Chattanooga, A New Hymn Written
for the Diocese of East Tennessee
A Gift to the Diocese from St. Paul’s, Chattanooga

A new hymn written especially for the Diocese of East Tennessee will have its debut during the worship services of the 19th annual convention.

The tune, Chattanooga, was written by Dr. Richard Shephard, a British composer, and is given to the diocese as a gift from St. Paul’s, Chattanooga.

“Dr. Shephard wrote the hymn for our convention and diocese. Copies of hymn will be printed for folks to take home to their churches after the Eucharist on Sunday. It’s our hymn to use as we want in our churches,” said the Rev. Susanna Metz, chair of the Convention Worship Committee.

Shephard was educated at The King’s School, Gloucester and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He is currently Head Master of the Minster School, York, Chamberlain of Yorkminster, and Honorary Visiting Fellow in the Music Department of the University of York.

His compositions include operas, oratorios, musicals and orchestral works but it is perhaps for his church music that he is best known. His anthems and service settings are sung widely in the cathedrals and churches of the UK and they have a considerable following in the USA.

Shephard composed the score of the York Mystery Plays, produced for the first time in the Minster in July of 2000 and seen by over 30,000 visitors. He recently received the Lambeth Doctorate of Music.

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