York Minster Celebrates Faith and Music

“Music is central to the life of the church; we are a people who are called to sing!

York Minster’s Precentor, Canon Victoria Johnson as the Church Times Festival of Faith and Music opens in the Minster

New Festival of Faith and Music in York Minster

The world of church and choral music in all its glory will be celebrated this weekend in the Church Times Festival of Faith and Music held for the first time at York Minster.

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell will give a keynote speech at the festival which is a new venture between the Church Times and the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM), that opens today (Friday 26) until Sunday 28 April.

The event is for clergy, music leaders, people involved in church music and anyone with a general interest in sacred music and the three-day programme features a range of speakers who will share their perspectives on the world of church and choral music.

 It includes workshops and discussions from how to take a church choir into the community, using music to support church engagement with dementia, to caring for a pipe organ, choosing hymns, and growing the church younger through music.

Festival goers will also be able to experience York Minster’s choral music tradition at special services and at Evensong during the weekend.

York Minster’s outgoing Precentor, Canon Victoria Johnson, who is soon to take up a new role as Dean of St John’s College Cambridge, will return for the festival to give a talk based on her new book, “On Voice:  Speech, Song, Silence: Human and Divine” an exploration of the power, sound and sonics of the human voice in sacred and divine music.

She said:

“Music is central to the life of the church; we are a people who are called to sing!  It’s wonderful to be part of the very first Church Times Festival of Faith and Music at York Minster, a cathedral with a rich history of music-making.  

“Clergy and musicians from all over the country will come together in York to celebrate music and song within the life of faith and discipleship and encourage one another in making music to the glory of God.”

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