Robert Howard’s latest choral composition will be heard for the first time on Sunday 6 June.

Members of Prescot Parish Church Choir will sing God of All Creation, a new anthem composed for the 2021 Royal School of Church Music Sunday Anthem Competition, using words by the Reverend Canon Gordon Giles.

This joyous, major key anthem, with modal inflections, features a series of memorable choral motifs in the main outer sections. A contrasting middle section uses imitation between parts and builds in volume and excitement, before an adapted return of the initial material. The work is framed by an introduction and extended fanfare coda in the accompaniment.

The premiere takes place during the Eucharist at 10am on Sunday 6 June, which is RSCM Music Sunday. All are welcome to attend this service of worship at Prescot Parish Church (Church Street, Prescot, L34 3LA), but it is essential to book ahead via Eventbrite.

Later in the month the choir will sing Robert’s 2016 motet Ave verum corpus (10am, Sunday 27 June). Again, worshippers are invited to book ahead via Eventbrite. Booking opens at 11am the Sunday before each service.

Last month the parish used Robert’s 2017 choral work Alleluia in their video ‘How do you pray?’ as part of Thy Kingdom Come, a ‘global prayer initiative’ from Ascension to Pentecost. The singers were by cathedral-based choir Liverpool 64, who made the recording in 2020. Watch and listen below:

The Prescot Festival will go ahead from Friday 18 to Sunday 27 June this year, with a mix of online and offline events. Highlights include the Prescot Heritage Trail, online contributions from Shakespeare North and Liverpool Cathedral, and the two Sung Eucharists on Sundays 20 and 27 June. Artistic director Robert will personally introduce the festival and draw proceedings to an end via specially recorded video messages on the opening and closing days.

Robert, who founded the Prescot Festival in 2005, spoke to Jessie Aru-Phillips of BBC Radio Merseyside about this year’s programme. Listen to the interview below, and browse the full festival schedule at prescotfestival.co.uk:

And finally, a reminder that the catalogue of Robert’s scores for perusing, purchasing and downloading continues to grow on Sheet Music Plus.