Cambridge college will create ‘non-music activities in chapel’

Cambridge college will create ‘non-music activities in chapel’

News

norman lebrecht

March 22, 2024

St John’s College Cambridge has issued a statement defending its abolition of St John’s Voices, its renowned mixed chorus.

It says: ‘A comprehensive review of music in College was recently completed. After considering the recommendations of the review, the St John’s College Council made a unanimous decision to pursue a broader approach to other co-curricular opportunities in music for our nearly 1,000 students.’

It adds: ‘The College will maintain its significant commitments to excellence in academic music, to St John’s College Choir, founded in the 1670s, to our classical ensembles, and to our current classical musician-in-residence scheme. The new approach sits alongside plans to develop a programme of non-musical activities in the Chapel, as recommended in a review in 2023 of the contribution the Chapel makes to the life of St John’s.   

‘To pursue these new opportunities in music, the College will redirect the significant resources currently devoted to St John’s Voices, its second Chapel choir. This decision has been taken in the context of the relative levels of support provided to different student co-curricular activities in the College and the choral opportunities already available in the collegiate university, to which St John’s College Choir will continue to make an important and distinctive contribution.’

Almost 7,000 people have signed a petition calling for St John’s Voices to be reinstated.

We may ben heading for a BBC Singers-type showdown.

Comments

  • Graham says:

    If the 7000 petitioners commit to annual donations under a restricted fund limitation which in aggregate meets the College’s savings target on which the policy is predicated, then I think the College should reconsider.

    • GuestX says:

      From the College’s full statement, it looks as though it is not so much about a savings target as about rethinking the role of music in the College, and spending the money in ways that spread musical education and opportunities more widely.

      You are of course right. If the 7000 petitioners got together and each put in £100 to a fund specifically earmarked for St John’s Voices, the College might well be interested.

      As if that is likely to happen!

    • Cambridge Resident says:

      Why should petitioners have to do that when St John’s has an 800m endowment? They can afford to part-purchase properties for new fellows buying houses in Cambridge, one of the priciest areas in the country, but can’t afford to do this?

  • GuestX says:

    Would it be silly to point out that a Chapel is not a concert hall? That the main purpose of a religious service is not the enjoyment of a musical performance?

  • Kingfisher says:

    Which choir will be next? The priceless British choral tradition is under threat.

    Please sign the petition.

    • Nivis says:

      I always enjoy publicly announcing how other people should spend money. It makes me feel that I’m benefiting society. And avoids the need for me actually to contribute anything.

  • IP says:

    Right. Destroy the sense of cohesion instilled by choir singing and replace it with identity nonsense disintegration. Spot on.

  • soavemusica says:

    But is there not already a Mixed Woke Chorus in charge of the entire Cambridge?

    It`s called The End of Days.

  • Zandonai says:

    Non-musical activities are good. To be well-rounded musicians they need to study other subjects (history, philosophy, science, languages) Most conservatory kids don’t know much else except their music.

    • Susan Bradley says:

      St John’s College is not a conservatory.

      • Choral Amateur says:

        Nor even a conservatoire. Although I’m not sure whether or not the comment to which you responded was meant to be ‘clever’ in some way, and merely misspelled, or an indication of genuine ignorance as to the nature of the organisation in question, so to speak.

  • Jim C says:

    So, they have the money, they just don’t want to spend it on “music activities.”

  • Maria says:

    Wonder if many of those 7,000 have been anywhere near to hear them!

  • Nivis says:

    Is there a problem with having non-musical activities in a college chapel ?
    I understand that most concert venues have quite a lot of non-religious activities.

  • GuestX says:

    The statement said rather more than this. Here is some of what was missed out:

    St John’s will create new co-curricular music programmes to meet these changing needs.

    The proposals include:

    1. a scheme to provide music lessons for any St John’s student, from beginners to those who want to revive their music experience
    2. masterclasses in music, for example on song writing
    3. enabling new ensembles and community music-making
    4. supporting other kinds of singing in College, including Aquila, the existing all-female choir, and new opportunities for non-auditioned singing
    5. extending the musician-in-residence scheme, for example to include jazz and pop
    6. music awards to all St John’s students who sing in auditioned choirs in the University
    7. innovative inter-disciplinary projects
    8. outreach and engagement programmes

    It is a shame that SD did not provide a link to the College statement as well as a link to the petition. https://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/music-college-st-johns-statement

    • Nivis says:

      Oh dear. I need something to get indignant about.

      These actually sound like an improvement, and some useful steps to support college music.

      • GuestX says:

        Yes, I agree with you. But no doubt there are SD commenters who will find something to condemn: jazz and pop, outreach, innovative interdisciplinary! Where are my pearls, I need to clutch them.

  • Kingfisher says:

    Why instead of, instead of in addition to?

    St John’s has an Endowment of £900 million.

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