News from Sheffield

[oddoneout]

According to the Save Sheffield Cathedral Choir campaign, the lay clerks were told a half day before the media, and the choristers only found out on the news which is a shameful way for the Dean and Chapter to behave.

It's increasingly the way things are done these days, but one would have expected the Church to have at least made a nod to its supposed mission statements/core values/whatevers. Or perhaps the lay clerks half day's notice was a nod...

[Cockney Sparrow]

In the latter part of "Sunday" R4 7.10am today they did a piece on Sheffield, culminating with the Dean on the end of a telephone. If you are interested enough to listen, don't raise your hopes, IIRC (I was waking up) it was an ineffectual exercise with only a minor attempt to challenge the cleric. IIRC bullying wasn't mentioned.

The issue of what they hoped to achieve was addressed, and surprise surprise, there didn't seem to be much of an idea other than "not what we had". Whereas it would seem its a classic case of poor management (and a very, very English trait) in failing to deal directly and properly** with an HR problem, which from the reports seem to be in the nature of bullying.
(**That is, following protocols so its legally defensible).

[Keraulophone]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnbd

Starts at 23’13.

I expected as much from the Dean, but what surprised me was the support he received from the Director of the Royal School of Church Music.

[W.Kearns]

[QUOTE=Cockney Sparrow;803602]In the latter part of "Sunday" R4 7.10am today they did a piece on Sheffield, culminating with the Dean on the end of a telephone. [....] IIRC bullying wasn't mentioned.' [UNQUOTE]


I think the bullying and the on-going investigation into it were mentioned briefly, but treated as a side-issue. As for Hugh Morris, Director of the RSCM, he is clearly anxious, at all cost, to avoid being drawn in to the dispute.

[ardcarp]

I listened to the RSCM guy and the dean (he's lower case for me) with utter disbelief. The dean in particular was damning the existing choir with faint praise. There is something in the background which is not being said. The only thing I can think of is that the dean wants a choir that will sing in different genres (eg spiritual songs and rock/pop). If so why doesn't he say so? Attempts to make Anglican church music 'cool' always fails miserably...though it succeeds in some evangelical churches.

The only other thing I can think of (and which was hinted at) is that the dean, knowing that full choral services are unlikely to happen until Covid t is finally knocked on the head, just wants to save a few bob.

Depressing.

PS On the subject of CE only being attended by a handful of people, since when did that bother anyone? Isn't it sung heavenwards? And why didn't anyone quote, 'When two or three are gathered together' ? A number which includes the choir!

[DracoM]

Utterly echo every syllable.
'Dean' digging himself ever deeper into the pit he started.


PS Do the Shefff Cath supporters know how much support this Forum is giving them?

[Keraulophone]

As for Hugh Morris, Director of the RSCM, he is clearly anxious, at all cost, to avoid being drawn in to the dispute.

Rather than lend tacit support to the Dean’s ‘strategic planning’, this would have been a welcome opportunity for the Director of the RSCM to have acknowledged that, regardless of the Dean and Chapter’s plans or ambitions for music in Sheffield Cathedral, this whole episode has been very poorly managed (and IMO in an unchristian manner), particularly with regard to the outgoing DoM, Lay Clerks and choristers and their families. A letter in this week’s Church Times presents the heartfelt viewpoint of two (ex-)choristers and elsewhere a Lay Clerk with over twenty years’ service says he has not received any appreciation of his contribution from the D&C.

[oddoneout]

In the latter part of "Sunday" R4 7.10am today they did a piece on Sheffield, culminating with the Dean on the end of a telephone. If you are interested enough to listen, don't raise your hopes, IIRC (I was waking up) it was an ineffectual exercise with only a minor attempt to challenge the cleric. IIRC bullying wasn't mentioned.

The issue of what they hoped to achieve was addressed, and surprise surprise, there didn't seem to be much of an idea other than "not what we had". Whereas it would seem its a classic case of poor management (and a very, very English trait) in failing to deal directly and properly** with an HR problem, which from the reports seem to be in the nature of bullying.
(**That is, following protocols so its legally defensible).

If it is being investigated as they claim it is,then one shouldn't expect it to be mentioned, since nothing can be said until the investigation is concluded.

