On Saturday 8th February we will welcome the Bowdon Church Choir to Bradford Cathedral as our first visiting choir of 2025. They will be singing Choral Evensong at 5:30pm, and ahead of this service we spoke to Michael Dow, their Director of Music, to find out more about them.
Could you tell us a little bit about your choir?
We are a mixed-voice parish church choir. We sing a wealth of sacred choral repertoire from 16th-century polyphony to the works of present-day composers. We have several choristers aged 10 and upwards as well as a strong core of adult members.
How did you get involved with it?
My wife started working for the church slightly before I did. When a vacancy arose for the Director of Music position I was encouraged to apply.
You are our visiting choir on Saturday 8th February. What can people expect from the service, including the music?
This is essentially a typical choral evensong service. The canticles are still to be confirmed, but “O thou the central orb” is a choir favourite.
A week before your Evensong here, you’re running a fundraising quiz night. What would you say are your best subjects when it comes to a quiz? And how important are these fundraisers to keep choral music going?
These fundraisers enable us to be more pro-active in supporting young people, for example in supporting families with our cathedral residencies in the summer, choral scholarships and so on. My best subject for the quiz is probably cricket!
You also offer Choral scholarships; why are these so important for choirs?
We started offering these in recent years. They help bring excellent young singers into the choir as well as providing them with great experience in a strong parish church choir. Some of our recent choral scholars have gone on to obtain choral scholarships at Oxford University.
What message would you like to give to those looking to come to the Evensong at Bradford Cathedral?
I would just thank anyone for coming and hope that they enjoy the singing and find the worship uplifting.
What are your upcoming musical plans for 2025?
We have a Summer choir residency in Bristol Cathedral.
Finally, how can people find out more about your choir?
You can find out more via the Bowdon Parish Church website or our Facebook pages. We have a Bowdon Parish page and a Bowdon Parish Church Choir page.