Call Out for Choristers

Every year Salisbury Cathedral invites children from School Years 2, 3 and 4 to try life as a chorister in a medieval Cathedral. Be a Chorister for a Day is an annual event (happens at the start of November) and marks the beginning of the recruitment process for next year's choristers.

Being a chorister at the Cathedral is pretty special with its unbroken tradition of church music that stretches back for over 700 years in the present cathedral, and for a further 200 years before that in the cathedral at Old Sarum.

The choral tradition is part of our national heritage and has always played a vital role in the life of the Cathedral. To begin with there were sixteen boy choristers, six Lay Vicars, the Director of Music, the Assistant Director of Music and the Organ Scholar, but in 1991 we took the historic step of forming another ‘top line’, bringing girl choristers into the Choral Foundation and choir school. Today the singing duties are divided equally between the two sets of choristers made up of boys and girls aged between 8 and 13 years old.

The choristers work hard and play hard. As well as sports, music and every day school, they rehearse each morning for an hour from between 08.00 and again after school at 16.35 in preparation for the sung service (usually Evensong) at 17.30. During term-time Evensong is sung every day, with a sung Eucharist and Mattins each Sunday.

In addition the choristers regularly take part in broadcasts, record CDs, tour and give concerts all over the Diocese and even, one Christmas, on board ship in Southampton.

If you want to know more about joining or would like to Be a Chorister for a Day contact [email protected]

This video is composed of clips from the film 'Pitch Perfect: Life in the Choir' which was shot, edited and directed by Ash Mills (ashmills.com). You can view the full video here
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