TALENTED youngsters will benefit from a £20,000 donation given to help up and coming choristers.
The cheque will be presented to the Dean of Durham, the Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove, by Peter Smith, the National Gatherings Manager for the Friends of Cathedral Music (FCM) at Durham Cathedral on Sunday.
The donation to the cathedral’s Music Endowment Fund will enable choristers to benefit from means-tested bursaries by attending the choristers’ school adjacent to the cathedral, which was attended by both former Prime Minister Tony Blair and comedian Rowan Atkinson.
The cathedral’s Master of the Choristers and organist, James Lancelot benefited from a similar bursary as a child and said they are very important for young choristers.
He said: “We are deeply grateful to the Friends of Cathedral Music for this generous donation. Our aim is to try to make chorister education available to all boys and girls who have the potential to benefit from it most, regardless of financial circumstances.
“Speaking as one whose parents could not have afforded full boarding fees for me but who nevertheless received a wonderful education free of charge as a chorister of St Paul’s Cathedral, I am passionately committed to this cause and to seeing other children gain the same sort of experience that I did.
“The FCM’s donation to our endowment fund brings this goal nearer, and it is a marvellous boost for us here in Durham.”
Mr Lancelot added: “At Durham Cathedral, music is at the heart of our daily worship. The cathedral choir sings eight services per week.
“It has 20 girl and 20 boy Choristers and 12 men, continuing a centuries-old English tradition.
“Concerts, recordings and broadcasts have broadened its reputation far afield, but its raison d’être remains the daily singing of choral services at in the cathedral.”
Mr Smith said: “The opportunity to support the cathedral choir and to strengthen the musical talent which already exists at Durham Cathedral is something FCM regards as worthy of support and meets our objectives in safeguarding the priceless heritage of cathedral music in Britain.
“All the subscription income from our members (close on 4,000) is now handed out in grants and in this year alone we are giving £125,000 to eight cathedrals. Since our foundation in 1956 we have been able to pass on a total of over £2million.”
Meanwhile a reception was held in the Monk’s Dormitory at the cathedral last night to welcome a new manuscript loaned by Hartlepool Borough Council.
The Antiphonal was on display at the reception along with other manuscript treasures from the cathedral’s collections.
The manuscript was written around 1481 for the Benedictine abbey of San Prospero at Reggio d’Emilia in Italy. The enormous manuscript contains the liturgical psalter and hymns to be said or sung alternately, ‘antiphonally’, between the priest and the choir. The volume is beautifully illuminated with initials in red, blue and green and the binding consists of metal corner and side-pieces to protect the vellum pages.
The cathedral’s head of marketing Ruth Robson said: “The acquisition of this beautiful manuscript significantly strengthens Durham’s outstanding collections of music manuscripts and early printed books, including an 11th century hymnal, the books used during services by the cathedral choir as well as vocal and instrumental works dating from the 17th century onwards.”
