Research exploring music and social transformation in sacred spaces reaches new crescendo

Research by Professor Simone Krüger Bridge, Professor of Cultural Musicology at Liverpool John Moores University, exploring the social and cultural significance of Liverpool Cathedral’s choral music outreach initiatives has gained interest from prestigious journals and was most recently featured on BBC Radio 3.

Since 2020, Simone has focused on two research projects in partnership with Liverpool Cathedral filling a critical gap in the study of choral music outreach in sacred spaces, underscoring the potential of cathedrals as hubs for community engagement, social inclusion and cultural transformation.

Her research contributes to three key fields: the sociology of religion—examining Liverpool Cathedral's alignment with “neoliberal religion" in a secularized, market-driven context; music sociology—investigating the sociocultural meanings of music in everyday life; and applied music scholarship—illustrating how music outreach initiatives serve as powerful tools for enhancing social welfare, education and emotional wellbeing.

The research has led to a number of publications in high-ranking prestigious journals, such as in the Yale Journal of Music and Religion, and a recent interview featured on BBC Radio 3’s Sunday Feature programme focused on “Cathedral Music in Crisis”. Listen back on BBC Sounds to the episode broadcast on Sunday 17 November.

Simone is also leading two funded PhD projects exploring cathedral and choral music traditions while forging collaborations with Liverpool Cathedral’s Research Group and national organisations, such as the Cathedral Music Trust, where she shared her research during their recent inaugural conference. She will also present her research at the annual LJMU Research Conference to be hosted in December.

Images from Cathedral Music Trust Academic Conference in Sarum College, University of Cambridge, Salisbury (19 September 2024)

Looking ahead, Professor Krüger Bridge is an incoming trustee of the Rodolfus Foundation where she will help to widen young people’s participation in high-quality choral music. In February next year, she will mark the completion of a British Academy funded project with a public research event hosted by the Dean of Liverpool at Liverpool Cathedral.