Salford: Children's choral work debut fills theatre with praise for creation

Source: Diocese of Salford

More than one thousand schoolchildren raised the roof of the Lyric Theatre at The Lowry, Salford Quays, this afternoon in celebration of music, faith, and care for common home.

Pupils from 22 schools across Greater Manchester and Lancashire sang in the debut performance of Songs of the Earth, a new set of six short choral songs inspired by nature and created by schoolchildren from the Diocese of Salford.

This new musical masterpiece has been developed as part of the diocese's work with the National Schools' Singing Programme, a UK-wide initiative to encourage the teaching of religious choral music in primary schools.

As part of the programme, Salford Cathedral's Music Department has begun working with schools across the diocese to develop skills in songwriting and performance whilst exploring a range of themes and issues in this new project called the Salford Songbook.

This first chapter of the project turned the schools' attention to the theme of the environment in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si' - a letter written to all people around the world, encouraging them to take urgent environmental action to care for our common home.

The theme was explored through workshops at the Diocese of Salford's environment hub, the Laudato Si' Centre, where six different schools and choirs worked with Bolton-born songwriter, Hannah King, to transform their findings into music.

Today, after months of development and rehearsals, around 1400 pupils from schools across the diocese have performed this exciting work for the very first time to an audience of education and environment leaders, politicians, music experts, and more.

Sir John Rutter, the celebrated choral composer and patron of the National Schools Singing Programme, was delighted to attend and conduct a performance of his work Look at the World, and said: "I can hardly believe I'm here! I'm here to celebrate, with 1400 young schoolchildren, the power of singing and music to transform lives.

"All of these children have had singing made a part of their life at school and that will carry through the whole of their lives, so this is one of the most exciting musical events, for me, of the whole year."

Canon Michael Jones, Dean of Salford Cathedral, said: "Our cathedral music department plays an integral role in our parish community, helping people connect with and deepen their faith through the beauty of sung worship. Today, it's particularly wonderful to see that impact reaching far across the diocese, through our Schools Singing Programme, enabling more than 1000 children to discover and explore our faith through the uniting power of music."

Alex Patterson, Director of Music for Salford Cathedral, said: "It's been a real joy to see our children and young people responding so creatively to the beauty of creation and exploring themes around caring for our common home. Hannah has done a fantastic job in bringing together their ideas and producing songs which the children love singing and which will become available for singing communities across the globe to enjoy."

Emily Cahill, Laudato Si' Centre Environment and Learning Officer, said: "The songbook has been an incredible project to be part of. Through a series of workshops held at our Laudato Si' Centre, children explored the late Pope Francis' teachings in his encyclical Laudato Si', bringing them to life through creative songwriting to really connect with the wonder of creation and why our care for it is so integral to our Catholic faith."

To coincide with its debut performance, a resource pack, including sheet music and recordings, has now been made available to enable more schools to celebrate and explore the teachings of Laudato Si' through the gift of music.

The Salford Schools Singing Programme was formally established in October 2021 as an expansion of Salford Cathedral's Music Foundation and forms part of the National Schools Singing Programme (NSSP). At the core of the programme is the ambition to unlock the potential of children to contribute to and benefit from the Catholic life and mission of the school through singing.

The NSSP provides funding for all Catholic dioceses in the UK and Anglican cathedrals to create or enhance their own music programmes for children educated in state schools.

Salford Cathedral Music Foundation exists to provide opportunities to develop the musical potential of the children, young people, and adults of Salford, from all backgrounds, through active participation in the cathedral's sung liturgies.

22 schools from across Greater Manchester and Lancashire were involved in today's performance. The six groups that participated in the songwriting workshops were pupils from St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Christ the King RC Primary School, Newton Heath, St Antony's RC Primary School, Blackburn, Sacred Heart RC Primary School, Colne, Holy Family RC Primary School, Rochdale, and members of the Cathedral Girls' Choir.

The schools were also supported Salford Cathedral Children's Choir, Salford Cathedral Junior Boys' Choir, Salford Cathedral Girls' Choir.

The resource pack can be accessed at: https://salfordcathedral.co.uk/songbook/

Hannah King is a Bolton-born musician and composer that balances a busy schedule of professional singing, teaching, and workshop leading. Hannah performs with some of the country's leading choirs, including Tenebrae, ORA, and the BBC Singers.