Is recruiting an issue for Cathedral Choirs?

[Choral Enthusiast]

I have had the pleasure of attending quite a few Evensong's recently, in addition to watching a few Evensongs on line. One thing that has stuck me is that the number of choristers in many choirs have gotten smaller.

At Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and Canterbury Cathedral, the number of choristers seem to be 11 and 13 respectively, a sharp reduction from the 16 of years gone by. Lincoln also seems to be down to about 10 choristers.

It can't just be down to seasonal weather because New College Choir has increased its number of choristers from 16 to 20.

Is recruitment in some areas becoming more difficult? If so, what can be done to drive up the numbers again?

It is not a criticism of the places I have mentioned. The opposite, they have been centres of musical excellence for a long time and I'd hate to see it decline.

[mopsus]

There is a separate and recent thread about Lincoln on the forum. They do not seem to be a typical case. The last service I went to at the Cathedral in Oxford was a special one and the top line was both choristers and Frideswide Voices (the girls choir based at the Cathedral). I didn't count how many boys there were among them but they might have had difficulty fitting 16 of them into the space available! The whole financial basis of Christ Church Cathedral is currently under review, as the academic and ecclesiastical sides of the College are being detatched from one another, so it is not a typical case either.

[Choral Enthusiast]

I've also noticed a decline in Choristers in Winchester and York and just wondered if attracting Choristers has become more of a challenge.

I also note that Westminster Cathedral Choir went down from 22 down to 11 by the time Martin Baker (who did a great job) left. I've not heard them for years but I hope things have improved there again.

[mopsus]

It may be reduced budgets. All Cathedrals will have lost income during the pandemic and felt a need to cut back somewhere; for example, York's choir school had to close.

[cat]

I don't think any cathedral has cut back on chorister numbers due to budgetary reasons. Probably a combination of seasonal illnesses and particular local circumstances. For example it would be no surprise if Canterbury numbers have dwindled since the new dean ditched their choir school.

[Pulcinella]

I don't think any cathedral has cut back on chorister numbers due to budgetary reasons. Probably a combination of seasonal illnesses and particular local circumstances. For example it would be no surprise if Canterbury numbers have dwindled since the new dean ditched their choir school.

But surely the school got ditched for budgetary reasons?

I haven't been to the minster here (York) since their Advent Procession, but the choir was certainly large in number and great in sound (better than the previous year, I thought) then.
Perhaps the ratio of boys to girls has changed, though.

[cat]

But surely the school got ditched for budgetary reasons?

Nope, it was for "equality and inclusion" reasons, according to the cathedral. Apparently recruiting from local schools and singing only three times a week allows more diversity compared to recruiting from anywhere in the world and boarding with full bursaries available.

[duncan]

A personal perspective.

Simply judging by musical ability one of our offspring would have been a very good candidate for a cathedral choir. Our families have no direct experience of cathedral choirs although friends very much do. I sang with a small church choir until my voice broke and, although I'm not a believer, I recognise Protestant Christianity is a strong part of my ethos. More generally, performing, teaching and listening to music, including choral music, is a big part of family life.

At the time we were considering this (2010s) the local cathedral were very coy about the level of commitment on their publicity material. On investigation we learned that, after an introductory year, boarding was compulsory and contact with parents was limited to a couple of hours a week. This was irrespective of living a short distance from the place. This struck us as bizarre and we wanted nothing more to do with it.

[cat]

A personal perspective.

Simply judging by musical ability one of our offspring would have been a very good candidate for a cathedral choir. Our families have no direct experience of cathedral choirs although friends very much do. I sang with a small church choir until my voice broke and, although I'm not a believer, I recognise Protestant Christianity is a strong part of my ethos. More generally, performing, teaching and listening to music, including choral music, is a big part of family life.

At the time we were considering this (2010s) the local cathedral were very coy about the level of commitment on their publicity material. On investigation we learned that, after an introductory year, boarding was compulsory and contact with parents was limited to a couple of hours a week. This was irrespective of living a short distance from the place. This struck us as bizarre and we wanted nothing more to do with it.

