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Matthew Coleridge

Music Workshops
Come and sing!

Choral Workshop @ Blackburn Cathedral
9th July '22

With composer Matthew Coleridge

An opportunity to work with one of the UK's most exciting up-and-coming choral composers, in the incredible acoustics of Blackburn Cathedral.

You'll spend the day learning his "exquisitely beautiful" music, including a joyous new Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis and selected movements from his sublime Requiem, before singing in an informal performance conducted by the composer.



Matthew leads his singers with warmth, encouragement and humour - he's a joy to work with



This promises to be a hugely enjoyable day of choral singing, learning about the creative process, and being among the first singers to perform brand new music.

Singer tickets £20 (includes loan of music on the day)



He creates joy, and sublime moments. Book your place now before work gets out!
Come and Sing Somewhere - Exeter Cathedral 2021

CAN I COME AND SING? What to expect...
This event is suitable to all choral singers with a basic grasp of music reading. We'll spend the morning learning our parts, before polishing things in the afternoon. Sight-reading ability is helpful but not essential, and you'll be amazed at how much we get done in just one day!

Blackburn Cathedral Matthew Coleridge
Singer Feedback

A glorious piece to sing... a lot of us were in tears by the end of it
Teresa Stubbs - Buckfast Abbey workshop 2019

He creates joy, and sublime moments. Book your place now before work gets out!
Come and Sing Somewhere - Exeter Cathedral 2021

Many thanks, Matthew, for a truly wonderful experience last Saturday. Even a week on, the beautiful harmonies are still ringing in my ears!
Nina Morton - Warwick workshop 2021

Thank you so much for an inspiring day. I have the whole of the Requiem as a perpetual ear worm!
Jan Edwards - Bristol workshop 2021

On the day

Getting to Blackburn Cathedral

Cathedral Close, Ewood, Blackburn BB1 5AA

  • One of the UK's newest cathedrals, Blackburn is a vibrant and striking building in the heart of the city. See the sun stream through the 56 different panes of coloured glass in the lantern tower, and enjoy the seven seconds of reverberation! The cathedral is home to one of the country's finest organs, built by JW Walker.

  • By Car

    Blackburn Cathedral is easily accessible by car from the M65, which bypasses the city. Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Preston, Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford, Bolton, Burnley, Rochdale, Blackpool and Lancaster are all within an hour's drive.

    All day parking is available at The Mall (5 mins walk; £5, 1300 spaces), and at Blackburn Station (7 mins walk, £2) and Eanam Wharf (10 mins walk; £2.50).

  • By Rail

    The Cathedral is directly opposite Blackburn Station, with regular trains from Leeds, Preston, Burnley, Bolton and beyond.

  • By Bus

    The Cathedral is directly opposite Blackburn Interchange for bus travel.

Blackburn Cathedral
Blackburn Cathedral
Blackburn Cathedral
Blackburn Cathedral
The performers
Matthew Coleridge

Matthew Coleridge

Composer and conductor Matthew Coleridge (b.1980) is an exciting voice in the British choral music scene. His first choral composition - the Corpus Christi Carol - was recorded by a cappella group The Queen's Six, appearing on the cover CD of BBC Music Magazine's Christmas edition in 2015.

His highly melodic and very approachable compositional style often blends elements of plainsong and medieval music with shimmering modern harmonies - weaving simple melodic lines into rich tapestries of sound.

Requiem (composed 2014-15) was hailed by the late Sir Neville Marriner as "a valuable addition to the 21st century choral repertoire". Is is regularly performed by choirs across the UK, and overseas.

Matthew's 'Requiem in a Day' choral workshops are very popular amongst choral singers, giving them the opportunity to sing this wonderful piece in some of the UK's most prestigious church buildings.

Choral workshops

Requiem in a Day workshops

Come and sing Matthew Coleridge's Requiem in some of the country's most inspiring cathedrals, abbeys and churches. All events are directed by the composer.

"Matthew Coleridge is a great force for good in the choral world" - Alexander Armstrong, Classic FM

Shrewsbury Abbey

Shrewsbury Abbey
September 9th 2023

Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY2 6BS



Truro Cathedral

Truro Cathedral
September 23rd 2023

St Mary's St, Truro, Cornwall TR1 2AF



Kendal

Cumbria
September 30th 2023

workshop in the Lake District with Cumbria Festival Chorus



Tewkesbury Abbey

Tewkesbury Abbey
October 7th 2023

Church Street, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire GL20 5RZ



Great Malvern Priory

Great Malvern Priory
April 20th 2024

Church St, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 2AY



Llandaff Cathedral

Llandaff Cathedral
May 11th 2024

Cathedral Cl, Cardiff CF5 2LA



Lancing College Chapel

Lancing College Chapel
June 29th 2024

Lancing College Chapel, Lancing, West Sussex BN15 0RW



Testimonials

A valuable addition to the 21st century choral repertoire
Sir Neville Marriner

This was no ordinary 'come and sing'! A work of exquisite beauty
Music in Portsmouth review, 2020

You are a true tunesmith - well-crafted and inspiring music!
Dr David Price - Master of the Chorister, Portsmouth Cathedral

Beautiful... I find myself entranced by the openness of this music.
Paul Carr - composer

A glorious piece to sing - a lot of us were in tears by the end of it
Teresa Stubbs - Buckfast Abbey workshop 2019

A singular voice - and that is an exceedingly rare thing!
Michael McGlynn - Anúna

A joy and privilege to sing this most beautiful piece of music under the direction of the composer himself
Heather Harvey - Buckfast Abbey workshop 2019

Thank you for a wonderful day. You were so encouraging and patient. I can't imagine not singing your Requiem again. I absolutely loved the day!
Monica Kent - Louth workshop 2019

We were enthralled by the pure beauty of your Requiem. Parts of it were quite exquisite and we loved the fact that you, the composer, were directing us with such skill and clarity of conducting. Thank you so very much for a phenomenal day
Jeanne Apsland - Buckfast Abbey workshop 2019