Be part of our 2027 centenary celebrations
As part of its upcoming 2027 Centenary celebrations, the Royal School of Church Music is proud to present a major new commission: a 40-minute choral work by acclaimed composer Thomas Hewitt Jones.
What is Songs of the Spirit?
This exciting new suite of songs is created to uplift and inspire singers of all ages and backgrounds. With accessible yet impactful music, it’s perfect for community choirs, youth ensembles, chamber choirs, church choirs and can be performed in a wide range of settings.
At its heart lies a deeply human theme: the longing for safety and belonging in an increasingly complex world.
Rooted in Christian values, the work offers a message of kindness and hope, whilst inviting reflection on profound questions about identity, purpose and the human spirit in 2026 and beyond.
Unforgettable melodies, lyrical clarity, and radiant harmonies will all weave into a musical tapestry expressing the emotional weight and beauty of the themes at play.
The piece is scored for SATB but is flexible and will include movements suitable for children’s choir alone, and a rousing final hymn-like movement with the option of audience participation. It will be suitable for performance either as a whole, or as standalone movements, with scoring options for piano, organ and strings.
Get a taste of what it will be like from this short demo track:
Thomas Hewitt Jones is a composer of classical and commercial music, and has a love of writing music for choirs. His carol settings are sung widely, including the beautiful ‘What child is this’ in Carols for Choirs 5 and his popular settings of The Holly and the Ivy, and the Carol of the Crib. His choral single Can you hear me? recorded in the COVID pandemic has been streamed over half a million times; his RSCM-commissioned anthem for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, In our Service, was performed by hundreds of choirs of all kinds across the globe. His 2024 cantata Regards from Rochester was commissioned by the Rochester Choral Society to celebrate their 150th anniversary, and recorded by the BBC Singers.
Find out more: Thomas Hewitt Jones
Exclusive opportunities
To commission a work of this kind is beyond the reach of most choirs. But as a co-commissioning choir, you will have the exclusive right to perform it during its first year, and also receive the following benefits:
- A commemorative, hard-bound signed score
- Your choir’s name in the list of commissioners in the printed score
- 30% off all scores purchased for your choir within the first year of publication
- Access to full support resources to aid learning
- Media promotion of your choir and its performance of the piece
- A personalised video message from Thomas for your choir
To join as a commissioning choir pledge to donate £300 to the project.
The closing date for joining as a commissioning choir is 31 March 2026 and donations would be required in the following month.
Songs of the Spirit will be available from September 2026.
A Season to Sing by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange
This work was also jointly commissioned by 53 choirs and was premiered in Spring of 2025. There have now been over 50 performances and it is now on general sale.
- ‘Really easy, and the resources [are] brilliant. Having ready made programme notes, rehearsal tracks, artwork, and even the [font] made organising a concert even easier. Having a direct line to the composer and organisers was really helpful too.’
Combined Community Choirs of Rugby - ‘The whole experience was wonderful. The resources excellent. The ordering of copies from RSCM very efficient. So glad we took the chance to be a co-commissioning choir.’
Pontefract Choral Society - ‘The resources were excellent and thorough, and we felt valued throughout the whole process, even when on the other side of the world! Access to electronic copies was useful too.’
TrueVoices - ‘It was easy and thorough. Everything we needed to have a successful performance was provided. More of this please!’
Washington Island Music Festival Community Chorus (USA)