Christ Church choir faces financial ruin

Mark Hilliard

Christ Church choir: €1.4m annual maintenance bill

IT is one of the most prestigious choirs in Ireland, formed more than 500 years ago and renowned for performing the first ever version of Handel's Messiah.

But this weekend, serious concerns surround the future of Christ Church choir, with funding difficulties threatening to bring an end to centuries of tradition.

Church officials remain tight-lipped on the issue and sources said that the fate of its famous singers would not be clear until early this week.

A spokeswoman explained that because matters were "in a state of flux", the church was unable to comment.

The Sunday Tribune understands that a meeting between choir members and management was held on Friday to discuss the situation after rumours of the choir's disbanding began to spread late last week.

Whatever its outcome, mounting financial troubles at the landmark Dublin cathedral have been no secret and are putting a stranglehold on its future.

The €1.4m annual maintenance bill has traditionally been met by visitors paying to enter the hallowed halls.

However, in an open letter on the church website, the Very Reverend Dermot Dunne, dean of Christ Church, said that income had dropped significantly in recent times.

"Financial predictions for this year indicate that income from visitors will drop by 25%," he wrote.

"The cathedral chapter and board have budgeted expenditure in the light of the fall-off in visitor numbers.

"Many stringent cuts to expenditure have been put in place. Despite these cuts, the cathedral is heading for an end-of-year deficit of €200,000 to maintain even the minimum of its services."

Management restructuring and an upcoming fundraising drive are included in measures designed to "ensure the survival of the cathedral in these harsh economic times".

"The cathedral depends totally on voluntary donations for its survival. It is important that we save Christ Church Cathedral from financial collapse," wrote Reverend Dunne.

Choir services are performed five times a week by both the professional mixed-adult choir and the cathedral girls' choir.

The Cathedral Choir, whose foundation goes back to 1493, is hailed as one of the finest in Ireland and is in constant demand for external performances.

It famously took part in the first performance of Handel's Messiah in 1742.

Over the years, it has successfully toured in countries including England, France, New Zealand, Germany, Croatia and Slovenia.

May 16, 2010

Comments

#1 Kenneth Robinson commented, on May 18, 2010 at 12:46 p.m.:

There is a solution. Recruit boys from local schools - train them up. Get rid of the overpaid, vibrato-using sopranos. Then, Christ Church can return tio being a boys' and men's choir. Oh yes, reduce the number of lay clerks to six.

#2 Jon commented, on May 18, 2010 at 12:55 p.m.:

Finance is a major headache for cathedrals! My local cathedral used to be run by a 'difficult' Dean who for all his faults was superb at fundraising. A friend described the place under his leadership as 'spiritually bankrupt', and whether that was true or not, the fact is a spiritually bankrupt cathedral can muddle through, but a financially bankrupt cathedral would have to shut its doors.

#3 David Drinkell commented, on May 18, 2010 at 4:06 p.m.:

Kenneth Robinson's view on recruiting boys is all very well, but fails to take into account the fact that Christ Church was unable to recruit sufficient numbers of boys way back in the seventies, which is why the present mixed-voice choir evolved. Times may have changed, but the problems of getting boys into central Dublin are worse than they were. Can, or should, Dublin support two similar choirs? Perhaps not. The present set-ups at St. Patrick's and Christ Church complement each other very well and one hopes that the Christ Church situation will work itself out satisfactorily.

Speaking as a former Organist of Belfast Cathedral, I know that a firm financial footing is essential. The late Dean Jack Shearer was a wizard at fund-raising (although unlike Jon's Dean, I found him to be a deeply spiritual man and a joy to work with) and his work, together with due respect for economy, made it so much easier for the Cathedral to function.

#4 Alison Cadden commented, on May 18, 2010 at 4:12 p.m.:

However ghastly financial bankruptcy, in eternal terms spiritual bankruptcy is more perilous... Very sorry to hear about these troubled times, & offering prayers for wisdom to move forward in faith & in the hope that the glorious music which is a fine tradition of CCD might continue. Best wishes Judy.

#5 Tuba Mirabilis commented, on May 18, 2010 at 4:35 p.m.:

Kenneth Robinson's comment is both unhelpful and chauvinistic. From his description, I can only assume he has never heard the choir. It is one of the finest of any cathedral and highly regarded across the world. Far from being overpaid, the Christ Church choir are a rewarded pitifully for what they really contribute. This is a perennial problem for church musicians within the British Isles and Ireland and one that contributes to the massive shortage of good organists and choral directors, so many of whom can no longer afford to subsidise the church.

The future is clear: those of us who value cathedral choral music must come together to provide the necessary funding and support for this unique tradition. This includes fair pay for church musicians, who currently are lucky to be paid a higher wage than a lavatory cleaner. If we do not, the tradition will die and possibly within the next 25 years.

So carry on Kenneth: do your worst, you are simply contributing to the demise of a tradition you claim to value.

In the end it is the responsibility of the clergy and the cathedral board to find this funding rather than simply throwing their hands up in horror and abdicating all responsibility.

It has been alleged that while the choir pay at Christ Church is being savagely cut, the clergy of the diocese have taken a 5% pay rise. If this is true, it is scandalous. Perhaps someone from the Sunday Tribune could look into it....

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