Press
The Diocese of Leeds has the largest church programme of choral music for young people in the United Kingdom.
Our Choral Directors work with some 3500 children weekly (over 100 groups across 53 schools), returning to their bases to run our elite choirs; 6 boys’ choirs, 6 girls’ choirs, 5 mixed children’s choirs, 2 youth choirs, 3 university choirs and an adult choir, all drawing their membership from our school sessions.
There are two main elements to the system: auditioned choirs for boys and girls and the Diocesan Schools Singing Programme. These two areas of work are complementary and the musical and educational rewards flow into the schools and the liturgical life of the Diocese.
Click here to read testimonials from schools, choir members and parents.
The development of the choral programme is facilitated by a financial partnership with schools, and has been the subject of a number of press articles and news reports in recent years. A selection of these is reproduced below by kind permission of the publishers and broadcasters.
Songs of Praise – Primary School Choirs ( © BBC Television)
Songs of Praise – Bradford Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs ( © BBC Television)
News report – Chapeltown Choir School Project ( © BBC Television)
News report – Singing to Pope Benedict ( © BBC Television)
Past Hymns ( © 2018 Music Teacher Magazine)
A Top-flight Choir ( © 2018 Catholic Herald)
Schools Singing Programme ( © 2017 The American Organist)
Singing Our Praises ( © 2016 Royal School of Church Music)
Its all about the music for Leeds Choirs (© 2016 Catholic Universe)
Finding their voices ( © 2016 The Tablet)
Medal Glory for Bradford Girls (© 2014 Catholic Universe)
Sure Foundation (© 2014 Music Teacher)
Leeds Diocese Youth Choirs (© 2014 Catholic Life)
Leeds Cathedral leads the way (© 2013 Organists Review)
The heart of cathedral music ( © 2012 Cathedral Music Magazine)
New appointment at Leeds ( © 2012 Friends of Cathedral Music)
Singing for the Pope ( © 2010 Times Educational Supplement)
New Cathedral Organ ( © 2010 Organists Review)
Choristry revival ( © 2010 Bath Abbey Music Society)
Inner-city voices ( © 2010 Yorkshire Evening Post)
First state primary turns choir school ( © 2009 Times Educational Supplement)
A week in the life of a Choral Director ( © 2009 Diocese of Leeds)
Singing in Leeds Diocese ( © 2009 Association of British Choral Directors)
Roll out the choirs ( © 2008 Classical Music Magazine)
Laying Solid Foundations ( © 2008 Choir and Organ Magazine)
Sing Choirs of Schoolkids ( © 2007 The Tablet)
Donated..can I encourage others to do so? @DOLMusic, partners of @GabrieliCandP ROAR, do wonderful work with young people, many of them quite disadvantaged. A great cause. https://t.co/DuaCrii6B6
@RowganC @rowan_lilia @thomas_leech @alexanderbkyle @DOLMusic Just supported this ...I hope others do !
@thomas_leech @DOLMusic Abs fab to hear such amazing progress. @DOLMusic is a REAL education project, culturally diverse, working from grass roots, and about training up to a high level. No short cuts!
Started today with an hour with Y5 and 6 in St Philip's Middleton, part of Leeds with extremely high levels of multiple deprivation...that weekly work for @dolmusic is as rewarding and even more important than the glorious polyphony the cathedral choir sings daily...
Today at Leeds Cathedral:
5.10pm Vespers (Girls, Scholars and UTEP Chamber Choir)
Magnificat octavi toni, Morales
5.30 pm Mass (Scholars and UTEP Chamber Choir)
Missa IX, Gregorian
Exultate justi, Viadana
Locus iste, Bruckner
Wonderful music this evening as the Choir and Trombone Quartet of the University of Texas at El Paso joined the Leeds Cathedral Boys Choir for Mass
Today at Leeds Cathedral:
5.30 pm Mass (Boys and UTEP Chamber Choir)
Missa XI, Gregorian; Coronation Mass, Mozart (S)
Ubi caritas et amor, Duruflé
Agnus Dei, Mozart
A stunning concert of Renaissance Masterpieces sung by the Cathedral Choirs and the Chamber Singers and Trombone Quartet of the University of Texas at El Paso at St Wilfrid's Church in Ripon.
The second features the senior boys' and girls' choirs of Bradford Catholic Youth Choir as they prepare for their tour to Rome.
This is at St Walburga's Church, Shipley, 4pm