Dear Editor,
In "Prom Praise Wonder 2025: A review", Nicola Laver comes at the latest event from All Souls Orchestra with a barrage of accusations. I would like to briefly respond to this to better frame the event for anyone who didn't have the privilege of attending.
Glen Scrivener spoke in a way that I suspect was better suited to a humanities student than a physicist - he spoke movingly, he spoke at times mysteriously, and he captured the very heart of the evening - WONDER.
The audience may not have been diverse enough for Ms Laver; however, there was an excellent British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter so hopefully that offsets the final DEI score she awards the evening.
The orchestra itself, while amateur, managed to capture the wonder of our Creator and His creation tremendously - their rousing orchestral settings of Ellie Limebear's songs were refreshing and dynamic.
While Laver suspects the gospel might have been obscured by Glen's metaphors, StreetHymns' celerity, and a couple of missed beats in a light-hearted rendition of the movie ET's "The Flying Theme", I think the gospel shone through wonderfully, in particular through the words of that great hymn with which the evening ended:
"And when I think that God, His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin"
I found myself encouraged to consider Christ, challenged to appreciate more the wonder of God revealed in creation, and fed by the gospel truths woven throughout.
