Choristers

Being a chorister is a wonderful start to a young musician's training, and hopefully an experience they treasure for life! It is a big commitment, but one which is hugely rewarding. At St Mary's, we have trebles between the ages of 7 to 16, and children can join the Choir at any point between these ages - though boys with changed voices should enquire about membership of the adult choir as choral scholars. When they join the Choir, they will be given musical training - both practical (vocal technique and aural skills) and theoretical (how to read music etc). Below we answer some frequently asked questions; please don't hesitate to get in touch for information not provided here.

The Choristers of St Mary’s sing the top, or treble, line in the Choir. The commitment is a weekly Friday rehearsal, and between four and six services a month (a mixture of mornings and evenings), depending on festivals and other events:

Choristers

for girls and boys aged 7+ (Year 3+)

Boys rehearse on Fridays from 6.00-7.30pm

Senior (11+) boys rehearse on Fridays from 6.00-8.00pm

Morning or evening service on Sunday (8.45-10.45am or 5.30-6.30pm)

The Choristers rehearse together on Friday evenings and share the services with our back row of teenage choral scholars and adults. Probationers, those new to the choir, sing only on Fridays (6pm-7pm) until they have settled in and are ready to begin singing services.

Boys with changed voices (countertenors, tenors and basses) and girls in Year 10+ make up our Choral Scholars, and receive specialist training. 

The Choristers also sing with the Choir at weddings for which they are paid, and they receive termly choir pay (according to seniority) for their work during the normal routine of services.

We have chorister places available for boys and girls in Year 4+ in the academic year 2022-23.

For more information, please contact us - we run a waiting list for some year groups but are always pleased to hear from prospective chorister families.

Benefits

• Exceptional musical training delivered by a team of professional musicians - all free of charge
• One-to-one theory sessions
• One-to-one vocal coaching
• Opportunities to sing wonderful music in some of Britain's most beautiful buildings during cathedral visits
• Subsidised singing, theory, piano and organ lessons
• The opportunity to gain qualifications from ABRSM and the Royal School of Church Music
• a life-long love of music and singing
• Termly choir pay
• Self-confidence, leadership skills and teamwork - and lasting friendships

What happens next 

Most ex-boy choristers carry on singing with the Choir as Choral Scholars (altos, tenors or basses) when their voices change. Most girl choristers continue singing with the Choir until they leave school, and many go on to university choral scholarships. 

Being a chorister is a great musical training for life; ex-St Mary's choristers include choral scholars at Jesus and Girton Colleges, Cambridge, and choristers in the choirs of the Chapel Royal (St James'), Hampton Court Palace, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey. Our first organ scholar won an organ scholarship to Trinity College Oxford in 2017.

Our choristers also sing with other choirs across London and beyond, currently including: London Youth Choir, the National Children's Choir, and the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain. We also have choristers who attend junior departments of London conservatoires, currently including the Royal College of Music Junior Department.