Minerva Voices, the University of Kent’s upper-voices chamber choir, returned to Canterbury Cathedral last night, singing at the Cathedral again for the first time since December 2019 for the University Carol Service – and what a relief it was to be back.

A necessarily streamlined Carol Service, lasting an hour, presented a sequence of lessons and carols, for which the Choir sang three pieces. Comprising both undergraduate and postgraduate students, there’s an international aspect to the ensemble this year, with members from California, Toronto, Hong Kong and from Taiwan, as well as from across the UK.

The service was the first time we’d been singing at the Cathedral since before the pandemic, and we’ve missed that lush acoustic. Well done too to final-year Music Award Holder reading Psychology, Felicity Bourdillon, on a glorious opening solo verse to ‘Once in royal David’s city.’

Congratulations to everyone involved; as the vibrant sound of the Choir lifted into the vaulted roof of the Cathedral, we all had but one thought: it’s good to be back…