Exeter Cathedral Choir to stage a ‘musical journey’ beneath Luke Jerram’s Moon sculpture
On 1 March, Exeter Cathedral will be asking music lovers to bring their cushions, camping chairs and blankets to experience a special ‘Journey Around the Moon’ performance. The immersive concert will mark the final day of artist Luke Jerram’s famous Museum of the Moon installation at the cathedral.
Organisers say Exeter Cathedral Choir will perform music with a celestial theme, as they lead their audience on a journey through the ancient building and around the seven-metre moon sculpture, which is suspended from the cathedral’s medieval nave ceiling.
The unconventional concert is being held to raise funds for the choir and training of new choristers. The Revd Canon James Mustard, Canon Precentor at Exeter Cathedral, said he hopes the relaxed, immersive format will attract new audiences. He added:
“Our ‘Journey Around the Moon’ concert is an important opportunity to raise funds and support the future of the world-class choir that we have enjoyed for centuries here in the heart of Devon.
“But equally important is the opportunity to reach new audiences. Our hope is that this very different, relaxed and immersive concert, combined with the stunning centrepiece of Luke Jerram’s ‘Museum of the Moon,’ will encourage more people to come and experience Exeter Cathedral’s incredible choral music tradition.”
Inspired by the idea of the moon as a ‘cultural mirror,’ ‘Museum of the Moon’ has been displayed in more than 40 countries, and visited by an estimated 20 million people. As Jerram explained:
“Different cultures around the world have their own historical, cultural, scientific and religious relationships to the moon. The moon connects us all.”
In Exeter Cathedral, the internally-lit sculpture has attracted thousands of visitors since going on display at the beginning of February.
Exeter Cathedral Choir’s ‘Journey Around the Moon’ concert begins at 7pm on Saturday, 1 March.