Cathedral’s NDA woes deepen
NewsThe Church of England’s National Director of Human Resources is called Emma Trenier.
Ms Trenier lives in Winchester and is married to the Canon Precentor and Sacrist of Winchester Cathedral, Andy Trenier.
As head of HR, she is duty bound to uphold the Archbishop of Canterbury’s 2021 edict against the imposition of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) on staff. Winchester Cathedral recently muted its outgoing director of music, Andrew Lumsden, with a mandatory NDA.
The Treniers must have some interesting silences at home
Well, there’s a thing!!!!
One suspects possibly not widely known…
This entire situation and scenario really does need thorough investigation and explanation immediately.
Very Interesting. It will be interesting to see if the gutless Archbishop does anything. His track record is very poor.
Entirely agree, Tim. And it doesn’t help with His Grace that he is still spending a lot of time looking over his shoulder . . .
It’s all about the power of the Dean in the CofE. Not a parish church, and in any case, has its own bishop.
Sadly bishop equally gutless
But the Dean is in charge in this instance. Seems to me this is what happened in Wakefield when the Dean sided with the Precentor, the latter who got sacked if it had been a parish church, the church congregation would also have more clout and the bishop step in straight away or the Archbishop of York. But as someone not brought up in the CofE but who chose to join it, I am endlessly amazed and shocked by the power of politics and hierarchy in the name of God and his music!
You chose to join the C of E – I chose to leave it for precisely the final point you made in your post! I ceased being a church musician some 10 years ago, and I have to say no regrets whatsoever at having given it all up – haven’t looked back once. I now find life altogether less stressful and frustrating as a result. It is a sad realization with which to be confronted, but today’s church seems to be rife with mundane middle managers and bean counters rather than genuine spiritual visionaries committed to proclaiming the gospel, and cherishing/safeguarding the wonderful musical heritage that so invaluably enriches that message.Given that realization, one could almost foresee the inevitability of the current debacle at Winchester Cathedral. It wasn’t a question of ‘if’, only ‘when’, and it would appear that ‘when’ has finally arrived at Winchester – coming soon to a cathedral near you, when the latest batch of middle managers have been ‘processed’ by theological college, and joined the ranks of the clergy!
Bang on the nail, Maria. The prime example of the type in recent times is of course the appalling Wesley Carr, late Dean of Westminster and scourge of cathedral organists: a man so devoid of Christian charity that, never mind the eye-wateringly candid Telegraph obit, even his entry in the Oxford DNB leaves very little to be read between the lines.
(A comical but clearly stereotypical version of such a character is the overbearing Very Revd Lionel Pugh-Critchley, Dean of St Ogg’s in “All Gas and Gaiters”; the role was played by John Barron, who would go on to make Leonard Rossiter’s life a misery in “The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin”.)
Westminster Abbey has independence as a Royal Peculiar.
Winchester Cathedral’s constitution is in its statutes. The Dean & Chapter can be held to account…….but it’s difficult. Others on here know more about it than I do.
Well then, as head of CofE HR Ms Trenier can save on postage and hand the Revd Canon his P45 over breakfast (God, how they love their titles).
On ‘toast’ preferably!
Can this moment please be live-streamed on the Cathedral’s Facebook page?!
subject, of course, to the appropriate streaming fees being paid to all contributors!
It seems to me that NDAs are inherently wrong.
If it is in both parties’ interests to keep the issue out of the public domain, no such agreement would be necessary.
If it does occur, then one party is effectively bribing the other to keep schtum.
Let’s get away from this pretence. Let’s call it for what it really is: bribery.
Good luck to all those interviewing today…. even more luck to whoever gets it!
Applicants need not apply as the successful candidate has already been chosen!
If you like church music, it is best to listen to it at home rather than attend hypocritical unChristian hotbeds of political mayhem and self interest from those working for the church in the name of God who claim to be Christians but are none other than sheep in wolves clothing.
And they wonder why their Cathedrals and churches are failing and empty??
‘If you like church music’ then you need a choir and Organist of sufficient merit worthy of a BBC R3 Broadcast Evensong or recording Label in order ‘to listen to it at home’….
How about supporting the musicians ~in person~ by attending the service (be they hotbeds of self-interest or not!) as ~they~ are the true ‘victims’ here!
For an empty church = no choir to listen to within or without the home.
PS – It’s Barry Rose’s 90th Birthday today – perhaps NL might publish something worthy of his contribution to this cause over the 65+ years …? 🙂
The problem here is that nothing will happen to correct this appalling situation. Nothing criminal or illegal has happened. Guidance from the Archbishop has been ignored, but as the church is both judge and jury in this whole saga, they will conveniently wash it all under the carpet.
Both of the Treniers and their woke DEI agenda need to go, and so does the dean, who has ignored all of the unprofessional behaviour going on in her office. It is disturbing that she is all smiles and light, but underneath has allowed all of this to go on. The only conclusion is that she supports Trenier, who all of the musicians and many others loathe. Make no mistake about it, they all know they are about to be exposed big-time by the major media. When that happens, the Friends of the Cathedral, and everyone else, is going to learn about what they have done. One wonders if they think will be able to stand there in the pulpit and carry on, with the stink spreading all over the place. In their arrogance they probably do.
