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Milton Keynes premiere for song to mark Amazing Grace's 250th anniversary

Simon Beckett The choir performs in Milton KeynesSimon Beckett
Ten choirs joined together to perform as a 250-voice choir for the special performance

A new song to mark the 250th anniversary of the hymn Amazing Grace has had its first public performance.

The 250 Voices Choir sang Song 8 from Forever? - a contemporary musical response to the original hymn - at the Milton Keynes Community Choirs' Festival in Campbell Park on Saturday.

The choir was put together specially for the event.

Musical director Craig McLeish described the performance as a "one-off" and "really exciting".

Cowper and Newton Museum John Newton portrait by John RussellCowper and Newton Museum
The words to Amazing Grace were written in Olney in Buckinghamshire by the Reverend John Newton

Amazing Grace, thought to be the world's most recorded hymn, was written in Olney in Buckinghamshire by curate - and former slave ship captain - the Reverend John Newton for his sermon at St Peter and St Paul Church on 1 January 1773.

While the words reflected his journey back to his Christian faith, the famous tune emerged in the early decades of the 19th Century from the USA.

The musical piece Forever? was commissioned for the milestone anniversary, with music by composer Roderick Williams - a soloist from the King's Coronation service at Westminster Abbey - and words by poet Rommi Smith.

The first performance of one of the songs on Saturday came ahead of the world premiere of Forever? at the Milton Keynes International Festival on 22 July.

Musical director Craig McLeish said: "What's interesting about this new piece is that it's a response to some amazing interviews that Rommi Smith, the lyricist, did in Olney.

"It's not exactly a version of Amazing Grace. It's people's thoughts around the hymn and their responses to it - it's very interesting."

Following the performance Mr McLeish, said: "It's quite hard to sum up that experience. It's like a one-off thing, it's never going to happen again like that."

Monica Ferguson Rommi Smith speaks at the event where the 250 voices choir performedMonica Ferguson
Rommi Smith (pictured at the podium) wrote the words for the new song

The 250 Voices Choir brought together 10 separate choirs to perform as one.

Mr McLeish said: "To have everybody on stage together was really exciting."

The event is part of Amazing Grace 250, a year-long programme of activity and special events inspired by the anniversary, led by the Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney.

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