PEOPLE have been invited to see how Bradford Cathedral is working to become a “centre of excellence” for music.

The Cathedral is holding an open day on Saturday, June 10, where visitors will be able to listen to, and learn about, the Cathedral’s organ and its prestigious choir amongst other activities.

The Cathedral recently welcomed a new director of music, Alex Berry, Canon Precentor the Reverend Canon Paul Maybury and assistant director of music Jon Payne, who all hope to cement its reputation as a leading music centre, and increase the profile of its Cathedral choir.

The choir supported singer Aled Jones when he brought his Cathedral Tour to Bradford last year and they have sung for the BBC’s Songs of Praise programme, and for Sunday Worship and Christmas Carols on BBC Radio 4.

They will also be singing when Ian Anderson Brings his Jethro Tull tour to the Cathedral this Christmas.

They also performed at a vigil held for the Manchester bombing victims on Tuesday night.

The choristers come from schools across the district.

Fourteen-year-old head chorister Zachary Smith last year sang at a concert in St Paul’s Cathedral. The unique concert brought choristers from 61 of the nation’s cathedrals and colleges to sing with St Paul’s Choir to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the Friends of Cathedral Music. A CD from the concert, Jubilate, was released earlier this year and went straight to the top of the Classic chart.

At 27, Mr Berry is the youngest Cathedral organist in any Anglican cathedral in the country. He said of the cathedral choir: “We really want to create a fantastic musical education for the children and young people of the district. It provides them with opportunities they can’t get in any other part of Bradford.

“Bradford Cathedral Choir is getting an increasingly good reputation. All cathedral choirs are held in a certain regard, and the Bradford choir is really going places. They really hold their own.”

The open day, from noon until 4pm, will see Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf played on the organ, as well as talks on the ongoing organ restoration project and a “chorister masterclass”.

Tickets cost £10, by calling 01274 777720.