Ties in nicely with the recent Private Eye piece on goings-on in Winchester
I walked past the cathedral today and noticed a poster on the railings inviting people to Evensong where they can experience ‘world class music’. Talk about hypocritical…….with choristers and lay clerks haemorrhaging from this world class choir I wonder if there will be any music left that is worth listening to. Still that would mean no job for a Precentor, unless he wants to showcase his own musical talent without being overshadowed! I cannot understand how this is being allowed to continue. A world class choir brought to its knees by the arrogance and bullying of one man and the weakness of his line manager. Decades of recent, fine musical tradition wiped out. The King is patron of the Friends, I wonder what he would think?
It won’t be long before the Friends, and the world, find out what has happened here. My guess is that Trenier and probably the dean will have no choice but to go.
But if Trenier goes (sooner or later) … where will he be ‘promoted’ to wreak havoc ? I’d be inconsolable if he arrived at my Cathedral.
How ironic the Cathedral loos are plastered with Safeguarding notices.
Hypothetical Scenario – Would the following be considered ‘conflicts of interest’:
A cathedral precentor, responsible for the wellbeing of a choral foundation, has own children who sadly, didn’t pass the entrance audition for the cathedral choir. As a result, he then proceeds to make life difficult for the Director of music over several years, including a misguided application of EDI to justify their actions in a leaked presentation?
Same precentor also sits on the governing body of the affiliated cathedral school, and own children sadly didn’t pass the entrance exam. He then proceeds to make life difficult for the school.
And a Dean who is aware of all the above but does nothing to stop the bullying precentor, pretends all is well and in addition allows the ‘recruitment’ of a new director of music to take place in a very short window and only have the position ‘advertised’ locally, with the interview scheduled for the day after the deadline, really have the best interests of the cathedral and it’s choral foundation at heart? Would their position as Dean ultimately be found to be untenable?
And would the incoming Director of Music not have any qualms about damaging a lifetimes reputation to be complicit in such a scenario because they are ‘a friend of the precentor’?
Would no-one in a position of authority and trust at the cathedral stop to think or ask:
a) Is this wise?
b) Is this in the best interests of an excellent and centuries old choral foundation?
c) Is this in the best interests of the cathedral locally?
d) Is this in the best interests of the cathedral nationally?
e) Will no-one in the wider musical world wonder why a superb musician with a proven and sustained track record has been issued with an NDA after understandably throwing in the towel were such a scenario to occur?
Surely HR would have something to say about this and step in? Conflict of interest on the part of the precentor in this hypothetical scenario? And what if his wife were found to be Head of HR for the Church of England? Another conflict?
Just joining the dots and asking for a friend…..
Dots well and truly joined up, I feel! So what’s next?
Dots joined and nail hit fair and square on its head! Sadly this glorious hypothetical scenario is not being taken up by the local press let alone the nationals. A local commentator asked why such large sums were spent restoring the Willis organ, implying that this was a waste of money. While such philistines exist the fate of cathedral music is hardly a matter of concern and the bullying (alleged!!)will continue. It will only take a few weeks to dismantle a glorious centuries-old tradition but it might take years to get it back again. I hope visitor numbers plummet, but they probably won’t. Even Winchester’s ridiculously high parking fees have not managed to put off the tourists. I hope the cathedral choir all resign en masse after Dr Lumsden’s departure and that visiting choirs, orchestras and performers all boycott the cathedral in protest.
The Mail on Sunday has indeed published today. It all has to be checked for accuracy and legality, I believe.
Hi JtD,
I believe your comments might be published in a national journal soon. Please would you let me know if you would like my source to try to stop this?
I support the campaign for the full truth and come clean to persuade the D&C. I am not sure that you will want your hypothesis to be repeated more widely.
Best wishes
Michael (Former Layclerk and Pilgrims School)
Archbishop will, as usual, do nothing until it’s all too late
Just read this article, some disturbing parallels: think bullying, NDAs and senior clergy unwilling to get involved. You would have thought the new Bishop of Winchester would want tackle this rather quickly before it gets out of hand given his predecessor.
https://anglican.ink/2021/05/28/winchester-prepared-to-bounce-bullying-bishop/
Couldn’t everyone involved in this farce be made to sit down in the nave on the stone floor, with no cushion and in full view of congregation and public whilst they sort through the casket of bones in the arches above the main aisle and which have been tipped out at least twice in history. Once all bones had been matched, with guidance from forensic anthropologists, humility may have returned to the CofE, science would have been seen to have trumped religion and King Cnut could finally be laid to rest in England, Norway or Denmark, all countries ruled by him at the same time and who has been disserved by church servants writing history for their own purposes. As Cnut said to his couriers, “look a king is not greater than God : he cannot control the waves.” Music matters. Truth also.
This type of behaviour is very sad. It’s not the only place this has happened . The Powers that be need to step up and deal with itH
Disgraceful and I am surprised Dr Lumsden hasn’t seen solicitors for constructive dismissal and for advice over the NDA. I suppose he is near retirement anyway and didn’t want a fuss. Sadly hypocrisy and bullying is all to prevalent in the C of E. It’s a dying institution anyway. Though it doesn’t have a choir i’m much happier now being a member of a Reformed Baptist Church. It’s a close supportive congregation.
Unfortunately Dr Lumsden has been pushed into a ‘gagging order’ – let’s call it what it is – by relentless bullying, and is therefore unable to defend himself, and that apparently also applies to his family and colleagues. It would seem that such measures are usually only used when organisations would prefer shortcomings in their workings to be covered up…
Always beware of clergy with BIG & WIDE clerical collars