The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
This December, join us for something special: our Chorus, Children’s Choir, In-Schools Programme and Foundation Scholars, Young Leaders are coming together for Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. It’s happening at St Gabriel’s Church in Pimlico on Wednesday 2nd December 2026 – the concert that opens our 11th year, hot on the heels of this summer’s joyful send-off to our 10th birthday celebrations.
Jenkins wrote The Armed Man 25 years ago, at the turn of the millennium, in memory of the victims of the war in Kosovo. He built it around L’homme armé, an old French tune that composers have been borrowing for their own Mass settings for over 500 years – and turned it into something new: a piece that moves from the drumbeat of war to a hopeful, hard-won peace. Along the way it brings together the words of the Latin Mass and poetry from Kipling, Tennyson and more – a real mix of voices and traditions, much like our own choirs here in Pimlico. And with conflict still so often in the news, its message of peace feels just as important today.
You don’t need to be a professional to feel the power of this music – our own children and young people will be singing alongside the adult Chorus for some of its most moving moments, including the famous Benedictus with its beautiful cello solo. From the marching drums of the opening to the quiet hope of “Better is Peace”, it’s a piece that asks a big question: can we learn from the past? Come along and hear what our singers have to say.
Expect a big sound: over 100 singers of all ages, joined by an orchestra with plenty of brass and percussion. Come and be part of it.