Indeed there are many excellent cathedral choirs that don't have boarding, and recruit locally (e.g. Portsmouth). There's no one correct way that will suit everyone. I'm not aware of any that follow a hybrid model combining boarding and local day choristers - perhaps it would be thought not to be conducive to team harmony, as it is important for children to feel they are all on an equal footing.

[boesendorfer]

I throw this idea into the discussion in the hope that it will be discussed (if it is) objectively and not in a partisan way: the long-serving organist of the cathedral in the city where I lived for over 40 years was dead against admitting girls to form a mixed top line as (he said) it would immediately make it very much more difficult to recruit boys. A choir of girls was eventually formed, under the direction of the assistant organist, and sang I think two or three times a month.

[jonfan]

Daniel Hyde in the BBC Music Magazine said he found it difficult to recruit boys, even to such a prestigious choir as KC. He blamed mainly the lack of singing being done in schools now. He may be right.
It can be done and next week’s venue for Choral Vespers a superb example. Leeds Cathedral has a choral foundation for girls and boys, young men and women from diverse backgrounds of culture and ethnicity.

[Keraulophone]

the long-serving organist of the cathedral in the city where I lived for over 40 years was dead against admitting girls to form a mixed top line as (he said) it would immediately make it very much more difficult to recruit boys. A choir of girls was eventually formed, under the direction of the assistant organist, and sang I think two or three times a month.

What happened to recruitment after that? Were the boys and girls of the same age or not? The effect you describe can be avoided by having girls aged 13-18 to complement the younger boys in a separate treble line. Even though this was the approach taken at my cathedral, recruitment is always an issue, particularly with boys at such a young age. There are some who are less keen to join but pushy parents think the experience will do them good. Others have musical potential and their voices develop well, but performance anxiety prevents them from being useful. At any one time there are a whole variety of issues, vocal, parental, psychological, health- and school-related, that prevent the full team from being present in the choir stalls at any one time. However, the few that are left are still capable of remarkable things: ten remaining boys (plus back row) did a great job singing all four Poulenc Christmas motets at a recent Evensong.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Daniel Hyde in the BBC Music Magazine said he found it difficult to recruit boys, even to such a prestigious choir as KC. He blamed mainly the lack of singing being done in schools now.

Daniel Hyde is correct. I started teaching in the 1970s before the rot really began, but there was already a loud and pushy sector trying popularise starting state school music, including the slow marginalisation of class singing. I ignored the trend, resulting in choir participation that made other schools quite envious. But in the end pressure was put on me to follow the crowd, so I abandoned class teaching altogether.

Or so I thought. I worked for a county music service for some years. They organised a Big Sing for all the county’s primary schools. It was more like a Glastonbury event, with songs being blasted out by the “leaders”, with the children expected to sing along. It was child abuse, with many crying because the amplification was excessive. I complained to the organiser, who said those who were upset could be moved to a quiet room. (I said that was like giving pain killers to someone who was being beaten.) None of the teachers/teaching assistants present were keen to withdraw the children, because it would be seen as though the child was at fault, whereas it was entirely the attitude of the group leaders that created the problem.
The real point was that very few children were actually singing - except for a single song: the Skye Boat Song, the rendition of which really lifted the spirits.

[Gabriel Jackson]

For example it would be no surprise if Canterbury numbers have dwindled since the new dean ditched their choir school.

Canterbury Cathedral Choir School was closed over fifty years ago. It wasn't 'ditched' by the new Dean. (The school that the boy choristers have attended for the last fifty years or so is not a choir school.)

[cat]

Canterbury Cathedral Choir School was closed over fifty years ago. It wasn't 'ditched' by the new Dean. (The school that the boy choristers have attended for the last fifty years or so is not a choir school.)

I'm not sure how you are defining "choir school" but a school that boards cathedral choristers and is a member of the Choir Schools Association counts as one in my book, just as ending that relationship, ceasing scholarships, and recruiting choristers from elsewhere counts as "ditching" that relationship.