"As we've already heard so far in our being together, the coronavirus and its impact around world is almost all that's being talked about, on the news, on social media, at the hairdressers and the bus stop."Listen back to today's sermon at https://bradfordcathedral.org/worship/listen-back/
The cathedral will be holding special voice trials on Saturday 4th April where interested children from school years 2, 3 and 4 will take part in a twenty-minute session where they will sing the first verse of classic Christmas carol Away in a Manger alongside some scales and a few musical exercises, as well as reading a short passage out loud.There will also be a short and informal conversation between the music department and the child’s parents or carers about what is involved with being part of the Bradford Cathedral Choir.Those who play a musical instrument are also welcome to bring one along, though this is not essential.Bradford Cathedral ChoirAs a member of Bradford Cathedral Choir children receive a first-class education in music, regular free singing and theory tuition, the opportunity to meet their other peers who love music, and get the opportunity to sing at home and abroad.This new recruitment drive comes after a very successful Cathedral Sing! event, which saw the music department visiting over twenty primary schools in the district and inviting the children to a singing day at the cathedral.Alex Berry, Director of Music at Bradford Cathedral:<span style="font-size: 1rem;">“We know there are lots of children across Bradford who might be interested in singing and are particularly talented, and because we can’t visit every school in the district every year, these voice trials are an excellent opportunity for more to audition to become part of our Cathedral Choir.</span>“The auditions are quite informal but they give us the opportunity to listen to each child and their voices.“Anyone in years 2, 3 and 4 can apply, regardless of which school they come from. All they need to do is meet the full commitment expectations of the choir.”Successful applicants will be offered a place in the Bradford Cathedral Choir, either at the start of the summer term or the autumn term. New choir members will be invited along on Mondays (girls) or Tuesdays (boys) and Thursdays every week for after-school activities and to sing at Evensong, alongside alternate Saturdays where they’ll receive theory and singing tuition, as well as information about the Christian faith.“Being a cathedral chorister is an amazing opportunity. The choristers will work at a level that you can’t work at in many other disciplines as a child. We offer free lessons and pay for children to take the ABRSM exams. Choristers also have the opportunity to sing in collaboration with other choirs across Yorkshire.”As well as singing with other cathedral choirs, there are six visits each year to sing at a range of churches across the Diocesan area, which covers much of West and North Yorkshire, from south of Darlington to Holmfirth, and across from Ingleton to the edge of York. The pastoral side of the choir is also filled with activity, from socials such as bowling and laser tag to biennial tours in the UK. In 2020 this includes Cambridge, Norwich and Ely, and will see the choristers engaged in a mix of fun and educational activities.“Every alternate year we go abroad. In 2019 we went to Germany and next year we plan to go to Romania. The number of opportunities we offer to choristers is staggering. New choristers will also get the chance to make new friends from schools across the city.”Choir membership continues until school year eight, when they will have enough experience to become young professional singers with potentially grade fives in singing and music theory.“This could be the first stage for a professional career. I was a cathedral chorister and became the youngest Director of Music in the country.”Many famous people were choristers in their youth including comedian and presenter Alexander Armstrong, who has released three classical-inspired albums; Halifax-born singer Ed Sheeran; politician David Lammy; and cricketer Alastair Cook, amongst many others.“Being a member of a choir has helped many people get into really high-flying careers, and they look back on the choristership as the thing that really inspired them, and gave them the aspiration to aim for something so amazing. Some of our own choristers have gone on to join the Opera North Youth Chorus, and others have gone onto University music degrees and organ scholarships.”You can find out more about the Chorister Voice Trials, download a document detailing more information about the choir commitments, and see some frequently asked questions by visiting our website at bradfordcathedral.org/music/chorister-voice-trials.Voice trials will take place throughout the day on Saturday 4th April 2020 at Bradford Cathedral. Each voice trial will last approximately 20 minutes. To book your time slot please contact Luke Johnson by e-mail via luke.johnson@bradfordcathedral.org, or by phone on 01274 777725 (Monday to Friday, between 1030 and 1530). Appointments can also be made with Alex Berry on 07507 456741.
