The Diocese of Southwark has commissioned a new mass setting composed by Errollyn Wallen CBE – the first black person to be appointed as Master of the King’s Music.
- Watch the livestream and listen to the world premiere of the new mass setting here.
- Find out more about racial justice in Southwark here.
When the Diocese planned its seventeenth annual Black History Month thanksgiving service in 2024, to celebrate the contribution of Global Majority Heritage (GMH) church communities and the huge impact music has had to transform worship and enhance witness, it became clear that a musical setting of the eucharist by a contemporary British GMH composer did not exist at the time.
The new setting (a ‘Missa brevis’ or ‘short Mass’) marks a seminal contribution to worship within all of Southwark’s parish choral traditions. It is an adaptive and accessible composition designed for everyday parish use.
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 says, “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 will be sung by the Croydon Minster Choir, marking its world premiere at a special Choral Eucharist service on Saturday 7 February 2026, at 5.30pm at Southwark Cathedral – the eve of Racial Justice Sunday.
“This is a beautiful, profound and creative expression of our ongoing commitment to anti-racism, which we see as integral to our Christian witness,” said the Rt Revd Dr Rosemarie Mallett, Bishop of Croydon and national co-lead Bishop for Racial Justice. It is part of the Diocese’s continuing racial justice work, which is grounded in its Anti-Racism Charter (ARC). The ARC offers a strategy and resource for enhancing ethnic diversity and inclusion in the churches and communities of south London and east Surrey. This latest piece of work illustrates an intentional focus through liturgy, teaching, prayer, word and work, to take strategic and practical actions to combat racism and inequality.
The Choral Eucharist will take place at the close of a special day conference at Southwark Cathedral that will turn the spotlight on the Church’s role in transatlantic slavery and contested heritage in sacred spaces. Truth-telling in sacred spaces offers a bold and reflective programme that draws together many different threads of work – using cultural reflections to deepen understanding and embody justice in worship. Through art, music, storytelling and liturgical traditions, it intends to offer a space where truth can be graciously spoken and heard, where lament and hope can coexist, and where reconciliation may begin.
In 2024, His Majesty The King appointed Errollyn as Master of the King’s Music; the first appointment to this role of his reign. The Master of The King’s Music is an honorary appointment made by the Sovereign and is conferred on a musician of distinction who has added to the musical life of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
“Music has a profound positive impact on our commitment to the Christian worship and witness that is lived out in our parishes and church communities,” added Bishop Rosemarie. “It’s a common language for all to understand and brings together diverse, multi-ethnic congregations from different traditions and church contexts across our diocese. This work reflects our intentional focus on embedding justice within worship. A published setting of the eucharist by a female British GMH composer did not exist until now and Errollyn has gifted us with a composition that is both accessible and inspiring. It is a huge milestone to see contemporary composers continuing to champion diversity in choral music, and we hope this will inspire new generations of parish musicians and choirs to come.”
