Wakefield’s best kept secret

The Parish Church of All Saints became the Cathedral for the new Diocese of Wakefield in 1888, and has since developed a splendid tradition of liturgy and music which attracts congregations from a wide area. The Cathedral has a long tradition of training boy choristers. In 1992, it became only the second Cathedral in the country to establish a girl’s choir as well.
Wakefield Cathedral Choir is acclaimed as one of the finest in England but paradoxically has also been described by many as ‘Wakefield’s best kept secret.’ To aficionados of beautiful music, the magnificent performances by the choir and organists at the Cathedral are an enticement to come from far afield. But, amazingly, there are many who live in Wakefield, who are completely unaware of the fabulous music that is produced within the majestic walls of the Cathedral.
Jonathan Bielby is the Director of Music and Thomas Moore is his able Assistant. Under their guidance and mentoring, the choristers flourish and develop, often displaying a purity and perfection of their combined voices that is simply magical.
The music department seeks to uphold and renew the liturgical traditions for which Wakefield Cathedral is famous. It follows an innovative programme of commissioning new music. Amongst those who have written works for the Cathedral Choir are Kenneth Leighton, himself a Wakefield old chorister, Paul Drayton, Philip Moore and many others.
The Cathedral Choir consists of twenty boys, twenty girls and ten lay clerks. The boys come from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Silcoates School and local state schools, with several boys travelling from Doncaster and surrounding area. The lay clerks frequently travel vast distances to join the choir. The boys, girls and men undertake a full programme of services, concerts, recordings and TV appearances. In 2005 they sang in front of the Queen at the Royal Maundy service.
The boy choristers get the opportunity to participate in regular foreign tours. National tours started in 1975 with a visit to Wells Cathedral, and overseas tours include visits to Germany, France and the United States. In August the boys and men undertook a tour to Carlisle Cathedral and next Easter will be visiting Holland. Important occasions this year include the dedication and commissioning of the new cathedral continuo organ on All Saints Sunday, the Gala Concert with the international counter tenor James Bowman on 10 February, and on the 13th July 2007, there will be a recital by the choir of St Thomas, Fifth Avenue, New York under the direction of John Scott, a former chorister and assistant organist of the Cathedral

The Voice of Angels
Jack Johnson was accepted as a Chorister at Wakefield Cathedral when he was only six years old. Six years later, he has recently been appointed Head Chorister. We asked him about what being a chorister entails and what it means to him.

L to R - Jonathan Bielby, Director of Music; Jack Johnson, Head Chorister & Thomas Moore, Assistant Director of Music.

What made you want to be a cathedral chorister?
I think it all started with my love for music and singing. There was an advertisement in the local newspaper and I asked my mum to look into it. I went for a voice trial and got accepted. I remember crying as soon as I heard the news. I don’t know why, I think it was sheer joy and excitement.

As far as a musical education goes, how good is the training you receive?
The training I have received is excellent. The Director of Music, Jonathan Bielby and Tom Moore, his assistant, are two extremely talented musicians, and are completely focussed in maintaining Wakefield Cathedral Choir at the forefront of choral music.

What are the highlights of your time with the choir?
It was very exciting in 2005 to be a part of the Royal Maundy Service, when the Queen visited our cathedral to distribute the Maundy Money. She passed within two feet of me. I bet not that many people get as close to her?
I also remember doing a service at Purston Parish Church, which was attended by the then Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, who was himself a chorister at Wakefield Cathedral.
Our tours to Tuscany, Rome and Carlisle have also been exciting, especially Tuscany as I was only 8 years old at the time.
I have been on TV a couple of times, once doing Songs of Praise and once doing a live broadcast of Christmas is Coming. We also did a live Radio 3 broadcast.

Is it hard work?
It is hard work but there are rewards, such as going on foreign tours and getting paid for weddings and civic services. We even got a set of Maundy Money each for doing the Maundy Service. That will be worth quite a bit in years to come, but I would never sell it as it is a permanent reminder of what I achieved whilst I was in the choir.

Do you enjoy it?
I love being part of a choir that makes a fantastic sound when in full voice and I also love doing solos. It feels good to be part of such a professional team. I would like to learn the organ at some stage and hope that it will not be too long before Mr Moore lets me have a go! The best times are Easter and Christmas when we sing in front of the larger congregations. I also enjoy singing at the various churches within the diocese, as the people there generally make a fuss over us and provide some excellent food in appreciation of our efforts! There is also a good social life as we go football training and swimming, and we also go to Alton Towers and other interesting places.

What is it like going on tour with the choir?
It’s brilliant! Next year we are going to Northern Holland and have just come back from a one week residency at Carlisle Cathedral. We stayed at St Martins College, and Mr Bielby arranged for us to do various activities. When we went to Tuscany, we stayed in a hotel that had a swimming pool on the roof!

How did you feel about being appointed Head Chorister?
It is what I have been working towards ever since I started. I was really pleased when Mr Bielby announced that I had got it! I have enjoyed helping the younger boys fit in and helping them understand what is expected of them. I hope that I can do everybody justice in the position, and I will certainly try my best .