The St John’s Voices choir needs to be saved

Musicmaking in Britain appears to be under attack, as bureaucrats mangle an art form which not only delivers fiscal rewards but brings us closer together as human beings

TWith the Arts Council’s ill-thoughtout cuts, the world of music is starting to feel unbearable pressure

he disbanding of the St John’s Voices choir in Cambridge has caused shock waves in the musical world as yet another blow undermining music-making in this country. SJV created a highly successful mixed voiced choir at a time when women were excluded from the chapel choir, indeed adult women sopranos still are. Under the inspired direction of Graham Walker, Voices has achieved remarkable levels of excellence in the 11 years of its existence.

The reason given for the disbanding is that the funds saved can now be directed at a broader musical arena, which is strange given that St John’s is the second richest Cambridge college and the choir are not paid, meaning that it is only the cost of its inspiring leader that is being re-directed. What does broadening mean if not achievement, diversity and gender equality? It has even been suggested that the admission in 2022 of one woman alto into the chapel choir has “weaponised” this destructive move. News of the disbanding was delivered to a shocked choir as they were getting to the end of a session for their latest CD, rather as ENO musicians were told of their sacking in the interval of a performance of The Handmaid’s Tale.

The producer of this new and possibly last St John’s Voices CD is a fine ex-Radio 3 producer called Jeremy Hayes who I worked with when I was artistic director of the Cheltenham Festival. Many musicians, including the great pianist Alfred Brendel, told me what superb “ears” Jeremy had, so I tend to believe him when he told me that, “Somewhat ironically this latest recording, of some glorious but unknown music by Nikolai Golovanov and three works by his friend Rachmaninov, is probably going to turn out to be the choir’s best recording yet. The choir was on wonderful form and sounded terrific.” Therein lies another reason for the choir’s importance – it is manifestly broadening the repertoire and discovering little-known jewels in the choral repertoire, just as other unsung choirs such as The Ora Singers under Suzi Digby are doing.

The previous master of St John’s, the late Sir Christopher Dobson, under whose aegis Mr Walker founded Voices, was fulsome in describing what an amazing job SJV were doing, so the decision taken by the present master, Heather Hancock, an ex-civil servant, is hard to fathom. We know that singing in a choir enhances human communication (you have to listen to each other) and that music benefits other academic studies and neurological development.

As with the misguided attempt to get rid of the BBC Singers and the Arts Council’s ill-thought-out cuts to precisely those organisations that were fulfilling their mandates like WNO, the London Sinfonietta and Britten Sinfonia, and now the local council cuts to the CBSO and small festivals, it is little wonder that the world of music is starting to feel unbearable pressure.

When I talk to my colleagues abroad they sigh and express condolences at what they can see we are losing up and down the country. With the quality of what we produce we are no longer worthy of the epithet “Das Land ohne Musik” – the land without music – but we could return to those barren days.

At Westminster I have noticed cross-party concern at what is happening to music and even ardent Brexiteers agree that the effects of our negotiations in terms of touring are failing an industry that has historically brought massive revenues to the Treasury. It must be a false economy to mangle an art form that provides not only fiscal nourishment but, vitally, an insight into who and what we are as human beings. Let us hope that, as happened with the BBC Singers, St John’s College Cambridge reappraise and reverse this senseless decision.