Diocese of Leeds Music praised in The Times

We were delighted to be noted as a positive example of how Cathedral singing can be accessible to all children in The Times this week.

“It is clearly possible to make a success of bringing state school pupils into a cathedral choir. That’s evident from what has happened over the past decade in Leeds. There the Catholic cathedral sends music staff into 70 primary schools in its diocese and trains thousands of children to sing.”

Our Director of Music, Benjamin Saunders, responded in a Letter to the Editor:

“Sir, On financial sustainability and state school recruitment, we in Leeds are also leading the national schools singing programme (NSSP), which is successfully recruiting many thousands of state-school children into 33 cathedral choirs across the UK. Richard Morrison (“Is it the end for cathedral choirs?”, Times2, Dec 17) mentions that this work “requires more than a change of heart. Often it requires a change of staff as well, and that can be painful”. Spot on. The NSSP has already created 70 new roles in cathedral music departments, so it is possible to change hearts without breaking skulls.”