King’s College Cambridge made the announcement last week that the new commissioned carol for A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve 2021 is a setting by our Vice President, Cecilia McDowall, of There is no rose. This year’s new carol continues a tradition begun in 1983 by Sir Stephen Cleobury, with a new carol written for the popular Christmas Eve service every year, except for 2020.

The well-known carol service is broadcast on Christmas Eve at 3pm on Radio 4 (repeated on Christmas Day); the new carol will be included in the programme Carols from King’s, broadcast on BBC 2 on Christmas Eve at 6.15pm.

King’s College’s Director of Music, Daniel Hyde, asked McDowall to write something that would bring a ‘moment of stillness’ in the Christmas Eve service, giving her freedom to choose her own text.

Ealing Choral Society wishes to congratulate Cecilia on this milestone achievement, and looks forward to making the new carol part of our Christmas celebrations.

Read more about the story behind the carol and how to hear it on Christmas Eve, by clicking through to announcements at the King’s College website and at Choir & Organ magazine.