Guildford Cathedral hosts premiere of student composer's work

The organist and master of the choristers at the cathedral said the music was "a very fine piece"

The world premiere of a piece of music written by a 22-year-old from Surrey will be performed at Guildford Cathedral.

The premiere is part of the BBC Radio 3 live broadcast of Choral Evensong on Ash Wednesday.

Composer Gregory May's piece was commissioned for the event by Katherine Dienes-William, organist and master of the choristers at Guildford Cathedral.

Mr May said the commission was a "nice surprise".

Ms Dienes-William said she had wanted a musician "who could provide me with a distinctive voice".

She said: "It is an extremely fine piece - very well crafted, and much enjoyed by the choir."

Mr May, who is currently studying composition with Matthew Kaner at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, said the cathedral had a "special choir" and an "amazing acoustic".

He said: "Katherine's support for young musicians is absolutely incredible, and it means a lot to me that she believed in my music enough to commission this piece for such an important service in the church calendar."

The broadcast will be at 16:00 GMT on Wednesday.

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