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Cathedral Choirs

Cathedral Choirs

The Cathedral Choir of lower voices, boy choristers and girl choristers sings the daily services, maintaining and developing the tradition of choral music at Worcester Cathedral to a professional standard with a broad repertoire spanning many centuries. Alongside the Cathedral Choir there are three other choirs: the Voluntary Choir, Youth Choir, and Chamber Choir. 

Cathedral Choir
Our Cathedral Choir offers choristerships for both boys and girls. Following a historic change in September 2021, the girls take an equal share in choristership, join from a younger age and, like the boys, have access to scholarships at the adjacent The King's School.

Weekly commitments are shared equally between the boy and girl choristers, including morning rehearsals before school, and services on some weekdays and at weekends. Prospective choristers are accepted from year 3 to year 8/9 (boys, voice permitting) or from year 4 until the end of year 9 (girls). Places are offered through a friendly audition process. All choristers are required to attend King’s St Alban’s and are awarded a scholarship towards school fees for the duration of their time in the choir.

To find out more about becoming a Cathedral chorister and forthcoming taster events such as 'Chorister for an Afternoon', please contact Samuel Hudson, Organist and Director of Music at SamuelHudson@worcestercathedral.org.uk or on 01905 732916.

To discover more about the education of Choristers at King’s St Alban’s visit www.ksw.org.uk/choristerlife To arrange a visit, please contact the Registrar Mrs Louise Robins on 01905 363592 or email lrobins@ksw.org.uk.

Download the Cathedral Choir flyer.


Voluntary Choir
The Cathedral Voluntary Choir, which was first formed in October 1874 and is one of the longest running cathedral voluntary choirs in England, is open to boys and girls in year 3 and above from the local area, representing an opportunity for young singers from across Worcester to be involved in music at the cathedral. Membership of the choir involves one weekday evening rehearsal, and attendance at a Sunday evening service at 6.30pm (preceded by a rehearsal). For more information about the Voluntary Choir, or to find out more about how to join, please contact the group’s director, the cathedral’s Assistant Director of Music, Nicholas Freestone (nicholasfreestone@worcestercathedral.org.uk).

Youth Choir
In September 2021 the cathedral founded a new youth choir, for teenage boys and girls in year 9 and above. This exciting development allows singers in that age bracket from across the area a new opportunity to engage with the cathedral music department, meeting on one evening per week to rehearse, and contributing to a range of services and events at the cathedral and in the local area. For more information and to find out how to be involved in this exciting opportunity, please contact the group’s director, the cathedral’s Assistant Director of Music, Nicholas Freestone (nicholasfreestone@worcestercathedral.org.uk).

Download the Youth Choir flyer.


Deputy Singers
The Cathedral Choir is always on the lookout for capable deputy singers for when the regular lay-clerks and choral scholars are temporarily absent. A good voice, excellent musicianship and good sight-reading skills are pre-requisites to a successful application. A fee is payable each time you sing. Please contact the Music Administrator Alan Sheldon  to arrange an audition. AlanSheldon@worcestercathedral.org.uk 01905 732908


Choral Scholarship opportunities 
Choral scholarships are offered for Alto, Tenor and Bass voices. Details are published on the jobs page of this website.


The Chamber Choir
A different and complementary choral resource is provided by the Chamber Choir of women and men, which allows singers to take part in a wider variety of concerts. The Choir also sings occasional Cathedral services. For more information please see their website www.worcestercathedralchamberchoir.co.uk


Visiting Choirs
The Cathedral Choir does not sing during school holidays and at these times we welcome a wide range of visiting choirs. To enquire about singing as a visiting choir, contact the Music Administrator, Alan Sheldon on 01905 732908 or AlanSheldon@worcestercathedral.org.uk