Cathedral concerts: how to solve the issue of mushy acoustics
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of programming and putting on dozens of concerts in large church buildings and cathedrals. I’ve always been aware of both the pros and cons of creating music in these magnificent spaces – in particular the vastly different way you experience a performance close up and far away. A thrilling encounter in the front row can be utterly different from what audiences experience in the appropriately cheap seats at the back, where you can’t see anything and where the fine performance – especially of louder, busier music – has turned to an unprocessable mush in the gloriously reverberant acoustic.
A few things got me thinking about how you could solve that problem – how you could create an event in a huge cathedral that was spectacular, beautiful and memorable for everyone in the audience, not just those paying top whack in the first few rows. Something of huge musical range that looks and feels as good as it sounds.
The magic of moving around the building
First of all, I thought of the many times I’d both sung in, and been in the congregation for, cathedral carol services where the choir moves around the building at different points of the liturgy, ‘visiting’ different parts of the congregation. Then I remembered the times, in my first post-university job as manager of the Hilliard Ensemble, when their celebrated collaboration with saxophonist Jan Garbarek played to packed audiences in numerous reverberant cathedrals around the world. Both Jan and the singers moved around the building too, and it was always magical. Then I thought of the slick continuity of TV programmes like Later… with Jools Holland, where different performances came in quick succession from different, ready-to-go stages in the studio.
These thoughts of celebrating the flexibility and beauty of a cathedral space, together with democratising the audience experience and raising production values – no clunky stage moves – have evolved through various iterations into an event called Surround Sound Playlist, which Britten Sinfonia and guests are taking to three more cathedrals (Norwich, Peterborough and Lincoln) later this month.
Three stages and an 'immersive zone'
So how does it work? We take most of the seats out in the nave, put matting down and invite the audience to bring cushions, beanbags and rugs. This ‘immersive zone’ effectively creates an outdoor concert experience – but indoors, and with a heavenly acoustic. We set up three main stages, towards the crossing/East End, centrally and at the West End. Two seamless relays of choral, orchestral, chamber and solo pieces run from the different performance stations for about 40 minutes each, with musicians relocating down the side aisles from one stage to another while something else is playing.
It’s a deliberately eclectic and contrasting sequence of repertoire – this is definitely not just a ‘Lie Down and Chill’ evening – and I take care to match the key transitions as effectively and musically as I can, alongside shifts in mood and texture. It’s enormous fun to plan – a three-dimensional musical and logistical challenge.
Our main partner for these concerts is Tenebrae choir, and of course they sound exquisite in whatever they’re singing – Purcell, Bruckner, Lauridsen, Whitacre, Tavener, Shaw – and wherever in the building. Each programme also has one or two soloists. Joining us this time are saxophonist Amy Dickson, oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros and melodeon/harmonica folk-star Will Pound. They play numbers with Britten Sinfonia – ranging from Handel and Marcello to Bartók and Morricone – and others on their own, often walking around the space as they do so. We’re also joined by local choirs in each city, for performances of Zadok the Priest and I Was Glad, and by musicians from local schools for a piece they’ve created with composer/animateur Michael Betteridge.
Cathedral concerts: great feedback and a huge success
Performances in March 2025 generated ecstatic audience feedback: for many, it was ‘awesome’, ‘magical’, ‘phenomenal’. A remarkable 36 per cent of bookers reported that for at least one member of their group, this was their first classical concert. That’s a stat we felt was a particular bullseye, because creating something wholly accessible and welcoming for those who might otherwise stay away was a primary goal. Three generations of families attended together (that’s rare). Parents felt comfortable bringing newborn babies. Neurodivergent people let us know how the relaxed layout encouraged them to attend.
Affordability is central to this. Thanks to Arts Council England/Lottery touring grants, the concerts have been pay what you can, and in 2025 the average paid across three concerts was just £9.20. Some people prefer a guaranteed seat, so this year we have added reservable seats, which nudges the average up a little. Keeping the experience affordable is not a side issue, even though we’re paradoxically offering the best experience in the building to those who are potentially paying the least, and taking up the most space. Airlines don’t do it that way!
With so many classical first-timers attending, it’s hugely gratifying to know from the feedback that we’re giving them such a positive experience; the last thing you want to do as a classical promoter is put those first-timers off for life with something that’s dull, difficult or underwhelming. When one audience member wrote, ‘My first ever classical concert, and it was like a gift from heaven’, I knew we’d pulled off something special. And that we needed to come back with more.
Surround Sound Playlist continues with Britten Sinfonia at Norwich Cathedral (20 November), Peterborough Cathedral (25 November) and Lincoln Cathedral (27 November).
