Five choirs receive 2026 Church Choir Awards
Projects developing junior choirs, choral scholarships, singing tuition and schools outreach will receive funding and support from the Royal School of Church Music and Cathedral Music Trust.
Five church choirs have been selected to receive 2026 Church Choir Awards from the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and Cathedral Music Trust.
Now in its fifth year, the award supports projects designed to strengthen church choral music-making and help choirs develop their work. Successful applicants can receive funding of up to £10,000, alongside a year’s RSCM Group Membership and a bespoke package of support.
The 2026 recipients are:
- Holy Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon, which will launch a new junior choir
- St Bede’s Roman Catholic Church, Clapham Park, which will appoint choral scholars and an organ scholar
- Halifax Minster, which will provide chorister tuition and launch a schools singing programme
- Kendal Parish Church, which will provide singing tuition for choristers
- The Ignatius Singers at the Church of the Holy Name, Manchester University, which will appoint student lay clerks
RSCM Deputy Director Dr Paul Hedley said, ‘The RSCM is pleased to be continuing the partnership with the Cathedral Music Trust on the Church Choir Award, supporting musical development and ambitious projects in choirs across the land.
‘We extend our congratulations to the award recipients, and greatly look forward to supporting their work over the coming year.’
Open to church choirs in the UK and Republic of Ireland, the Church Choir Award was established to support excellence, fund innovative or enriching projects and recognise the role of church choirs in sustaining and developing choral traditions.