Ex Cathedra chamber choir’s renowned Christmas Music By Candlelight concerts were launched in St Francis’ Church, Bournville, in 1970 - a year after the ensemble’s founding - and moved to St Paul’s, in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, the following year. 
“One concert became two, then three, and now five,” explains Ex Cathedra’s founder & conductor, Jeffrey Skidmore. “Later we expanded to concerts throughout the region, and now in London, in Trafalgar Square’s St Martin in the Fields.”
Jeffrey is busy thinking about ‘Candlelight’ all year long. “I am constantly, throughout the year, looking for new works and new composers. I listen to other musicians’  recommendations and have a pile of music sent to me over the years that I visit every now and then.”
This Christmas, Ex Cathedra adds another string to its bow, giving the annual Symphony Hall performance of Handel’s Messiah, which has long been the province of much larger choral societies.  
“There are obvious differences - period instruments, smaller forces,” Jeffrey continues. “But it’s Ex Cathedra’s infrastructure of students, amateurs and professional singers that creates the sound, the precision and the freshness associated with the group.
“Having a company of very special professional singers who are not only choristers and consort singers but also skilled soloists who have grown up with Ex Cathedra, this produces the all-important stylistic consistency. There is a team of 12 soloists for Messiah, and they all sing regularly with the group and know me and the group.”
And this hints at the ethos of Ex Cathedra, as Jeffrey explains in talking about the ensemble’s origin.
“It was formed in 1969. I was at school in Bournville, had been a chorister at St Francis’ Church and sang as an alto Lay Clerk at Birmingham Cathedral with Roy Massey.           Ex Cathedra brought these three elements (school, church and professional) together to sing music I loved and which no-one else seemed to be doing in Birmingham, particularly Renaissance and Medieval repertoire.
“I continued to develop Ex Cathedra from Oxford (1970-73), where I was an Academical Clerk at Magdalen with Bernard Rose and David Wulstan (Clerkes of Oxenford), two giants of the burgeoning choral scene in the 1970s, and I introduced Oxbridge singers to the Ex Cathedra mix.”
As someone who has reviewed the work of Ex Cathedra almost since its founding, I have always been struck by the way soloists in whatever piece, even in something as mighty as Bach’s St Matthew Passion, emerge from the choral ranks, returning into them after delivering their contributions. Many of these have subsequently gained international stardom, such as Carolyn Sampson, Roderick Williams and Nigel Short.
How much of the original philosophy behind the founding of Ex Cathedra is still maintained today, and how have other things developed?
“I still perform music I love with musicians I like and admire,” is Jeffrey’s smiling answer.
“Much of Ex Cathedra’s repertoire is still music relatively untouched by other ensembles - Latin American, French Baroque and commissions from local composers, and often composers at the beginning of their careers.
“I have always looked to develop local talent and talent from around the country - our pros and travelling amateurs often comment on this. Nurturing young talent has also been crucially important, and the recent Scholars Ensembles schemes are a massively important formalisation of what’s been going on since the beginning.”
Now into his 70s, Jeffrey is planning for his eventual retirement, and is making sure his beloved Ex Cathedra will be left in a safe pair of hands.
“We’ve been nurturing five talented young associate conductors and are now asking for applications for the ‘job’ to widen the net, but also including the associate conductors in the mix.”
The Ex Cathedra story continues to develop. The ensemble recently presented their first-ever programme (titled Byrd To Bacharach And Bach) in Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s Bradshaw Hall.
“As a small tribute to the great songwriter Burt Bacharach, who died earlier this year, I arranged Anyone Who Had A Heart, one of his many great hits and a number one for Cilla Black in 1963.  It was followed by a ‘Swingle’ arrangement of one of Bach’s most popular Chorale Preludes - Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”
The same mixture of new and old bubbles along in this year’s Christmas Music By Candlelight programme - and we are also promised Summer Music By Candlelight next June. Before that, though, Ex Cathedra’s season reaches its climax in Symphony Hall with a Good Friday performance of Bach’s powerful St John Passion, 300 years after it was first performed in Leipzig.

by Chris Morley