Girl Choristers join Cathedral Music Trust video

Merton's Girl Choristers have joined others from across the UK in a video for The Friends of Cathedral Music (FCM) which is raising funds to help cathedral choirs survive.

A team of musicians at Norwich Cathedral decided to organise a lockdown recording to help highlight the current uncertainty faced by many cathedrals and choral foundations. Our Girl Choristers joined over 250 others from all over the country, as well as singer and radio & TV presenter Aled Jones, soprano Elizabeth Watts, and BBC Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year Anna Haestrup and William Miles-Kingston, to record a rendition of Sing Forever, written by Robert Prizeman and arranged for the project by Ashley Grote, Master of Music at Norwich Cathedral.

The video is part of a fundraising campaign which is seeking to raise £1 million to help choirs during this uncertain time. FCM and Ouseley Church Music Trust (OCMT) launched the Cathedral Choirs Emergency Fund to support choirs silenced during the covid-19 national lockdown. They want to make sure that they return to the musical excellence for which they are renowned throughout the world, and it has become clear that this will only happen with significant additional funds.

FCM, OCMT and the Choir Schools' Association have each committed to making initial contributions of £250,000 each towards the target. They are working together and with other charities to raise funds to provide financial assistance as the response to this crisis unfolds. The aim is to ensure that choirs can remain together and return to their normal high standards of performance once their buildings are opened again.

Merton's Director of Music Benjamin Nicholas said:

"“I am thrilled that a number of our choristers took part in this very worthwhile project - the end result is spectacular. I am also doubly proud that the impetus for all this has come from the wonderful musicians at my home cathedral of Norwich.”