Re:Sounding

An evening of music and song
7 September 2024

Re:Sounding was an evening of music and song. It brought people together to celebrate and record the unique acoustics of the former Penryn Methodist Church, as the building began its transition from a place of worship to an art space.

The evening included singing by Mabe Ladies Choir and music from Rico Gerber, filling the chapel with sound in this special one-off event as part of the Church Records project.

Artists Frances Crow, Katie Etheridge and Simon Persighetti spoke from the pulpit and balcony. They shared readings from documents found at the Archives and Cornish Studies Service at Kresen Kernow, including the original application to build a chapel, the organ specification, and names from a pew rent ledger.

Sounds that reverberated in this building for 130 years were echoed through organ recitals, spoken word and the voices of the choir. Re:Sounding took us back to a time before the chapel was built and helped us imagine the days when it was filled with 1000 voices.

The evening was recorded by Robin Tyndale-Biscoe
Photography by Lottie Matthews

welcome

An introduction to the evening from Katie Etheridge of Small Acts

mabe ladies choir

Musical Director, Liz Chivers, introduces Mabe Ladies Choir. The choir then sings a folk song written by their accompanist, Rico Gerber.

can you hear me?

A spoken word lecture exploring the ideas of the Auditory Plan, Frances Crow and Simon Persighetti

*Draft application to build a chapel (pictured) held in Kresen Kernow archive, reference MRF/33*

The Church Records Auditory Plan. © Frances Crow, Crow Architecture

organ specification

Katie Etheridge reads an extract from the design specification of the Hele & Co organ

Hele & Company organ specification for Penryn Methodist Church. From the collection at Kresen Kernow, reference MRF/680/1

Rico Gerber playing the organ

Rico Gerber, musician, composer and Mabe Ladies Choir accompanist.

Rico plays Toccata in G major by Theodore Dubois

A poem by Simon Persighetti

The windows of this chapel look to Penryn’s Clock Tower,
Its chimes marking each and every hour
We are gathered here to record choir, organ, piano, congregation
In this place where silence also speaks of peace, reflection, contemplation,
Hymns or Vows, Greetings and long goodbyes,
Bindings, Blessings, Community Ties,
Where whispers and crescendos perhaps a century old or more
Are embedded in the pews, these walls and floor,
In re-sounding a contemporary archive,
Perhaps memories of this place may stay alive.

Simon Persighetti, 2025

COMMUNAL SINGING

To end the evening, Mabe Ladies Choir sing the title song from the musical, Oklahoma and invite the audience to join in…

credits

Curators
Frances Crow, Crow Architecture
Katie Etheridge & Simon Persighetti, Small Acts

Performers
Mabe Ladies Choir, with Musical Director Liz Chivers
Rico Gerber, piano and organ
Frances Crow, Crow Architecture
Katie Etheridge & Simon Persighetti, Small Acts
MC: Adam Russell

Technical
Recording and preparation of audio files: Robin Tyndale-Biscoe
Audio equipment supplied by: Robin Tyndale-Biscoe and Falmouth University

Produced by
Katie Etheridge for Small Acts
Sarah Tridgell for Art Centre Penryn

Photography
Lottie Matthews

Thank you to the Archives and Cornish Studies Service at Kresen Kernow for support in searching their archives and for permission to share the historic documents on these pages.

Re:Sounding was part of the Church Records project. Church Records is made possible with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This project is also part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Architectural Heritage Fund.