The Wesley Connection

The Lay Clerks and Consort Sopranos of the Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford

Steven Grahl (conductor)

Gavin Roberts (organ)

A memorial stone to the leader of the Methodist movement, Charles Wesley, stands in the gardens on Marylebone High Street. Indeed, Charles Wesley lived in Marylebone with his two sons, Charles Jr. and Samuel from the late 1770s. The Wesley sons quickly gained a reputation for themselves, chiefly through the series of concerts given in the Wesley home, in which they were the chief performers. The legacy of the Wesley family continues into the nineteenth century with the music of Samuel Sebastian Wesley, the eldest son of Samuel, who held posts in several English cathedrals, and was a professor of organ at the neighbouring Royal Academy of Music. In particular, he influence of Charles Wesley's hymnody contiunes to the present day. This concert charts the influence of the Wesley family in music from the Wesley brothers up the present day, many of whom have strong connections with St Marylebone.