A Song for the Future: Church and Cathedral Choirs Receive £440,000 in New Funding
Church and cathedral choirs across England and Wales are set to benefit from nearly £440,000 in grants aimed at protecting choral music and encouraging more children and young people to get involved. The Cathedral Music Trust has awarded £438,955 across 27 grants, supporting projects ranging from new junior choirs and singing tuition to school outreach programmes and musicians’ salaries. The trust’s chairman, Jonathan Macdonald, said many church and cathedral music departments continue to face “significant financial pressures,” and that the latest funding would help churches develop sustainable programmes which “invest in people and communities, strengthen musical excellence, and ensure that this remarkable tradition continues to flourish.”
Among the recipients, Kendal Parish Church has been awarded £4,000 to provide singing tuition for its choristers—a grant its director of music, Jonathan Bielby, described as “life-changing.” Lancaster Priory will receive £8,655 to establish a junior training choir designed to provide an inclusive route into choristership, while Holy Trinity in Stratford-upon-Avon will receive £3,800 for a similar project. Halifax Minster has also been awarded £3,700 to launch a school’s singing programme. The Cathedral Music Trust, established in 1956 and formerly known as the Friends of Cathedral Music, has awarded more than £8 million in grants over its history, and has previously highlighted the importance of ensuring children from less affluent backgrounds can access choral scholarships and the opportunities offered through church music. The awards come alongside a separate £400,000 Church of England and Royal School of Church Music project announced earlier this year, aimed at establishing or renewing more than 200 church choirs involving children and young people. Together, these initiatives represent a significant investment in the future of sacred music and the next generation of worshippers.
Courtesy of:
BLN ENTERTAINMENT TV
“where Entertainment meets EXCELLENCE “
www.BLNENTERTAINMENTTV.com
#BLNEtv #BLNEntertainmenttv #Video #Faith #Christ #BlessingLightHallowed