[Finzi4ever]

It was fairly evident from the very gentle nudging of Edward Stourton that the Dean doesn't think the regular standard of singing is good enough! In ref to excellence and a choir singing at a quality that's thrilling(!) he said 'that's not the case at the moment'. He also referred to the choir not being full for some time. He even admitted that the Covid break was a 'good opportunity to rethink'... which was pretty brazen, I thought. If you haven't yet signed up to the campaign, please do.

[Cockney Sparrow]

If it is being investigated as they claim it is,then one shouldn't expect it to be mentioned, since nothing can be said until the investigation is concluded.

Not sure I agree with that. Its not a criminal investigation - there's no suggestion it founded such a complaint. I haven't followed every link etc here, but hasn't bullying been mentioned in the press (Guardian, etc) reports. If so, the BBC could rightly pose the question to the Dean's and see what his response is. He doesn't have to answer substantively, well I'd be prepared to bet he wouldn't.

I won't get further involved in this thread because I can't see the C of E, even when operating near effectively, arranging a better outcome for the Sheffield Choir, and its a long time since I had any involvement in the church music scene and the way its set up. But FWIW I can't see the likes of members of the Sheffield Cathedral Chapter, or whoever else is responsible for oversight of the conduct of them and the Dean, making him change his mind.

It was fairly evident from the very gentle nudging of Edward Stourton that the Dean doesn't think the regular standard of singing is good enough! In ref to excellence and a choir singing at a quality that's thrilling(!) he said 'that's not the case at the moment'. He also referred to the choir not being full for some time. He even admitted that the Covid break was a 'good opportunity to rethink'... which was pretty brazen, I thought. If you haven't yet signed up to the campaign, please do.

I think he was allowed an easy way out by Stourton. Its all seems very gentlemanly.

I did sign the petition (despite my pessimistic view of the outcome of this).

Edit: I suppose one benefit of keeping up the storm of protest is to deter wayward Clerics elsewhere from following his example (or aiming at a similar outcome) as a way of solving other problems. I suppose there are music staff furloughed where their employer will now need to make increasing contributions to pay between 1 August and October

[mw963]

It was fairly evident from the very gentle nudging of Edward Stourton that the Dean doesn't think the regular standard of singing is good enough! In ref to excellence and a choir singing at a quality that's thrilling(!) he said 'that's not the case at the moment'. He also referred to the choir not being full for some time. He even admitted that the Covid break was a 'good opportunity to rethink'... which was pretty brazen, I thought. If you haven't yet signed up to the campaign, please do.

I can't remember when Sheffield last did a broadcast, but within (I think) the last five years or so I made a recording of one, which included Psalms 126 - 131 (ie the 27th evening). The singing was spectacularly good, particularly in the last two, where the sensitivity and control were up there with the very best cathedral choirs. I in fact sent the recording to a friend. who hitherto had been somewhat of the opinion that the Sheffield thing was all a storm in a teacup, but he's now realised why so many of us are up in arms.

Now I don't know what's been going on more recently, but if the Dean is correct in his view (which I doubt, I increasingly think he's going in for my "Biggest Fool of the Year Award") then the musical standards must have fallen off a cliff quite recently. And somehow I doubt it......

[W.Kearns]

At risk of stating the blindingly obvious, I don't think the Dean of Sheffield knows much about the ecology of choir life. (Apologies if that phrase sounds pompous; it's my inadequate attempt to encompass the idea that a cathedral choir exists within a tradition that is older and greater than itself.)

Do the theological colleges teach prospective clergy anything about church music and its history? If not, why not?

[ardcarp]

the ecology of choir life

..an excellent phrase, WK.

[Pulcinella]

Researching his (the dean's) background, I decided to listen to the second of a set of three interviews he gave in 2018, linked to in his Wiki page:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Bradley_(priest)

I was pleasantly surprised, and it raised my hopes for a conciliatory approach to be adopted regarding the future of the choir.

[Alison]

Researching his (the dean's) background, I decided to listen to the second of a set of three interviews he gave in 2018, linked to in his Wiki page:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Bradley_(priest)

I was pleasantly surprised, and it raised my hopes for a conciliatory approach to be adopted regarding the future of the choir.

I’ve just listened to the first one; a firm
Clue, it seems to me, that money may be the issue