Back in November 2023, year 12 students studying ‘Fine Art’ at New College Bradford visited the cathedral to undertake preliminary work for their ‘Structures’ project. We spoke to Kate Mallison (Head of Visual Arts at New College Bradford) and George Kinghorn (Teacher of Fine Art) to find out more about this work.The students are coming to the end of their ‘Structures’ project & have created pieces including those based on Bradford Cathedral. Could you tell us more about the project?‘Structures’ is a project that all year 12 Fine Art students begin in September, when they start at New College Bradford. The project is a skills project where students develop skills in drawing, painting, print making, photography and creating compositional ideas.As part of the project the trip to Bradford Cathedral is arranged. This visit allows students to gather a range of primary research to support their projects. Students are encouraged to take photographs of the building, inside and out. They are also given the task of drawing the building, capturing the Cathedral’s atmosphere and grandeur. This project aims to celebrate Bradford and its architecture, with each student choosing different parts of the city to include in a Final Outcome, that showcases their chosen skills.What materials and concepts did the students use in creating the pieces?The Final Outcomes are mixed media pieces, with each student choosing a different medium based on the skills they have explored. Most pieces include painting, drawing, printing and collage. The overall concept of the final piece was a composition of different parts of the city, often layering buildings together. These pieces have become quite personal to the students with some choosing to include elements of self-portraiture and buildings surrounding where they live. The pieces came out of a visit on Monday 6th November 2023 – what was the aim of that visit, and how did it inspire the students?The aim of the visit was to gather primary photos which have been used as reference images for their final pieces, along with other structures from the city. Students were very positive about the visit, and were very engaged on the day. For some it brought back memories of visiting the Cathedral as students in primary school, for others it was their first experience visiting a Cathedral. How can people find out more about any of the visual arts courses?The New College Bradford Website provides basic information on the courses offered, and we do have open days/evenings throughout the year for prospective students to visit the college. We will also be holding an end of year exhibition for our Year 13 students.Finally, what projects have the students got next?Once the ‘Structures’ project is completed, students will begin work on their first major project (Coursework). This is a personal investigation where students choose their own theme. The skills developed in the Structures project act as a foundation for their personal investigation. This project will lead them into year 13, their final year.Maggie Myers, Bradford Cathedral’s Director of Education and Visitors, says:“We are so delighted that for the last few years Fine Art students from New College Bradford have visited the cathedral to undertake work for their course. It is such a beautiful place, with many interesting architectural and historical features, and it is always wonderful to see young people in the building and grounds.“This academic year we have also welcomed A Level History students from New College Bradford, who came to look at some of our Tudor features. Over the last few years we have seen an increase in the number of GCSE and A Level groups coming to the cathedral for RE, History, Art and other creative and wellbeing workshops, as well as the large number of visits we receive from primary schools. There is so much to see and enjoy at Bradford Cathedral and every visit is bespoke.”If you are thinking about an educational visit, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Maggie Myers on education@bradfordcathedral.org. You can find out more about their visit – and see more photos – on their Facebook page.
The Choir of Bradford Cathedral holds regular ‘Safari Evensongs’, where they head to local churches to sing. On Sunday 25th February the Girls Choir will head to St Michael and All Angels on Haworth Main Street for the first of these for 2024. Revd Oli Preston, Rector of Haworth and Cross Roads, says:“We are very excited to welcome Bradford Cathedral Choir to St Michael and All Angels’, Haworth Parish Church. As 'the Bronte Church’ we have many people come to connect with the cultural heritage here, so it is wonderful to host Safari Evensong as another cultural highlight for visitors and locals to engage with. “Evensong is one of the jewels of the Anglican tradition - a spacious, beautiful, peaceful space to encounter the presence of God. We have memories of having a choir here, and would love to explore opportunities for regularly gathering people for choral singing here again.” Anthony Gray, Assistant Director of Music at Bradford Cathedral, says:“'We are delighted to be continuing our long running series of 'Safari Evensongs' into 2024. The girl choristers are hugely looking forward to visiting Haworth at the end of February, singing music by Philip Moore, Ed Jones and Thomas Ebdon. “Our Safari Evensong events are both a great opportunity to showcase our fabulous choir in parishes around our Diocese, as well as being a brilliant learning opportunity for our young singers, who I know will love being part of this service in Haworth.” All are welcome to Choral Evensong at St Michael and All Angels, Haworth Main Street, BD22 8DP, on Sunday 25th February at 3:30pm. For more information, please contact Revd Oli Preston on rector@haworthchurch.co.uk or 07912622646. The Bradford Cathedral Choir sing at many services throughout the week, and full details and service times can be found on the Bradford Cathedral website.
