Ex Cathedra

History

Jeffrey Skidmore OBE founded Ex Cathedra in Birmingham in 1969, serving as its artistic director and conductor. It comprises a chamber choir of about 40 singers, a specialist vocal Consort made up of ten professional singers who feature regularly as soloists, and a Baroque ensemble/orchestra. The choir presents a season of programmes in various venues in and around Birmingham, across the Midlands and in London. It has been a resident ensemble at Birmingham Town Hall Symphony Hall since 2007. The first period instrument orchestra to be established in an English regional city, Ex Cathedra's Baroque Orchestra was founded as part of the choir's 1983–1984 season and made its début with a performance of Bach's Mass in B Minor. Comprising the UK's leading period instrumentalists, the orchestra's principals regularly give master classes and coach students at the Birmingham Conservatoire as part of its early music programme.. Since 2014, the ensemble has made regular appearances at Hereford Cathedral, St Peter's Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton, Southwell Minster and St James the Greater in Leicester.

Ex Cathedra has performed in concert series and festivals across the UK, including the BBC Proms where it performed Stockhausen in 2013, the Barbican Centre, Brighton Early Music Festival, Cheltenham Music Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Kilkenny Festival, Lichfield Festival, London Festival of Baroque Music, Spitalfields Festival, St David's Festival, Three Choirs Festival and York Early Music Festival. The group has also appeared at festivals in Belgium, Finland, France, (Germany), Israel, Italy, Spain, and the United States.

Ex Cathedra has collaborated with Fretwork (music group), the City Musick, His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts, Concerto Palatino, Birmingham Opera Company, Sinfonia New York, Birmingham Royal Ballet, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Quebecois dance company Cas Public, the Shakespeare Institute, and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Skidmore is scheduled to conclude his directorship of the ensemble at the close of the 2026-2027 season, and subsequently to take the title of Founder and Conductor Emeritus. In January 2026, the ensemble announced the appointment of James Burton as its next artistic director, effective with the 2027-2028 season. Burton is to take the title of artistic director-designate in the spring of 2026.

Music education

Ex Cathedra has its own youth and children's choirs, the Academy of Vocal Music, for children aged 4–20. In 2017 it launched a Scholarships scheme for young professionals and, in partnership with Birmingham Conservatoire, a Student Scholarships scheme.

In addition, since 1990 the choir has been involved in education programmes in schools and local communities. It established Ring of Sound, an intergenerational choir for the Perry Common Regeneration Project and runs Singing Communities Ladywood, a community choir in the Ladywood inner city district of Birmingham.

Ex Cathedra's 'Singing Medicine' project has worked with children every week across all wards since 2004 at Birmingham Children's Hospital, at paediatric wards at Birmingham Heartland's Hospital since 2011, and at Birmingham Women's Hospital since 2016.

For over 25 years, Ex Cathedra has worked extensively in schools, particularly focusing on primary schools. This activity expanded during the 2007–2008 academic year, when Ex Cathedra inducted its 'Singing Playgrounds' project in schools in Birmingham, Coventry, Derby and London as part of the government's Sing Up initiative. By 2017, 'Singing Playgrounds' had reached over 600 schools across the UK and as far afield as Belgium, China, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand.

Recordings

Ex Cathedra has made a number of critically acclaimed recordings for ASV Records, NMC, Orchid, Signum Records, Somm Records, Hyperion Records, and on its own label. It is well known for its recordings of French and Latin American Baroque music.

In 2015 the CD 'Britten to America' was shortlisted for a Grammy Award, whilst 'A French Baroque Diva' won a Gramophone Award 2015 (Recital category): "It is no longer enough for recitals merely to bunch together a dozen or so favourite lollipops. The most stimulating essays in the genre are revealing a clear fashion for a proper conceptual theme that requires some scholarly research and creative programming, placing musical entertainment and philological exploration on an equal par. The shortlisted finalists for this year's Recital Award typify this trend, and best of the distinguished crop is Jeffrey Skidmore and Carolyn Sampson's exposition of the career of Marie Fel (1713–94)... Skidmore's expert direction, Ex Cathedra's stylish orchestra (and expert choir) and Sampson's sincere singing ensure that this is both musically thrilling and a fascinating contextual journey."

Hyperion lawsuit

In 2001, Ex Cathedra recorded four works by Michel-Richard de Lalande for Hyperion Records. The sessions used editions prepared by scholar Lionel Sawkins. Sawkins subsequently sued Hyperion for royalties arising from his claimed copyright in the editions. The recording was issued but subsequently withdrawn from the market after Sawkins won the lawsuit and subsequent appeal.

Upon Hyperion's appeal, the Court of Appeal held on 19 May 2005 that Sawkins owned the copyright in his modern performing editions of the de Lalande music, even though de Lalande's music itself was out of copyright. The decision received criticism, such as from Peter Phillips, the director of the Tallis Scholars and himself a music editor:

: "All the music I perform has to be edited, or we couldn't read it. But copyright should be there ... to reward creativity, not scholarship or diligence. How much an editor did or did not write should never be asked and judged upon during a million-pound lawsuit involving a small and innovative recording company."

Following the death of Sawkins in September 2025, Hyperion has restored this recording to download and CDR availability.

Notes

References

• .
• Programme for Ex Cathedra's performance Parisian Vespers: Summer Vespers by Candlelight at The Oratory, Birmingham, on 18 June 2008.
• Sawkins v. Hyperion Records Limited [2004] EWHC 1530, High Court (Chancery Division). Retrieved 17 December 2008.

References

1. Terry Grimley. (11 October 2007). "Ex Cathedra launches new season". [[Birmingham Post]].
2. (2003). "Ex Cathedra Baroque Orchestra". [[Goldberg Magazine.
3. "Ex Cathedra". Ex Cathedra.
4. (27 January 2026). "Ex Cathedra announces James Burton as next Artistic Director succeeding founder Jeffrey Skidmore after 57 years". Ex Cathedra.
5. Gary Higginson. (August 2003). "Review of Hyperion CDA 67380 ('New World Symphonies')". Music Web International.
6. Andrew Clements. (1 February 2008). "Fire Burning in Snow, Ex Cathedra/Skidmore (Hyperion)". [[The Guardian]].
7. "A French Baroque Diva".
8. "Recordings". Ex Cathedra.
9. [https://www.amazon.co.uk Amazon.co.uk] (album release dates)
10. {{cite BAILII. (2004)
11. Terry Grimley. (10 July 2004). "Facing the music: ... [H]ow a prestigious project turned sour for Birmingham baroque ensemble Ex Cathedra". Birmingham Post.
12. Ed Vulliamy. (23 December 2005). "£1m legal bill rocks a musical institution: Classical record firm at risk after court defeat; Bill for copyright action a 'self-inflicted wound'". The Guardian.
13. {{cite BAILII. (2005)
14. (2025-10-01). "Lionel Sawkins, music scholar involved in a landmark case over copyright and royalties". The Telegraph.