York Conference on Church Music 2017

The York Conference on Church Music is a joint venture between the University of York and York Minster that seeks to promote and heighten awareness of the academic study, composition, and practical output of church music. A three-day conference was held at the University and Minster, 13-15 February 2017. Speakers included Bennett Zon (Professor of Music, Durham University), Phillip Cooke (Lecturer in Composition, University of Aberdeen), Peter Allan (Principal, The College of the Resurrection), York-based research Amanda Mackey, composer and lecturer Thomas Hyde and retired archivist Colin Brownlee.

A full and varied Conference programme (PDF , 1,965kb) included presentations covering topics such as the rise of the British secular requiem, girl choristers and the future of church music. The keynote on day one of the conference, a critical examination of English Church music since 1549 from historiographical and performance perspectives, was given by Jonathan Wainwright (Professor of Music, University of York) who also helped to organise the conference.