Music
Music is a vital and beautiful part of Cathedral Life. From complementary music during services and ceremonies, to our popular organ recitals and concerts; the musical tradition of Liverpool Cathedral is of the highest standard. Our choral tradition relies on a choir with voices of men, boys and girls.
Girls’ Voices
The Girls’ Voices of Liverpool Cathedral Choir made their stunning debut during our Centenary Year in 2004. Currently consisting of 26 girls aged between 9 and 15. We do not have a Choir School and the girls come from a variety of backgrounds and faiths across Merseyside. They sing regularly at services, complementing the rich tones of the Mens’ voices and also sing in their own right.
Their first tour, to Cologne, took place during Summer 2006, and in December of that year, accepted Cherie Booth’s kind invitation to sing at Number 10 Downing Street on the occasion of the lighting of their Christmas tree.
The Cathedral offers the highly coveted position of becoming a Girl Chorister entirely free of charge. Their robes, the choral tuition, the facility to learn any instrument of choice and be professionally graded, transport costs and the amazing opportunity of touring different cities, all costs in the region of £50,000 each year. We are very fortunate in that historic benefactors have laid firm foundations for the support of the boy choristers, which we are now seeking to do for the girls too. Although they have worked hard to raise in excess of £40,000 through their own fundraising efforts,it is vital that an £850,000 endowment fund is established so that we may secure their future development and the great contribution they make to the Cathedral Choir.
The Willis Organ
The Grand Organ is the largest Cathedral organ in the UK with 9,765 hand crafted pipes, and the largest operational Organ in the world. We spend approximately £20,000 per year on the fortnightly tuning of the Organ and its basic general maintenance. The longest speaking pipe is 32ft and the smallest pipe is only quarter of an inch. It was completed in 1924 then rebuilt between 1958-1960 by the designer, Henry Willis III, so now an estimated £500,000 is needed to carry out comprehensive repairs and adjustments, and for the first time in more than 30 years, a comprehensive clean.
Undercroft
The Undercroft situated beneath the main Cathedral, is not open to the public but is used extensively by various departments. The primary function of this space is for music administration, the musical tuition and training, with limited rehearsal space, together with welfare and recreational facilities for all of the choristers. The Undercroft now desperately needs modernising with added facilities for upto 60 choristers.
Cost for refurbishment has been estimated at £250,000