly Light.

Katie Hill and Dan Collins, the two solo voices you heard there, with the Sixteen conducted by Harry Christophers, formerly of the Choral Chihuahua Parish.

That's right, yes.

Right, right back at the beginning in, in lockdown time.

Um, I came to that concert, Eamonn, and I-- you and I met.

Well, a- actually, as we discovered, I came to the second half [laughs] of that concert.

And you and I met in the pub next door afterwards, and we caught up, and we go straight to that moment now.