Sheffield Cathedral Choir sings evensong on each weekday except Monday during term-time at 5.45pm. Sunday services are the Sung Eucharist at 10.30am and Evensong at 6.30pm (4.00pm from January 2014). The choristers attend schools all over the city of Sheffield, and come in to rehearsals and services up to five times each week to be joined by the Cathedral Songmen and Student Songmen.
The boy and girl choristers all receive individual singing tuition from specialist vocal tutors during their time in the choir, and, in addition to their regular services, the Cathedral Choir often gives concerts in the Cathedral and beyond, broadcasts on radio and television, and tours at home and abroad. In recent years the choir has given concerts in South Africa, Germany, Holland, the Czech Republic, the USA, France, Hungary, the South Coast of England, the West Country and East Anglia. In the past few years, the choir has made 9 CD recordings, to critical acclaim, with more planned for the future.
Sheffield Cathedral Schola Cantorum is a choir designed to give young women (18+), particularly (but not exclusively) university undergraduates, an opportunity to sing liturgically within the pattern of Cathedral worship. The Schola also sings concerts, mainly at the Cathedral, but also at other venues around the City and region, and occasionally broadcasts on BBC Radio 4’s Daily Service programme.
There are Lunchtime Recitals each Tuesday and Friday during term-time from 1.15 – 2.00pm: these concerts provide a platform for many of the excellent young local musicians that Sheffield has to offer, as well as others from this country, and occasionally from abroad.
In October 2007 the Cathedral Music Department launched its new singing initiative, ‘Sing!’. This project is in partnership with the Choir Schools’ Association and the government and is designed to introduce children to music-making through singing. The Cathedral, working alongside local partners such as the Sheffield Music Services, is working with 13 Sheffield primary schools. The programme has four separate strands: the first is the formation of a junior choir which is based at the Cathedral and gives one concert a term, the second strand involves the Cathedral Choir going into Schools and working with groups of children, the third sees children working in greater detail, with more in-depth coaching from a vocal ‘animateur’, or singing coach. The final strand sees a training scheme, in conjunction with the University of Sheffield, working with trainee animateurs, so that the project can further expand and develop. All of this happens over the course of an academic year.
The Cathedral is also often a centre for workshops/singing days given by distinguished visiting musicians, including Sir David Willcocks, John Rutter, Scott Stroman, Ken Burton, Ralph Allwood, Michael Brewer, David Hill, Barry Rose and Vivien Pike.
