Between worship, learning and musical practice: Mapping the shifting functions of the contemporary cathedral

This article offers a critical comparative analysis of three musical contexts at Liverpool Cathedral: liturgical services, educational programmes and wider choral outreach. Drawing on data from online questionnaires and qualitative interviews, the study examines the sociodemographic profiles of adult participants, including congregants, alongside the patterns, motivations and barriers shaping their engagement in cathedral music life. Through an interpretive reading of these data, the article explores how participants relate to the cathedral as a sacred site of worship, an educational partner and a civic cultural institution, while illustrating the structural and cultural dynamics underpinning choral participation across the three contexts. The discussion reflects on the shifting functions of the contemporary cathedral, showing how musical affect, cultural capital and evolving forms of belonging reshape the role of Anglican cathedrals in twenty-first century public life. Liverpool Cathedral emerges as a multifunctional institution in which worship, learning and musical practice are refocused as sites of civic engagement, cultural inclusion and religious adaptation.