Young choristers and lay clerk singers lost their home of 130 years when the Christ Church Cathedral closed after the 2011 earthquake.
The Cardboard Transitional Cathedral on Hereford St has served as the temporary residence for the cathedral choir since August 2013.
From his prefab office on the property, director of music John Linker, 50, says the site has served its purpose, but the choir and school long to return home to Cathedral Square.
"It (the cardboard cathedral) is not the most luxurious place to sing. It’s a smaller space and not as reverberant as the central cathedral. However, it is still centrally enough located to be an icon of the city. It was among the first new construction in the central city after the earthquake, so it is a beacon of hope in that regard,” said Linker.
The cardboard cathedral is the only home he has known for the choir since moving with his wife Molly and daughter Lila from Kentucky to Christchurch in 2015.
He had been the organist and choirmaster at a Lexington church for 14 years.
As music director, he leads the cathedral choir through rehearsals and performances, and also overseas The Cathedral Grammar School’s choir education.
The programme trains 36 students, aged 8 to 13, in the art of traditional choir singing.
An appreciator of Anglican choir tradition, despite his American roots, Linker leapt at the opportunity to lead one of only two Anglican choir schools in the Southern Hemisphere.
The other is based in Sydney at St Andrew’s Cathedral.
"We’re just a little piece of a 900-year-old tradition, which goes back before the English Reformation. How do you get a choir to sound good? It’s just consistency and discipline really,” said Linker.
From conducting in front of then Prince Charles (now King Charles III) during his royal visit to Christchurch in 2019 to leading overseas choir tours, Linker has a fulfilling career and lifestyle in the city.
“I have no plans to go anywhere else. I’ve found a very rewarding life here, and I don’t really know what could make it better.”
Yet when Linker will be able to lead his choir into its rightful home remains an open question. Contentious debate, delays and cost blowouts left the Christ Church Cathedral restoration project with an $85m funding shortfall and work was paused in August 2024.
But a glimmer of hope returned in September when a new plan was revealed to restore the cathedral in staged sections. It has reduced the funding shortfall to $40-45m.
With a 2030 reopening date in mind for the western half of the building, the Restore Christchurch Cathedral Trust is seeking public and private funding to cover the shortfall.
“We won’t be in there tomorrow, but I really do hope we’ll be in there one day. That was one of the things that allured me to this job, knowing that in the future I could be part of something big like moving a house of worship,” said Linker.
The choir was uncertain about the future of the cathedral until a decision to restore it was made in 2017.
“Once we got that decision, we all rallied behind that and said ‘okay, let's do this’.”
Even in its current state, Linker said the damaged cathedral has “excellent” acoustics. He has experienced it first hand when the choir sang evensong amidst the cathedral’s ruins.
"As long as there’s a roof on it, that sound is still there. You definitely feel and see a lot of emotion going into that space. There’s a lot of great sadness for the community having lost the cathedral, but it’s still a reminder of the resilience of Canterbury.”
Linker grew up in rural Illinois, a couple of hours drive from Chicago. He discovered a love for singing and the organ at church and pursued music education in high school and college.
“What kind of excited me early on was the majesty and raw power of playing the organ. So when you’re playing, you’re leading the hymn for the congregation. That was the hook right at the beginning. I'll never forget the first hymn I ever played for a congregation. I thought ‘gosh, this was fun. I want to do this again’.”
The choir had been based at the Christ’s College chapel between the earthquake and the opening of the cardboard cathedral.
“It's not quite as grand as we would one day hope to enjoy in the cathedral in the square, but as I say for now it gets the job done,” said Linker.
The music director’s main roles are leading rehearsals and performances, and training students in the art of choir singing.
“It’s fulfilling to give them transferable skills whether or not they continue with music professionally. We create a sense of commitment and punctuality and self discipline, teamwork and working with people in a multi-generational environment,” said Linker.
The choristers are joined by the lay clerks, skilled adult professional singers, who make up the back row and sing the alto, tenor and bass sections.
Linker was also appointed music director for the Christchurch City Choir in 2016. Rehearsals are held once a week in preparation for the city choir’s three to four major performances a year.
A highlight from his time with the cathedral choir was the 2019 royal visit. Linker conducted the choir performance for then future King Charles during his visit to Tūranga library.
“It was very special to be singing for such a grand occasion. He does actually exude a certain special aura that I really noticed that day. The boys (choristers) were very excited as well, made sure their shoes were polished and everything,” he said.
The choristers’ 2018 tours of Australia and Japan were also special for Linker.
This year the cathedral choir is preparing and fundraising for a tour of Brisbane in October.
Linker also wants to take the choristers to the UK to connect with the choir’s heritage.
