Six talks to get you thinking, and maybe singing… Cheer up those winter nights with six talks that explore the relationship between music and our relationship with God.
Safeguarding the Future of the Parish Choir
It’s generally agreed that churches able to sustain their own choirs are fortunate and that choral practices in churches should be protected wherever possible. The challenge to attract enough singers to form an “SATB” choir is nevertheless an acute one for many choir directors – even though the many personal and communal benefits of joining a choir are now widely understood. Chris will discuss recent research that has detailed these benefits and consider what church leaders and musicians might learn from them. You’ll be invited to share your own thoughts and ideas, drawing on your own experiences of musical life in church as we look to safeguard its future.
Speaker – Dr Chris Dromey
Dr Chris Dromey is Associate Professor in Music at Middlesex University and Director of Music at St Mary & St Gabriel Church, South Harting. His publications include the edited collections The Routledge Companion to Applied Musicology (2023) and The Classical Music Industry (Routledge, 2018, with Julia Haferkorn), the monograph The Pierrot Ensembles: Chronicle and Catalogue, 1912–2012 (Plumbago, 2013), and various chapters, essays, and other articles. Chris also writes programme notes for Kings Place, London, gives pre-concert talks, and is a Trustee of the Society for Music Analysis.