They will be leading the music at an extra Evensong on the Saturday, and at both our choral services on the Sunday. We spoke to Helen Reece from the choir and Henry Mansell Duckett - founder member, first bass and treasurer; to find out more about what to expect from the weekend. 1. Could you tell us a little bit about how the Peterborough Chamber Choir was established? Henry: The choir was founded in 1984 by the late Henk Kamminga, a Dutch national. Initially known as the Thorpe Hall Chamber Choir, its likely function at the outset was probably seen to be primarily in the secular realm; though many of the then participants were already very familiar with church and cathedral music. (Thorpe Hall is a Commonwealth-Period mansion in Peterborough - of national significance. At the time it seemed set to become a Museum and Arts Centre, with the choir as it were as ‘artists in residence’, until the scheme collapsed.) As the choir was already deputising, inter alia, for cathedral choirs, and the majority of singers were then reasonably local to Peterborough, it was soon decided that the name should be changed to that of its present moniker / soubriquet. Since then the choir’s principal raison d’etre has concentrated on deputising for cathedral choirs and similar - in short, in any ‘places where they sing’ - its peregrinations taking it to all corners of England and Wales (even, occasionally, to Peterborough too!) with some ‘quasi-ecumenical’ excursions to the near-Continent. During roughly the second half of its existence direct links with Peterborough have tended to loosen somewhat as the pool of participants from whom each event may be drawn has spread nationally. Consequently nearly all preparation by way of rehearsal must now needs be done ‘on the road’.” We have always regarded it a considerable privilege to be able to deputise for the resident professionals in a varied range of often spectacular, always fascinating, medieval to modern Foundations, and always aim to do our best to maintain the exceptional standards of cathedral music in this country - which may be said to be unparalleled. 2. Helen: How did you get involved, and could you tell us about your role within the choir? Helen: I have been in the choir since 2007. I met one of our sopranos, Hilary, through another choir and also through a teaching connection. I was teaching her youngest daughter class music (Year 4 African Drumming) and she came into the school as a parent helper to run the orchestra, choir and handbells. She introduced me to the choir. I sing Alto 2 in the choir, or any other upper voice part I’m required to sing (or tenor!). I have on occasion also conducted the choir. Since Henk’s passing I have taken on the administrator role. My role often also involves organising a group meal on the Saturday evening. 3. The choir last sang in Bradford in 2019 - what are your memories of that time? Helen: I remember how calm and peaceful it was in Bradford Cathedral. I also remember reading a lesson at both Evensong Services. 4. You are leading the music at Choral Evensong on the Saturday and our two services on the Sunday. Could you tell us a little about the music programme for the three services and why you chose the pieces? Helen: The music we have chosen is appropriate to the season of Lent and covers repertoire from composers of the British Isles (England and Ireland), spanning 400 years and demonstrating the rich musical heritage and repertoire of the Anglican church. We are singing the responses, second set, by the contemporary English composer, Paul Spicer at both Saturday and Sunday Evensong services. We sang them in Coventry Cathedral a year ago and they worked really well. One of our sopranos sang them at St Paul’s recently and requested that we sing them again. The rest of the Saturday Evensong celebrates the music of Adrian Batten (c1591 -c1637), another English composer, but of a much earlier period. Batten was active between the Reformation and the English Civil War, an important period for English church music. Batten is described as ‘the singing man of Westminster’. The music you will hear alternates between solo singing and full choir, underlain by an independent organ accompaniment. The Mass setting for Sunday Eucharist is by the English composer, John Ireland (1879-1962). Ireland studied composition with Charles Villier Stanford. He also took inspiration from French and Russian schools, namely Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky. No weekend with the Peterborough Chamber Choir would be complete without a work by Stanley Vann (1910 -2010) Vann was Master of the Music at Peterborough Cathedral from 1953 until 1977. Our Communion Motet is ‘Behold, how good and joyful’ composed in 1951. Sunday’s Choral Evensong features the music of the Irish composer, Charles Wood (1866 – 1926). We shall be singing his Canticles in D and the Anthem ‘Expectans Expectavi’. Wood had also been a pupil of Stanford. Indeed, he succeeded him in the role of Professor of Music at Cambridge University on Stanford’s death in 1924. The lyrics of Expectans Expectavi are taken from a poem by Charles Hamilton Sorley. The title can be translated as ‘I waited patiently for the Lord’. 5. How is the rest of 2024 shaping up for the choir? Helen: We have weekends planned this year in Wells, Newcastle, Beverley, Manchester, Llandaff and Ely. We also have an Evensong at St Paul’s. 6. How can people find out more about the choir online? Helen: We have a website (http://www.peterboroughchamberchoir.org.uk/) which gives a little of the history of the choir as well as all future planned weekends up until 2027. All are welcome to the Bradford Cathedral services with our visiting choir. They are Choral Evensong on Saturday 17th February at 5:30pm, and on Sunday 18th February Choral Eucharist (10:30am, also streamed live) and Choral Evensong (3:30pm). For more information, please visit the Bradford Cathedral website.
Bradford Cathedral will welcome the Peterborough Chamber Choir to lead the music at three services over the weekend of the 17th and 18th February 2024. The Peterborough Chamber Choir was founded in 1984, in Peterborough, by the late Henk Kamminga. After Henk passed away in January 2022 the choir has continued the musical legacy he left. The choir meets together for about seven weekends a year, as a Visiting Choir, in Cathedrals all over the UK, and they have sung in Europe, most recently in Holland and prior to that, in France and Belgium. The choir will return to Bradford for the first time since 2019, directed by Gary Sieling with the choir accompanied by their organist, Christopher Moore. They will be leading the music at Choral Evensong on Saturday 17th February at 5:30pm; at the Choral Eucharist at 10:30am on Sunday18th February (this service is also streamed on YouTube and Facebook); and Choral Evensong later that same day at 3:30pm. Henry Mansell Duckett, Founder Member, First Bass and Treasurer says: “We have always regarded it a considerable privilege to be able to deputise for the resident professionals in a varied range of often spectacular, always fascinating, medieval to modern Foundations, and always aim to do our best to maintain the exceptional standards of cathedral music in this country - which may be said to be unparalleled.” You can hear the Peterborough Chamber Choir at Bradford Cathedral’s Choral Eucharist on Sunday 18th February at 10:30am, as well at Choral Evensong services at 5:30pm on Saturday 17th February and the Sunday at 3:30pm. You can find out more in an interview at bradfordcathedral.org.uk/2024/02/05/peterborough-chamber-choir-2024/
