Our Focus
We work alongside cathedrals and other choral foundations to support excellence in its many forms, broaden participation and increase the long-term sustainability of the cathedral music sector.
Cathedral Music Support Programme
Our annual Cathedral Music Support Programme builds partnerships with choral foundations to develop and invest in work that shares the objectives of the Trust in three priority areas:
- Pathways to music
- Training and development
- Supporting the workforce
The programme is now closed for applications. It will reopen in December 2025.
Church Choir Award
Working in partnership with the RSCM, the Church Choir Award aims to expand support for choirs that perform less frequently than those helped through the Cathedral Music Support Programme. We want to invest in projects that develop new ideas or enhance current provision and address our objectives of excellence, participation and sustainability.
The programme is now closed for applications. It will reopen in March 2026.
Small Sounds
We believe it is never too soon to begin a journey of musical adventure. Alongside partner cathedrals and a number of funding partners, we have developed Small Sounds, a programme to establish early years’ music-making within cathedrals and churches, giving babies and children under five the chance to find their singing voices and discover the joys of making music.
Research Projects
We are best able to help the cathedral music sector if we have a thorough understanding of how it operates and the challenges it faces. Undertaking, sharing and responding to the results of research form an important part of our work. We were delighted to host a conference in September 2024, Cathedral Music: New Generation Perspectives, providing a platform for leading academics and post-graduate researchers to share their work in the field of cathedral music.
Getting the Value from Evaluation
A webinar on making the most of evaluating your activities
Watch now to unpack the evaluation process and learn how to make it work for you as well as for your funders.
The webinar is relevant to recipients of our awards and to those who would like to find out more about the wider benefits of monitoring and evaluating.
Our Impact
We have invested in programmes that widen participation – by giving young people their first taste of cathedral music, and by developing expertise – through the training of choristers, organ and choral scholars, and that support professional roles within cathedral music departments.
Our investment enables music departments to enhance what they already achieve as well as develop new work, giving them time to evaluate its success and secure the means to continue the work beyond the scope of our support.
The scholarship has equipped me with skills I would not have been able to develop elsewhere, … [it] has improved greatly my skills in teaching, my understanding of singers and their needs as an accompanist, and my group management. It has also given me some opportunities to develop my conducting and rehearsal skills – a further example of how the scholarship is flexible and tailored to the needs of the individual.’
How you can help
Discover how you can transform lives through the power of cathedral music,
from joining our Friends and Patrons to becoming a valued volunteer or leaving a legacy.