You can now listen back to yesterday's first Lent Course by visiting our website at https://bradfordcathedral.org/worship/lent/.Please join us next Wednesday (18th) from 7pm (refreshments at 6:30pm for the second session, entitled 'This is His Story: This is Our Story'.
Ed Jones, formerly of Bradford Cathedral and now at Worcester, is the tenth organist to play in this season of Wednesday@One organ recitals. We spoke to him about his upcoming organ recital to find out what we can expect from his programme as well as finding out more about his career.So what have you been up to since you left Bradford Cathedral?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">I’ve started a new post at Worcester. I’m the sub-assistant organist and my main duties are that I direct the voluntary choir of boys and adults, and the principal accompanist of the Cathedral Choir when the girls are singing. But because it’s just a part-time job I can also fill my time up with other bits and pieces, which keeps it fun!</span>How are things at Worcester Cathedral?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">They’re going very well – all the music is really fun to be involved with. I knew the Director of Music from a previous post so I get on really well with him and it’s a joy to work with everyone else.</span>Your biography says that you’re acting as the Chief Worcester Sauce taster. Have you received many accolades for that?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Well that’s necessarily true…! I usually put some amusing things in my biogs. I have no formal post with them unfortunately!</span>Could you give us a brief introduction to yourself?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">I came into cathedral music because I heard a counter-tenor sing. If you see a cat on the street and it barks, it’s not what you expect. It was the same for me hearing a counter-tenor for the first time! I then started singing alongside him at the cathedral. It was then a Priest who phoned me up and asked if I wanted to play the organ at a local parish church, during my time at University.</span>For you, what makes a great lunchtime organ recital?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">It’s tricky. I try and have something interesting for a lot of people, so I’ll have something spiky, something that has a nice flowing melody, and something that people will latch onto or might well know. Also something interested that the organ enthusiasts will have to talk about, but something that people who don’t know anything about organ music will still enjoy for forty-five minutes.</span>How did you pick the pieces for your recital?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">I picked Jackson’s Diversion for Mixtures because the mixtures sound absolutely fabulous on the organ here, so I thought I’d learn it for that very purpose. The choir were singing some Jackson that day so it fitted well.</span>MacMillan’s St Andrew’s Suite is a piece I bought years and years ago for the middle movement as it’s very slow and very beautiful, and I later thought I should learn the rest of it to keep hold of my Scottish heritage. I was actually in St. Andrews when it was premiered.Hindemith’s Sonata no. 2 is a strange one. Hindemith wrote a sonata for every single instrument as he thought it would be a good compositional tool. He’s a very intelligent man, writing for all these instruments, so it’s quite a challenge playing it. He enjoyed the organ so much he wrote a further two sonatas for the instrument! I played the first one quite a bit so now I’m learning the second one.Alain’s Litanies is a piece that I heard and thought, ‘I must learn that’, then I didn’t learn it as it’s quite tricky – then a year later I’d hear it again and so on – and this happened to me about five times and I realized I had to learn it, so I bought the music and put it down on the music list and, of course, once it’s printed you have to play it!It’s a phenomenal piece, but he was a French organist who died in the war at only 29-years-old. His music is so wonderful and I often wonder, had he lived on, what he would have gone onto write.What are your plans for the rest of 2020?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">There are lots of projects going on in Worcester. The current challenge I have this week is to complete a 4×4 Rubik’s cube! I’ll just see what the rest of the year brings.</span>Finally, going back to your entirely serious biography: your hobbies are distance running, Guyanese wood-carving, and curry and beer – but which is the best?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">The one I look forward to most on my Bradford trips is the curry! Worcester has a really good selection of Thai curries but not much in the way of Indian curries. Wherever you go there is good beer; wherever you go you can go for long runs, and wherever you go you can carve, but the curry is something I definitely miss from Bradford!</span>Join us for our weekly Wednesday@One Organ Recitals at 1pm, with a lunch buffet available from 12:30pm. Ed Jones will be playing on Wednesday 18th March 2020. More information on this recital, all others and this season’s coffee concerts can be found in the programme available to buy from the recitals and concerts.
