Master of St John’s disbands SJV

[Kingfisher]

Dreadful news from Cambridge.

St John’s Voices is to be disbanded at the end of the Easter Term and its highly accomplished DIrector Graham Walker made redundant.

This was announced to the Choir as it was finishing a recording of Rachmaninov and Golovanov, a follow up to its excellent recording of Chesnokov released last year.

The decision has apparently been made in a very high handed manner, with little or no consultation, by the Master of the College.

The incoming Dean of Chapel, who has talked a good game on social media about her love of music, will find a very unhappy atmosphere across the entire College musical community.

[Pulcinella]

The Master doesn't serve on the ACE Committee by any chance?

Yes: the new Dean of Chapel is moving from being Precentor here at York. She won't be happy, I'm sure.

[DracoM]

Crikey!

[Nick Armstrong]

Worth signing this petition I think:

https://www.change.org/p/save-st-john-s-voices-stop-cutting-opportunities-for-female-singers-in-cambridge

[Keraulophone]

This is an unjustifiable, anti-educational and high-handed axing of SJV by the Master and Council of St John's. This choir and its founder-director are held in high regard in and outside Cambridge. The ill-timed decision will reduce the number of female students who are allowed to sing services in the chapel of St John's to around two (altos).

So much for the pursuit of equal gender opportunity so vigorously promoted by Ofsted and ISI, which have decimated the number of single-sex soprano lines in UK cathedral and college choirs.

It's gratifying to see the petition passing 4000 signatures. The longer this issue rumbles on, the more St John's and its Master and Council, backed by £800,000,000 of assets, will be made to look petty and inept.

[french frank]

It's gratifying to see the petition passing 4000 signatures. The longer this issue rumbles on, the more St John's and its Master and Council, backed by £800,000,000 of assets, will be made to look petty and inept.

Pretty high-powered set of signatories heading the list! Hard to resist that pressure I'd have thought.

[Kingfisher]

Well over 5000 now and rising fast. Simon Rattle and John Rutter have added their names to the list.

[Kingfisher]

Chapeau to Petroc who just reported the story and played the superb SJV recording of Chesnokov. Petition at 6000 and more high profile names about to add their support.

[Ein Heldenleben]

This is an unjustifiable, anti-educational and high-handed axing of SJV by the Master and Council of St John's. This choir and its founder-director are held in high regard in and outside Cambridge. The ill-timed decision will reduce the number of female students who are allowed to sing services in the chapel of St John's to around two (altos).

So much for the pursuit of equal gender opportunity so vigorously promoted by Ofsted and ISI, which have decimated the number of single-sex soprano lines in UK cathedral and college choirs.

It's gratifying to see the petition passing 4000 signatures. The longer this issue rumbles on, the more St John's and its Master and Council, backed by £800,000,000 of assets, will be made to look petty and inept.

It strikes me that given the response a climb down is pretty likely. You don’t increase diversity by axing a choir - particularly one that features female voices. Yes English Church Choral singing has a narrow range of participants - often fed by Choral scholarships at private schools for example . If this very rich College wanted to broaden the range of participants - a laudable aim - they could offer scholarships at 9 year old level to talented youngsters from ethnic minorities, Frankly they are rich enough to create their own gospel choir , big band , and gamelan and not even notice the small change. They could turn St Johns into an East Of England centre of musical excellence - but that would require some vision and effort.

[mopsus]

I hope the choir is restored, but it also strikes me that there may be nowhere with more opportunities for female singers to perform church music liturgically to a high standard than Cambridge University. I wish more such opportunities were available elsewhere. When I moved from Cambridge to Manchester I realised that there was no mixed-voice choir in the entire diocese that wouldn't have shamed a third-rank Cambridge college. The Cathedral voluntary choir in those days was men and boys, and although since then mixed-voice voluntary choirs have emerged there and in other major churches, they tend to be treated as the 'poor relation'.

[Kingfisher]

Petition now at 7660. Anna Lapwood put the case very eloquently on World at One yesterday.

Meanwhile the College has frozen the SJV social media accounts in an attempt to stem the tide of criticism. Not only will that not work, it pushes it still further from the moral high ground.

[Pulcinella]

I hope the choir is restored, but it also strikes me that there may be nowhere with more opportunities for female singers to perform church music liturgically to a high standard than Cambridge University. I wish more such opportunities were available elsewhere. When I moved from Cambridge to Manchester I realised that there was no mixed-voice choir in the entire diocese that wouldn't have shamed a third-rank Cambridge college. The Cathedral voluntary choir in those days was men and boys, and although since then mixed-voice voluntary choirs have emerged there and in other major churches, they tend to be treated as the 'poor relation'.

Dare I suggest that you don't really mean that, mopsus?
There wasn't a mixed-voice choir that would shame..... (i.e., they were all worse than that)?

[oddoneout]

Dare I suggest that you don't really mean that, mopsus?
There wasn't a mixed-voice choir that would shame..... (i.e., they were all worse than that)?

Taking the negatives out, I read it as all the mixed voice choirs were better than a third rate Cambridge College, which is still a back-handed compliment, but I'm assuming the drift is that even with all its advantages over a non-CC choir the standard isn't better than those in Manchester diocese. But your interpretation makes equal , if less positive,sense.
Some clarification needed I think?

[french frank]

I read it that the entire Manchester diocese had no decent mixed-voice choir. Even a 'third rank Cambridge college' would have a better choir than Manchester could offer. Ergo Cambridge is pretty well-off in opportunities for femaie singers.

[I attempt an interpretation: I am not equipped to offer an opinion]

[Kingfisher]

There are many excellent mixed voice choirs in Cambridge attached to College Chapels, but they typically require a level of time commitment which many talented singers can’t manage - both under - and post- grads. The beauty of SJV was that it filled that gap, producing outstanding singing one one rehearsal and Evensong per week.

There is a University Chamber Choir but my understanding is that it is now ad hoc. It sings concerts, not Evensongs. Since its heyday under Richard Marlow it has in effect been supplanted by SJV.