Trending Now - English Choirs Strive to Preserve Centuries-old Musical Heritage

WHO:

ABC News - Adrian Bawtree, music director at Rochester Cathedral

ABC News - Jonathan Mayes, CEO of the Cathedral Music Trust

ABC News - Diarmaid MacCulloch, expert on Christianity and emeritus professor at the University of Oxford

WHAT:

ABC News - A campaign is underway to protect England's choral music tradition, which has thrived for nearly 500 years.

ABC News - The Cathedral Music Trust provided 500,000 pounds ($661,000) to 28 cathedrals and churches in 2025.

ABC News - Rochester Cathedral spends about 250,000 pounds ($330,000) annually on music.

WHERE:

ABC News - Rochester Cathedral, England

WHEN:

ABC News - The Choral Evensong service was laid out by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in 1549.

ABC News - The Cathedral Music Trust was founded in 1956.

WHY:

ABC News - The campaign aims to have English choral services recognized as an important part of Britain’s culture under a U.N. program for protecting “intangible cultural heritage.”

ABC News - Declining church attendance and tight funding make it harder to find and train the next generation of choristers.

ABC News - Protecting cultural traditions is crucial for strengthening community identity and bolstering the U.K. economy through heritage tourism.

HOW:

ABC News - The U.K. government is seeking nominations for a nationwide inventory of cultural traditions to be preserved.

(UPDATED April 5, 2026 07:17 UTC)

A campaign is underway to protect England's choral music tradition, which has thrived for nearly 500 years, with the U.K. government seeking nominations for a nationwide inventory of cultural traditions to be preserved. The Cathedral Music Trust, which provided 500,000 pounds to 28 cathedrals and churches in 2025, emphasizes the importance of recognizing English choral services as a vital part of Britain’s culture under a U.N. program for protecting intangible cultural heritage. With declining church attendance and tight funding making it challenging to train the next generation of choristers, experts like Adrian Bawtree from Rochester Cathedral and Jonathan Mayes from the Cathedral Music Trust stress the need to protect these cultural traditions to strengthen community identity and support the U.K. economy through heritage tourism.