250 YEARS OF AMAZING GRACE:
#Amazinggrace250 #AG250bigsing
To mark the 250 th anniversary of Amazing Grace, the world’s most recorded hymn, the Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney, Buckinghamshire is calling for people across the globe to join together to create one of the biggest sing-alongs ever undertaken.
From Milton Keynes to Manhattan, Stoke Mandeville to Sierra Leone, the Museum has been contacting churches, choirs, community groups and more, inviting them to join the Amazing Grace 250 Big Sing on 1 January 2023 – the hymn’s official birthday, 250 years since Reverend John Newton (1725-1807) wrote Amazing Grace for his New Year’s Day service at St Peter and St Paul Church, Olney on 1 January 1773.
Located a short walk from the Church, the Cowper & Newton Museum tells the story of John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace when he lived in the town. Newton was a naval seaman and slave ship captain before a religious conversion led him to become a clergyman. Newton subsequently became an abolitionist and a mentor to William Wilberforce, leader of Britain’s Abolitionist Movement.
Since it was first sung in the market town of Olney, Amazing Grace has become an international anthem, crossing cultures and inspiring countless famous figures, from Elvis Presley to Barack Obama, Aretha Franklin to Andrea Bocelli. The US Library of Congress holds over 3,000 published recorded performances of Amazing Grace by different individual musicians or musical ensembles.
Now, to commemorate the 250 th anniversary of the iconic hymn, the Cowper & Newton Museum is calling for singers worldwide to join the Amazing Grace 250 Big Sing and to share their performances on social media using the hashtags #Amazinggrace250 #AG250bigsing.
Those already contacted include the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Prime Minister, The Royal Family, NASA and more.
Paul Collins, Chair of the Trustees of the Cowper & Newton Museum, said:
“All eyes are set to be on Olney on New Year’s Day as we mark the 250th anniversary of Amazing Grace, written here in our town and now one of the world’s most beloved hymns.”
“Together with our volunteers, we have been working hard to reach as many people as possible to invite them to take part, from pastors to pop stars, reflecting the universal appeal of this hymn.”
He added: “What better way to mark the momentous occasion than by asking everyone, wherever you are in the world, to join us as we sing this extraordinary anthem.”
James Walvin, Professor Emeritus in History at the University of York, said: “Amazing Grace has been performed by thousands of artists – singers, musicians and choirs – in a multitude of languages and in an enormous range of genres, from classical performers to Caribbean steel bands. It is clearly a hymn and a song which has an unusually profound significance, both devout and secular, for untold numbers of people in all corners of the globe. It provides solace in times of stress, hope for the downcast and the prospects of salvation for the needy. Few other hymns can claim such importance.”
The Amazing Grace 250 Big Sing is part of a year of activity led by the Cowper & Newton Museum and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and Milton Keynes City Council. It brings together community groups, cultural organisations, local authorities, schools, universities and more to commemorate Amazing Grace and to explore what it means to people around the world today.
In addition to new displays in the Museum, highlights of the Amazing Grace 250 programme include a new online exhibition, activities for schools, a conference in partnership with the Open University and wide-ranging community events.
An Amazing Walk: 1 January 2023
Amongst the activity planned for New Year’s Day is An Amazing Walk, a free community event starting in Milton Keynes City Centre and culminating at Milton Keynes Rose where there will be a special ceremony by the Amazing Grace pillar.
For further information and to find out how to take part in the Amazing Grace 250 Big Sing, contact:
cowperandnewtonmuseum.org.uk
@CowpNewtMuseum
#Amazinggrace250 #AG250bigsing.