Becoming a chorister

Information for children and parents

Why be a chorister?

Cathedral choirs in the UK are the finest in the world, and no other nation has the same tradition of training young boys and girls to sing in cathedrals. A chorister’s musical education is second to none, producing young people who are organised, focused, hard-working, and often with a lifelong love of music, not just choral music. 

Choristers enjoy a wealth of opportunities and experiences that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Not only do they benefit from some of the finest musical tuition available, they perform regularly on a par with professional adult musicians. Most choristers spend five years in a cathedral, and it’s definitely hard work but it gives children many useful skills that will never leave them. Choristers often go on to become remarkably successful in a wide variety of fields due to the valuable arts of self-discipline, focus and organisation learnt ‘on the job’.

There are many types of choristership

Choristers come in an enormous number of guises, and they start young. Many choristers start at about 8 years old, particularly boys, whose voices will change around age 13-14. Some cathedrals have choirs for older girls (e.g. aged 11 - 18).

Some choristers attend a cathedral school; some are boarding schools but many are independent day schools. In these cases a chorister's education may be subsidised by the cathedral. Cathedrals are committed to ensuring that enthusiastic, musical children have the opportunity to become choristers, irrespective of their family's ability to afford school fees and will work with families and the choir school to find bursaries for children where necessary. Many cathedrals do not have a school so choristers come from a range of local schools.

Auditions

Entry to the choir is by a simple audition; directors of music are not looking for trained musicians but for children who love to sing, like music and are quick learners.

Time commitment

Life as a chorister is action-packed and incredibly rewarding but it does require a considerable commitment. The commitment varies between choral foundations but, as a guide, you can expect choristers to be singing most weekends in term time. They will be very busy during the run-up to Christmas and Easter, including services on Christmas and Easter Days. The commitment is reduced if you live near the cathedral or church where your child sings, as, unless he or she attends a boarding choir school, there is always travelling involved, which can be early in the morning or late in the evening.