We're at the magnificent Worcester Cathedral for day 15 of our Advent Calendar to hear their choral scholars sing the hauntingly sombre Coventry Carol. This 16th-century piece speaks of the darker side of the Christmas story and is from the Coventry Mystery Plays - the carol itself refers to the Massacre of the Innocents, in which Herod ordered all male infants under the age of two in Bethlehem to be killed, and takes the form of a lullaby sung by mothers of the doomed children.
These choral scholars form part of the backbone of Worcester's Cathedral Choir, which Cathedral Music Trust supported with a grant in 2021. The choir sings the daily services, maintaining and developing the tradition of choral music at the Cathedral to a professional standard with a broad repertoire spanning many centuries. The Cathedral Choir offers choristerships for both boys and girls, with the weekly commitment shared equally between both groups. 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 [email protected].
"The start of this new academic year has been a historic one at Worcester cathedral, for a number of reasons. We are now offering girl choristers an opportunity to sing on the same terms as boys, we have a full complement of musicians, and we are coming out of the pandemic with a real sense of energy and enthusiasm for the future. This wouldn’t be possible without accompanying resourcing and financial support - support which has undoubtedly enabled such a bright future for music at Worcester, and for which we are extremely grateful."
Samuel Hudson, Director of Music
In addition to their Cathedral Choir, there is a wealth of opportunity for young singers to get involved with cathedral music. The Cathedral Voluntary Choir is open to all children in year 4 to 8, and the Cathedral Youth Choir welcomes young people in year 9 and above, representing an opportunity for young singers from across Worcester to be involved in music at the cathedral. If you'd like to find out more about either or both of these choirs, please contact Nicholas Freestone, Assistant Director of Music at [email protected].