Appointments 2

[michaelwilson 0]

Dónal McCann, organ scholar at King's College Cambridge, has been appointed Assistant Organist at New College, Oxford.

[Andrew Butler 0]

Can anyone shed any light on what's going on at Sheffield?

[Stanley Monkhouse 0]

I can shed no light, only add to the search for it. This will come as no surprise to anyone who has kept up with contemporary church politics and finances. The current situation and the likely immediate future make for very gloomy prospects for the church in general and cathedrals and choirs in particular, especially those away from major tourist trails. Think of Carlisle, Newcastle, Blackburn, Bradford, Ripon, Derby, Birmingham, Bury St Edmunds, Portsmouth, Truro. The life of a DOM for cathedrals without choral foundation or choir school must be hugely arduous: chorister recruitment, retention and nurturing, keeping clear of the mires of clergy politics, the routine stuff and more. I hope Sheffield can work its way through this and live to tell the tale. I wonder about the sustainability of boarding choir schools with not only financial pressures, but increasingly too an awareness of the harmful effects of boarding on the very young. And with the economic double whammy of brexit and virus, how many families will be able to afford fees? Sheffield and other places need support.Edit or delete this

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[Positif 0]

I hear Andrew Bryden is leaving (has left?) Ripon?

[DaveHarries 0]

5 hours ago, Positif said:

I hear Andrew Bryden is leaving (has left?) Ripon?

Can't find anything from Ripon Cathedral, either on social media or the cathedral website, saying so. Doesn't mean he hasn't of course.

Dave

[Positif 0]

16 minutes ago, DaveHarries said:

Can't find anything from Ripon Cathedral, either on social media or the cathedral website, saying so. Doesn't mean he hasn't of course.

Dave

Indeed (which is why it all seems a bit worrying). I saw it on Mr Bryden's Twitter feed.

[AJJ 0]

...and is there some kind of interregnum currently at Bury St Edmunds too?

A

[AndrewG 0]

3 hours ago, Positif said:

Indeed (which is why it all seems a bit worrying). I saw it on Mr Bryden's Twitter feed.

His Twitter Feed and retweets by well placed local sources suggest it is likely to be true.  

[Jonathan Lane 0]

On 22/07/2020 at 16:33, Stanley Monkhouse said:

I can shed no light, only add to the search for it. This will come as no surprise to anyone who has kept up with contemporary church politics and finances. The current situation and the likely immediate future make for very gloomy prospects for the church in general and cathedrals and choirs in particular, especially those away from major tourist trails. Think of Carlisle, Newcastle, Blackburn, Bradford, Ripon, Derby, Birmingham, Bury St Edmunds, Portsmouth, Truro. The life of a DOM for cathedrals without choral foundation or choir school must be hugely arduous: chorister recruitment, retention and nurturing, keeping clear of the mires of clergy politics, the routine stuff and more. I hope Sheffield can work its way through this and live to tell the tale. I wonder about the sustainability of boarding choir schools with not only financial pressures, but increasingly too an awareness of the harmful effects of boarding on the very young. And with the economic double whammy of brexit and virus, how many families will be able to afford fees? Sheffield and other places need support.Edit or delete this

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Indeed, the next few years are going to be tough for the church and choral music. I am not sure it is the case at Sheffield that politics or finances have anything to do with it but rather a desire to be the best in the UK, which has been somewhat elusive of late for the cathedral's music. Personally, I think they are taking the wrong approach by disbanding the choir and starting again, especially in regards to the children (boys), who will suffer the effects on their mental health for the rest of their lives. The double whammy is actually a triple whammy, because the world was going into recession before Covid-19, adding that and Brexit, finances are going to be difficult for many decades, perhaps another reason why disbanding is foolish at this point.

[Johannes Riponensis 0]

Ripon - see the Cathedral Newsletter of 26 July in which the Dean writes:

At the end of the academic year we announced the departure of our Director of Music, Andrew Bryden, to pursue new opportunities. Andrew joined the cathedral in 1998 as Assistant Director of Music and was promoted to Director of Music in 2003.

I’d like to thank Andrew very much for his service to the cathedral over the past 22 years and we wish him well as he looks to the future. Canon Michael has been collecting cards and letters of thanks from people to pass on to Andrew – please be in touch with Canon Michael if you would like to send your own message.

[ptindall 0]

Looks like a gritted teeth statement to me. 

[DHM 0]

Wakefield is advertising for an Assistant Organist (temporary, one year).

The former Assistant is now apparently Acting DoM.

[David Cynan Jones 0]

Ripon advertising for an Interim Director of Music.

https://www.riponcathedral.org.uk/interim-director-of-music/

[Positif 0]

On 27/08/2020 at 22:36, David Cynan Jones said:

Ripon advertising for an Interim Director of Music.

https://www.riponcathedral.org.uk/interim-director-of-music/

With most cathedral musicians on a term's notice, presumably they're hoping for either an internal appointment or to bring someone out of retirement etc., otherwise it would be a very short fixed term indeed!

[michaelwilson 0]

St Edmundsbury are advertising for a Director of Music:

https://stedscathedral.org/news/vacancies/