New Job Posting

We are looking for a new Choral Director to join our expanding music department. Please do spread the word!

The Diocese of Leeds has an innovative approach to liturgical music centred around its young people. (You may have seen the article in the Tablet 2 weeks ago.) The music programme currently involves 4 childrens choirs at the cathedral and 20 in Bradford. We wish to develop this outreach work from the Cathedral to more schools in the Diocese, particuarly in the areas of Huddersfield and Keighley, and as a result a new full time position is available

This post is funded by Diocesan schools, in conjunction with the Department for Education and Skills.

Diocese of Leeds Seeks Choral Director

To deliver a singing curriculum to children in both primary and secondary schools throughout the Diocese, as part of a well established outreach program.

circa £20.0k plus full pension package

An application pack is available from:

Benjamin Saunders

Director of Music
Cathedral House
Great George Street
Leeds LS2 8BE

Tel. 0113 244 8634

Email: music@leedscathedral.org.uk
Website: www.leedscathedral.org.uk www.bradfordyouthchoir.org

Closing date: 19th June 2007

Busy Summer for Boys

The Bradford Boys' Choir have a busy month ahead with both liturgical and concert performances across West Yorkshire.

This Sunday, the feast of Pentecost, the Boys will sing Mass at St. Peter's Church, Bradford. Music will include a Mass setting by Joseph Haydn, Peter Hurford's 'Litany to the Holy Spirit' and 'Come let us all this Day' by J.S Bach.

Then, from the sacred to the profane, the boys will particapate in a performance of Carl Orff's masterpiece 'Carmina Burana'. This takes place on Saturday 16th June at Leeds Town Hall. The boys will join the the Leeds Philharmonic Chorus, Leeds Cathedral and Leeds Parish Church Boys' choirs accompanied by the Airedale Symphony Orchestra under the direction of John Anderson.

Finally, to conclude the end of the first year of Christopher Johns' Directorship, the boys will sing at the Solemn Mass at Leeds Cathedral on Sunday 24th June at 11am.

Roll of Honour

Following this years success at the Wharfedale Festival, the BYC 'Roll of Honour' has been updated. Take a look here

Thus far we have had our choirs win prizes at two local music festivals, in addition to Yorkshire Martyrs taking the coveted 'Yorkshire Schools Choir of the Year' title for 2007.

Next year will hopefully see us venturing to other music festivals in the area, particularly the Mrs Sunderland competition in Huddersfield, and the Harrogate competition.

Wharfadale Festival Successes!

This years Wharfedale Festival of Performing Arts featured a record number of BYC schools: 10 in all! Between them, they competed in 6 classes singing 24 different pieces of music!!




All the BYC schools performed extremely well: for most, it was their first ever visit to a musical festival and they all thoroughly enjoyed the day.



Two trophy's will spend the next year in Bradford at St. Josephs Catholic College. The A P Farnum Trophy was awarded to St. Josephs for winning the School Choirs 13 and under class. In the same class, the recently formed St. Bedes Male Voice choir achieved a commendable 2nd place with their hearty rendition of 'You'll never walk alone.' St. Joseph's College Choir also claimed the The Elizabeth Ingle Memorial Trophy in the church music class, with a magical performance of Douglas Coombes 'Sing to the Lord of Heaven' (commissioned for last year's festival and premiered by Yorkshire Martyrs.)



Out of 8 choirs competing in the primary school class, 6 were led by BYC directors Christopher Johns and Christopher McElroy. All performed very well with many commendations: St. Walburgas picking up a creditable 2nd place to overall winners; Clayton CoE.

Joseph Update

Unfortunately the BBC Joseph Choir Search site is unable to cope with the 'phenomenal' number of visitors looking to vote, so they have closed it down until next Monday, 21st May. So Please be patient and cats your vote sometime next week..

As an update, St. Joseph's Bingley are currently 14th !!! (Which would put them in the top 20 that Andrew Lloyd Webber would judge.)

St. Walburgas are 199th.

The Telegraph and Argus on Tuesday published an article 'School choirs 'dream' of TV prime show slot!' about the four different Bradford schools that have all entered the competition.. Let's hope Bradford get a representative in the final 20!

Joseph Choir search

Unless you have a very active social life, you will probably have been watching BBC 1's 'Any dream will do' on a Saturday night. The idea behind the show is to find a 'Joseph' to star in the forthcoming West end run of 'Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.'

This program provides a very good role model for those of us working with children's singing, particularly for boys. It is good for boy's to see grown men singing, especially on such a prime time TV slot.

As part of the show, the program has organised a search for a primary school choir to sing on the final show, when the winning Joseph will be chosen. To enter a school has to record a 60 second selection from a medley of Joseph songs, and upload them on to the shows website. People are then invited to go on line a view the clips, and vote for the favorites!

Two of our BYC primary schools have entered - so please do go and vote for them! St. Josephs, Bingley can be found here, and St. Walburgas here.

Best of luck to both schools!

Schools Prom Pictures

In March, the BYC Girls performed at the City of Bradford Schools' Prom at St. Georges Hall - Bradford's premier venue for music and the arts.

Here are some more pictures of the choir taken on that evening: