An Evening with John Bell – Annual Lecture 2024

The famed John Bell will be delivering a talk in Salisbury next month, on the future of church music and what to do with little resources.

The Royal School of Church Music is delighted to be hosting a talk by John Bell in Salisbury on Wednesday 18th September. He will be speaking about the future of local church music and in particular what churches that feel they have little musical resource can do.

The limitless resources of local church music

The tendency to suspect scarcity rather than surfeit runs deep in church music. Where there is no permanent musician, few music readers or an 'ageing' congregation, pessimism regarding the future often runs deeper than hope.

In this lecture, John Bell will challenge such negativity, drawing on the experience of the Iona Community of which he is a member, and local churches throughout the world who have moved from scarcity to surfeit.

Please note: under-18s must be accompanied

You can book to attend in person or to watch the recording which will be available from Wednesday 25th September.

• Date: 18-Sep-2024
• Time: 19:00 – 21:00
• Format: In-person and online
• Venue: St Thomas's Church, Salisbury,P1 1BA
• Entry Fee: £15 in advance, £18 on the door, or £10 for online
• Booking Deadline: 16-Sep-2024

Information & Booking

John Bell is a minister of the Church of Scotland and a Fellow of the RSCM. Most of his working life, he and colleagues in the Iona Community have develop innovative strategies in music and worship for a wide range of churches. He has co-authored over fifteen volumes of hymns and songs, several collections of choral music, and numerous liturgical publications.