Ex Cathedra has announced the appointment of James Burton as its next Artistic Director, marking a major leadership transition for the leading UK choir.

Founder Jeffrey Skidmore OBE will retire in Autumn 2027 after 57 years, with Burton joining the organisation in Spring 2026 as Artistic Director Designate.

James Burton is an internationally renowned conductor, composer and passionate advocate of singing, widely recognised for his dynamic leadership of choirs and orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic. His appointment, from a strong field, is the result of an inclusive search process of interviews, workshops, rehearsals and performances, involving musicians, trustees, members of Ex Cathedra’s staff and founder Jeffrey Skidmore.

James Burton will bring his experience of conducting leading British and international choirs and orchestras, including the BBC Singers, Tenebrae, OAE, Handel and Haydn Society, Ulster Orchestra, the Hallé, Aalborg Symphony and Mexico’s National Symphony Orchestra. He has recently spent eight seasons as Choral Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and four years as Director of Orchestral Activities at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts.

A committed educator and advocate for young musicians, James Burton will continue Ex Cathedra’s proud history of nurturing young singers. He conducted the Schola Cantorum of Oxford for 15 years and founded both the Hallé Youth Choir and the Boston Symphony Children’s Choir. His past leadership roles include serving as Choral Director of the Hallé, and Music Director of the St. Endellion Easter Festival. His compositions are published by Edition Peters.

The 2026-27 season will be Jeffrey Skidmore’s 57th and final season as Artistic Director and Conductor, after which he will become Founder and Conductor Emeritus. Ex Cathedra will celebrate his extraordinary legacy with a series of concerts highlighting the repertoire for which the choir has become internationally renowned, beginning with a French Baroque programme on 15 February 2026, coinciding with his 75th birthday. Further events in the 2026–27 season will be announced in due course.