Chief Rabbi-elect Ephraim Mirvis has pledged his support for a campaign to preserve chazanut in Orthodox communities. “We have to guarantee that traditional melodies and ways of leading a service will be preserved for the generations to come,” he said at a reception before a Central Synagogue concert last week, which was one of the highlights of the European Cantors’ Assocation convention.

Central Synagogue’s Steven Leas said: “One year from its foundation, the ECA is striding ahead in waking up communities to the joys of synagogue music. And the perils that it faces today.”