“Without music the stones have no voice”
At the heart of the Cathedral’s worship is music performed in the English Choral Tradition, a beautiful and uplifting experience accessible to both regular worshippers at the Cathedral and to visitors. However, the Cathedral’s rich musical tradition is sustained without the fee-paying Choir School found at many other cathedrals.
The Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs are open to any boy or girl who demonstrates the musical ability required through open audition. They come from different social and ethnic backgrounds, and different schools, both state and independent. The Cathedral is proud of offer an outstanding and life-changing musical education to young people from across London and our wider Diocese.
Membership of the Cathedral Choir is free; the Choristers receive an excellent musical education that their parents may not otherwise be able to afford. However, the costs of the Choirs to the Cathedral are considerable, approximately £180,000 per year, including the salary costs of the Director of Music and the Assistant Director of Music, the costs of the Lay Clerks (professional adult singers), chorister singing and theory lessons, travel costs, costs of foreign tours, care of robes and purchase of sheet music.
The Cathedral seeks financial support for the Choirs in order that the worship held at the Cathedral continues to be enriched by music, and that the choristers may continue to receive excellent musical training at no cost to their parents. There are a variety of ways to do this. You can leave a legacy in your will to the Choirs Endowment Fund which produces an annual income to support the cost of Cathedral music. You can also make a one off donation, or sponsor a chorister. Companies and institutions are also able to commit to supporting choristers for a longer period, and many of our choristers are the recipients of support from City of London livery companies and other organisations.
If you are interested in supporting us in this way please contact the Chief Financial Officer by email or telephone 020 7367 6732
Supporting the Girls’ Choir
The Cathedral seeks to place the Girls’ Choir on a sure financial footing. Founded in 2000 as part of the Cathedral's Millenium celebrations, the Girls’ Choir was, at the time, the only Anglican cathedral girls’ choir in London. The girl choristers continue to sing Choral Evensong every Monday (alongside the Lay Clerks) and on alternate Thursdays, and share the singing of Sunday services with the boy choristers on a rota basis. Additionally, they sing at many special services and events and perform at an outstanding standard. Like the Boys’ Choir, it has made recordings and broadcasts, performed at the Royal Albert Hall, and undertaken overseas tours. By making a donation to the Girls’ Choir, you will help to ensure that it may continue to make its unique contribution to the life of the Cathedral, and that we are able to offer girls and boys the same level of financial and musical support.
The cost of supporting one girl for one year is £1,000. Donations of £3,000 and £5,000 would ensure longer term support over three and five years respectively. We have recently received support from The Worshipful Company of Launderers and The Worshipful Company of Saddlers to support three of our choristerships.
If you would like to support the Girls' Choir Please click here
Supporting the Boys’ Choir
St Saviour's Church became the Cathedral for the newly formed Diocese of Southwark in 1905 and for many years had a fine choir of boys and men. Though the Cathedral now hosts two teams of choristers, and includes women singing amongst the professional lower voices, the Boys’ Choir continues the historic and precious tradition of children's singing in this place over the last 500 years. The boy choristers sing Evensong on most Fridays, some Tuesdays and share the singing of the Choral Eucharist and Choral Evensong services on Sundays (on a rota basis with the girl chorister). It has become well known through broadcasts, overseas tours and recordings.
We have recently received support from Morden College and The Worshipful Company of Saddlers to support three of our choristerships.
If you would like to support the Boys Choir, please click here