Church Choir Award announced by RSCM and Cathedral Music Trust

The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and Cathedral Music Trust are working in partnership to offer the Church Choir Award, announced on 19 April 2022.

Choirs are invited to apply for grants of up to £10,000 for ‘a specific, innovative, or enriching project aimed at developing excellence, be that through choral and organ training programmes, imaginative recruitment projects, or through projects involving the wider community and local schools’.

As well as funding from Cathedral Music Trust, award holders will also receive one year’s affiliation to RSCM and one year’s free subscription for the choir to access the soon-to-be-released Voice for Life digital resource, the RSCM’s acclaimed training programme which helps singers to develop vocal skills, musical understanding and knowledge of repertoire.

RSCM Director Hugh Morris said, ‘At the RSCM, we work to enable the flourishing of church music. We celebrate its role in worship, and its part in our rich heritage across the UK. We nurture from childhood a love and understanding of church music, developing skills for a lifelong journey, and advocate the positive impact it has on wellbeing.

‘It is fantastic to be able to offer this award in partnership with Cathedral Music Trust, creating opportunities for choirs to enrich more lives through music in worship.’

Peter Allwood, Chair of Cathedral Music Trust, said, ‘We are committed to supporting excellence in liturgical music at a grass-roots level, particularly given all the challenges choirs have faced since the outbreak of the pandemic. We are therefore delighted to be launching the Church Choir Award in association with the RSCM. By working together, we will be able to transform more lives through sacred choral and organ music, and enrich the worship in local communities.’

Applications

• Read the full guidelines here.
• The application deadline is 23.59 on Friday 27 May 2022.