Parish churches need support to preserve the tradition of choral evensong | Letter
Dr Andrew James Sillett of St Giles’ church in Oxford says parish churches need help to flourish just as cathedrals doDr Coco Parkinson-Huggins (Letters, 13 October) is right to highlight...
By Guardian Staff · The Guardian Opinion
Dr Andrew James Sillett of St Giles’ church in Oxford says parish churches need help to flourish just as cathedrals do Dr Coco Parkinson-Huggins ( Letters, 13 October ) is right to highlight the severe financial pressures facing England’s cathedrals and the threat that this poses to choral music. Yet the future of choral evensong depends not just on cathedrals. Across the country, there are parish churches that sustain choirs, train young organists and offer regular opportunities for children and adults to participate in this living tradition. I am a churchwarden and singer at St Giles’ church in Oxford, where locally recruited choirs of boys, girls and teenagers sing choral evensong every Sunday. Alongside these choirs, around 40 organ students are currently learning through the church, and we are investing in a major new pipe organ to support future generations of musicians. Continue reading...