Lichfield Cathedral Choir is delighted to be back for the new academic year with lots of exciting things planned. I am reporting hot off the heels of the installation of the wonderful new Dean, The Right Reverend Janet Elizabeth MacFarlane (who has been a Residentiary Canon, Interim Dean and an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Lichfield).
The Choir has made the move to parity between the ages of the Girl and Boy Choristers. Whilst each line remains separate they are all now essentially in Years 3-8 (with just a small number of year 9s remaining across both choirs), with the option to bring the two choirs together for major events, tours and recordings. Alongside our brilliant team of Lay Vicars we have expanded our hugely successful 6th Form Choral Scholarship scheme, in conjunction with Lichfield Cathedral School, which offers scholarships to all voice parts to sing with the Cathedral Choir. All Choristers and Choral Scholars attend Lichfield Cathedral School and there is an excellent SATB Choir largely made of former choristers, called Cantorum, who sing Compline and Evensong regularly in the Cathedral as well as for many other school, cathedral and external events. Seven choral services are sung by the Foundation Choir across six days of the week with each choir taking a joint share of the offering.
Last academic year highlights included the choir releasing a stunning digital album of Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols with the senior Boy and Girl Choristers, plus the Soprano and Alto Choral Scholars, which you can find on Spotify and all good digital platforms; an Easter concert alongside Thomas Trotter at Birmingham Town Hall plus a brilliant tour to Dublin and Cork.
Coming up this month is the last in the Cathedral Evening Organ Recital series, featuring Jan Ernst, who is a representative of our link diocese (the Nordkirche in Germany), from Schwerin Cathedral. 7.30pm on Tuesday 15th October – tickets are £10 and available on the door. Additionally, the Lichfield Cathedral Chamber Choir will be welcoming Chester Cathedral’s Nave Choir to sing Evensong on Saturday 20 October with music by Stanford, Vaughan Williams and Sanders.
November is always an exciting month for any Cathedral Choir in the build up to the Advent Carol Services, which for us at Lichfield, are some of the most rewarding and exciting services of the year. (Do come if you are in the area – Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December at 6pm). October saw a very busy month for the choristers with many of them also being involved in Lichfield Cathedral School’s production of ‘Back to the 80s’, giving them a vast musical diet.
Recently the choristers have contributed to the soundtrack for the Cathedral’s exhibition on Angels, which features images on voiles. Ben Lamb, the Cathedral’s Director of Music spent many hours compiling a soundscape featuring prose, poetry and music specially written and involving the voices of many in the Cathedral community.
We have also been excited to hear that two former choristers are currently lead roles in the West End in both Phantom of the Opera and Starlight Express.
by Catherine Lamb, Local Ambassador for Lichfield
