A new mass setting composed by Errollyn Wallen CBE – the first black person to be appointed Master of the King’s Music – will premiere at Southwark Cathedral on the eve of Racial Justice Sunday.
Southwark Cathedral – a new mass setting by the first black person to be appointed Master of the King’s Music.
This Missa brevis (short Mass) will make its world premiere at a Choral Eucharist service on Saturday 7 February 2026 that will close a one-day conference that explores the Church of England’s role in transatlantic chattel enslavement and contested heritage in our sacred spaces.
Errollyn is a Belize-born British composer, pianist and singer-songwriter, and has composed works for the BBC Proms and international events, including the COP26 summit and the 2012 Paralympic Games.
She said,
“I have hugely enjoyed composing this congregational mass. My aim as Master of the King’s Music is to champion music-making for all.
“Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see the Missa brevis contribute to church services across the land.”
The composition, commissioned by the Diocese of Southwark, will be sung by the Croydon Minster Choir at the end of the conference.
The conference, Truth-telling in sacred spaces is a bold and reflective programme that draws together many different threads of work – art, music, liturgy and story-telling – to deepen understanding and embody justice in worship.
The Master of The King’s Music is an honorary appointment made by the King and is conferred on a musician of distinction who has added to the musical life of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
Photo credit – Azzurra Primavera
