The survival of English cathedral choirs

[Pulcinella]

A follow-up letter in today's Times:

Choral standards

Sir, Richard Morrison is right that we must not be complacent about the steadily rising choral standard at the top end that was cultivated over the 145 years since Stanford wrote his B-flat service in 1879. Without proper roots, this may not be sustainable. The work going on in the diocese of Leeds and elsewhere is an excellent way forward, as is the even more recent effort being put in at Ripon Cathedral by Ronny Krippner, the director of music. There remains the problem of the grassroots of our choral tradition. What are we to do about the disappearance of parish choirs and the ageing membership of choral societies? Independent schools can and do maintain good singing groups, but a way of re-establishing good-quality choral music in state schools is urgently needed.
Peter Lutton
Epsom, Surrey

[Pulcinella]

Another letter, this time from Bristol.

School on song

Sir, Your correspondent Peter Lutton writes of the urgent need for re-establishing “good-quality choral music in state schools” (letter, Dec 20). The independent Bristol Cathedral School was converted into a state-funded academy in 2008. This proved to be a radical way to cut costs for Bristol’s dean and chapter. The new school, Bristol Cathedral Choir School, now educates 1,250 pupils, including 40 choristers for the treble line of the cathedral choir. Bristol has made a success of bringing state school pupils into a cathedral choir and the all-embracing diversity model is undoubtedly working. The school maintains close links with the cathedral and the choral tradition flourishes as musical standards remain high.
Stephen Parsons
Chair, Bristol Cathedral Choir School