Music is a Gift for Life 

8/10/23

At Cathedral Music Trust we passionately believe in the transformational experiences that being a chorister offers. This International Chorister Day, we're celebrating all those that make Choristership possible, whilst working to ensure the opportunity is available for generations to come. Hear from former choristers on their formative experiences.

"There is absolutely no doubt the experience [of being a chorister] made me the cricketer I became. We were expected to learn quickly about the power of concentration and performing under pressure... You are expected to be a team player, commit to a common creed of dedication and self-discipline. The world is watching... Music was similar to cricket in that we were judged collectively, but vulnerable to individual error." – Sir Alastair Cook, former England Cricketer and chorister at St Paul's Cathedral.

"I owe my entire career to my experience as a chorister. It was where I learned to perform, where I learned to use the full range of my voice; where I learned to listen, where I learned to write comedy – but most importantly it was where I learned the wonderful truth that something quite exceptional can be created by just you and your friends." – Alexander Armstrong, Actor, Presenter & Comedian, and former chorister at St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh.

"Being a cathedral chorister literally changed my life. It gave me the discipline and the taste for excellence to succeed. It's vital that it continues to do so for future generations of young people." – David Lammy MP, former chorister at Peterborough Cathedral