By Natashya Fernandez
St Mary’s Cathedral Cantor and Chorister Joshua Adams is the first Western Australian to win the Gold Award with Honours at the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) on 1 February this year.
Taking it all in his stride, one would not say that this humble and calm chorister has won such an accolade.
In an interview with The eRecord, Joshua talks about this prestigious win and his plans for the future.
The Royal School of Church Music was borne out of a common aim to preserve in Christian Church services, the role of quality sacred music.
Originating in the United Kingdom in 1927, today there are more than 7000 active members and affiliates worldwide and active branches in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.
A big triumph for Joshua, both professionally and personally, he modestly says that is he thrilled to be the first one to win in WA.
“Nobody else has done this, so it’s a really big thing for St Mary’s Cathedral and RSCM to have somebody from WA win this award.”
Director of Cathedral Music and Principal Organist, Jacinta Jakovcevic couldn’t be prouder. “It’s wonderful and exciting to know that we are the first in WA and more so in the Catholic Church.
“Joshua’s work is something to be admired and it’s lovely to know that other denominations can tap into that and can help their work and their music in their Churches,” she said.
Being affiliated with this worldwide network and the ‘Voice for life’ program for its choristers, Ms Jakovcevic said it wasn’t hard to pick Joshua to be one of the participants.
“Basically, they want to make sure you’re the real deal; that you’re serious about it and you’re at that level where your Choir Director and tutors recommend you for it,” Jacinta added.
While the exam was for just an hour, the preparation took much longer, Joshua said.
“It all started about six months ago. We had a lot of administration work to cover which included a whole bunch of different sections where we had prepared music, unseen work sent for us to present, as well as the completion of written work about the music I was singing,” he said.
While most of the work went to the RSCM UK to cross check and verify, all the information from the exam was also sent to the UK. The winners were announced from the UK as well.
Touted as one of the highest awards by the RSCM, representing the ‘highest ribbon’, Joshua said one has to go through all the levels to be able to sit the exam.
“The way it is structured is that you do different levels in the ‘Voice for life’ program and after each level, there’s an award – so there is the bronze, silver and gold awards and each ribbon reflects the level you have completed, that is light blue, dark blue, red and yellow.
With just three participants sitting the exam from across Australia and New Zealand, summer school just wasn’t the same, he said. “It changed the way I thought about a few things,” he said.
“The whole process and exam wasn’t just a Catholic thing, it was more of an Ecumenical experience.
“We performed a variety of repertoires at different services in churches of different denominations, which provided a real insight into Church music. We sang in a Lutheran Church and a Uniting Church as well as Anglican.
“I feel like I can bring that knowledge back to my work here,” he said.
Having gained a deeper and greater appreciation for the various denominations of Christianity, Joshua said that he really didn’t think about it till his experience in Adelaide. “Now I am accepting of all the differences whereas before I was a bit conservative as a chorister as well as in my faith,” he added.
With a lot of plans on the table, Joshua’s main aim though is to finish his degree in Music at the University of Western Australia and continue with his passion which is Church and choral music.
“My predecessors, Daniel and Carly have gone to the UK and Germany to do music, so that’s something I will consider in the future. I don’t know where I’ll end up going but conducting and directing choirs is an interest and taking on a role like Jacinta’s could be of interest as well,” he said.
“So wherever I want to go with my singing, my background in Church and choral music will always be there. And, having the experience and knowledge from being in a choir such as St Mary’s Cathedral will always be something that I will treasure,” he concluded.