'Singing on May Morning is the highlight of our year'

There is no bigger day in Oxford's calendar than 1 May.

May Morning sees thousands of people take to the city's streets in a tradition that dates back more than 500 years and welcomes the coming of summer.

At the centre of those celebrations is the choir of Magdalen College - whose rendition of Hymnus Eucharisticus fills the air from the college's iconic tower just after sunrise.

Behind the scenes, choristers have spent months preparing for their moment of perfection once the 06:00 BST bells stop chiming.

Speaking at a practice session ahead of May Morning, Informator Choristarum - or choirmaster - Mark Williams said: "It really is the highlight of the year for all of us.

"Really, what we do on May morning is an extension of what we do every day of the year."

The choir's main job for much of the year is to sing at services in the Magdalen College Chapel - with choristers rehearsing every morning, at least, during term time.

"When we start singing on May Morning it's just us flicking into our normal mode of singing together, which we do every day," Williams said.

Chorister Philippos said rehearsals were "quite busy" but also "quite rewarding".

"We get to go on tours and we get to go up the tower and do all these special things," he said.

Friday will mark the 11-year-old's second time singing atop the Magdalen Tower.

"I'm feeling really excited, quite nervous, but just going up the tower is really fun," he said.

"The last time I went up it was my first time, and it was really quite spectacular just being up there seeing all the crowds that have gathered just for that day."

Joining Philippos will be 12-year-old Atharv - who is a seasoned May Morning veteran.

"I'm feeling very nervous, but I'm really excited to go up the tower once again for the fourth year," the chorister said.

"It's amazing, it's spectacular, the crowds and crowds of people just fill my heart with joy and I really enjoy doing this every year."

"I really enjoy going up all of the stairs, and at the end you just... see the view from the tower."

But Williams took a different view of the walk to the top of the tower.

"The main feeling for me is one of relief that we've managed to get everybody up there, because it's quite a steep staircase and with students who might have not had very much sleep there are many potential challenges," he said.

"It's a great relief for me when the clock chimes six and we start singing."

When the clock hits 06:00, the choir begins their performance, first singing two traditional hymns that have been sung for centuries.

"It's quite overwhelming to to be up there and see a sea of people and to hear them just fall completely silent as we start to sing," Williams said.

Once Hymnus Eucharisticus and Now is the Month of May are sung, the choir then follow up with two compositions chosen by the Informator Choristarum.

"I try to mix it up a little bit... and we try and find something that people will enjoy," Williams said.

This year, the choir will be taking on their version of the American classic Over The Rainbow, from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

Philippos and Atharv both agreed the timeless Judy Garland classic was their favourite song to sing.

"I really like the harmonies and it just blends together really nicely," Philippos said.

"This is the first time I've sung it on May Morning and I think the crowd will really enjoy that piece," Atharv added.

Once the choir finishes its songs, the tower's bells ring out again - with the chimes met by euphoric cheers from the crowd below.

Williams explained that for those atop the tower, it "shakes" with the chiming of the bells, whilst the sound of the thousands below is "wonderful to hear".

"It's an extraordinary experience - we know how lucky we are to to see it the other way around," he added.