Ahead of the event on Saturday 25th February 2023, the Bradford Cathedral music department are visiting local schools to find new members for their choirs – but are also looking for others across the city to join in too!
On Saturday 25th February 2023, Bradford Cathedral will be holding its sixth annual ‘Cathedral Sing!’ event, where children from local schools are invited along to discover more about the choir and singing at Bradford Cathedral.
To sign up, all you have to do is visit the Bradford Cathedral website – bradfordcathedral.org.uk/cathedral-sing – to fill in a short form. There you can also find out more about the event, and watch a short clip filmed at last year’s event. The deadline for applications is Tuesday 21st February 2023.
Ahead of the event, the Music Department at Bradford Cathedral have been visiting local primary schools in the city.
Throughout January they have visited Hill Top CofE Primary; Beckfoot Priestthorpe Primary; Calverley Parkside Primary; Swain House Primary; Holybrook Primary; Brackenhill Primary; Idle CofE Primary; Appleton Academy; and St John’s CofE Primary.
At each school they have run special inclusive singing workshops with school children in different years. These workshops include how to work on singing technique, and they practise singing rounds and how to sing in harmony.
Alexander Berry, Director of Music at Bradford Cathedral, says:
“At the workshops we explain about the choir and at the end all the children who have taken part in the workshop get the opportunity to sing to us in small groups, and those who are interested in finding out more will be given a Golden Ticket to take home at the end of school.”
The Golden Tickets are a special invitation to the ‘Cathedral Sing!’ event held at Bradford Cathedral on Saturday 25th February 2023, a morning where the child can come in with their parents to take part in some singing workshops with the music department staff.
As well as the recruitment through the schools, you can contact Bradford Cathedral if you know of any other children who would like to get involved.
Alexander Berry:
“We also speak to their parents and explain what it is to be a chorister and they get to observe a chorister singing lesson and choir practice.”
The Saturday workshop also includes a short service and, at the end, refreshments. The children also get the chance to sign up for the ‘Grace Notes’ choir, who meet every week, as the first step on the journey to becoming a full member of the choir.
Alexander Berry:
“We first ran Cathedral Sing! in 2018. It’s such a lively and joyous event, and is a really important way for us to recruit children to the choir.”
‘Cathedral Sing!’ takes place on Saturday 25th February 2023 from 9:30am – 12.30pm. This event is where children across Bradford are invited to sing with the Bradford Cathedral choristers. If you know any children who would love to be involved, you can find out more – and sing up – at bradfordcathedral.org.uk/cathedral-sing. The deadline to apply is Tuesday 21st February 2023. You can watch a short video recorded at last year’s Cathedral Sing! on YouTube.