Extraordinary singing, inspired programming, wonderful atmosphere'

Audience Feedback

The Garden of Love

Ex Cathedra’s unique ecosystem of musicians goes a long way to explaining its success and longevity and, like any beautiful and flourishing garden, encourages a satisfying blend of young and old, new and established, all carefully nurtured by love. Seasonal colour schemes are nourished by refreshing annuals and comforting perennials; herbaceous borders, lawns and pathways create pleasing perspectives; trees of all shapes and sizes create structure and depth. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Ex Cathedra’s Garden of Love and our new 2025-2026 season.

Ex Cathedra is looking for a new gardener! It’s no secret, and many of you already know, that I’ve announced my retirement as Artistic Director of Ex Cathedra’s garden of earthly and heavenly delights for the end of 2027. I will have been in action for 58 years! 2027 is a very special year: Bach’s St Matthew Passion is 300, Beethoven 200 and Joubert 100. Three concerts seem in order as a suitable farewell: a final Good Friday Passion, a performance of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, his greatest work and my favourite piece of all time, and music by John Joubert as a tribute to our eminent local composer and the first composer to write regularly for Ex Cathedra.

The important search for my successor has been wide-ranging and now three guest conductors - Steven Grahl, James Burton and Eamonn Dougan - have been given autonomy for one concert programme each. They bring vast experience and inspiration to our season with typically eclectic and skilfully crafted programmes. Between them they touch base with all the top Oxbridge ‘choral’ colleges and have worked with The Sixteen, Irish Baroque, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Choir and Orchestra and Schola Cantorum, Oxford. They bring not only a high-level of choral expertise, but also top quality orchestral work and the nurturing of young talent.

My conducting roles this season include Rachmaninoff’s ‘Vespers' in the wonderful Douai Abbey (well worth a day out for our local audience) and The Summer Supper in the ‘new’ Industrial Gallery in Birmingham’s iconic museum, bringing together Brummie heritage, fine dining and world-class choral entertainment.

It is always a great thrill and privilege for me to conduct Bach, the central pillars of our season. This year it is the turn of Ex Cathedra’s ‘traditional’ liturgical reconstruction of the St John Passion in Symphony Hall and the great composer’s six cantatas which make up the Christmas Oratorio, in Town Hall. Christmas which includes the Bach is always special and I look forward with great relish to programming our 13 Christmas Music by Candlelight concerts in Birmingham, London and around the region.

French Baroque sacred music has been one of my passions since my unlikely introduction to the music of Michel-Richard de Lalande as an early teenage schoolboy in Bournville. With Ex Cathedra, an equally unlikely worldwide reputation has been established for performing this notoriously elusive but exquisite repertoire. We have recorded six award-winning CDs including a prestigious Gramophone Award with Carolyn Sampson. In 2026 we celebrate the 300th anniversary of the death of Lalande who without a shadow of doubt is one of the greatest composers of an era full of great composers. He was one of Louis XIV’s favourite composers, particularly of sacred music, so important to the melancholic king, and De Profundis was performed at The Sun King’s funeral in 1715 and at the first Concert Spirituel performed in the palace of the Tuileries Gardens in 1725. More music by Lalande was performed at this pioneering and influential concert series (1725 -1790) than by any other composer. The Grand Motet Cantata Domino was frequently top of the bill with its climactic haute-contre solo. Two of our former Scholars are now among the country’s leading soloists in this very specialised field. This is a RARE opportunity to hear LIVE such extraordinarily lavish and sensational music. Not to be missed!

Ex Cathedra Scholars continue to be very active. Their Valentine’s Day concert in February - Chansons d’amour - was a great success, and their performance at the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards ceremony at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in March was described by the promoters as ‘a class act’. On July 18 2025 in St Paul’s Church in the Jewellery Quarter they perform a diverse programme of choral music from around the world - The Language of Baroque - as part of the International Conference of Baroque Music, curated by RBC, which brings the world’s leading musicologists to Birmingham. It is open to the public.

As a fitting climax The Garden of Love, performed days before the Vernal Equinox 2026, completes our season and celebrates spring and the season of beauty and love with a programme of ravishing music to delight the senses, with music by Palestrina, Le Jeune, Daniel-Lesur, and Eric Whitacre. Performed on home soil in the CBSO Centre (think potting shed!) this is a concert to take out on the road, a Grand Tour of earthly delights.

Jeffrey Skidmore, May 2025

Ex Cathedra is a B:Music Associate Artist