Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir
Encyclopedia
The Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir is an Anglican choir made up of boy trebles and male voices. The choir is based at Worcester Cathedral
, Worcester
, United Kingdom
and regularly sings at the 6:30pm Sunday Evensong
.
morning Eucharist
, maintaining some of its original aim of relieving commitments from the Cathedral Choir.
The choir has released two CDs in recent years, and sang in the live BBC
television broadcast of Christmas Day morning Eucharist in 2007.
The choir has also been on a number of tours, including to Paris
in 2008 and Belgium
in 2010, singing at Notre Dame Cathedral and Brussels Cathedral, respectively.
The choir is affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music
(RSCM), and many choristers and men take exams and receive RSCM awards as recognition for their achievements. The choir also sings at the annual award ceremony for the Diocese of Worcester.
At various services each year, the choir sings alongside the Worcester Cathedral Choir and Chamber Choir, creating a more substantial sound than from either choir on its own, or creating impressive, multi-directional soundscapes in the cathedral.
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, England; situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester...
, Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and regularly sings at the 6:30pm Sunday Evensong
Evening Prayer (Anglican)
Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
.
History
The choir was founded in October 1874 primarily to sing at the newly formed 6:30pm Sunday Evensong and to sing other services for the Cathedral Choir during school holidays. Since its inception, the choir has been under the direction of the Cathedral's Assistant Organist, as well as having an organist of its own, who has often taken on additional roles as secretary. Although the choir also gets time off during school holidays, it still sings at a number of important services each year during the school holidays, including the Palm SundayPalm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
morning Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
, maintaining some of its original aim of relieving commitments from the Cathedral Choir.
The choir has released two CDs in recent years, and sang in the live BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television broadcast of Christmas Day morning Eucharist in 2007.
The choir has also been on a number of tours, including to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 2008 and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in 2010, singing at Notre Dame Cathedral and Brussels Cathedral, respectively.
Today
The choir is now notable for being one of the last remaining English cathedral voluntary choirs to be made up of entirely male voices, and still routinely sings the 6:30pm Evensong on Sundays. The choir's treble line is composed of boys aged 6–14, whilst the lower parts are made up of men, many of whom previously sang as trebles. Today the choir numbers approximately 35 singers.The choir is affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music
Royal School of Church Music
The largest church music organisation in Britain, the Royal School of Church Music was founded in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson and has 11,000 members worldwide; it was originally named the School of English Church Music. It seeks to enable church music in the present and invest in its future,...
(RSCM), and many choristers and men take exams and receive RSCM awards as recognition for their achievements. The choir also sings at the annual award ceremony for the Diocese of Worcester.
At various services each year, the choir sings alongside the Worcester Cathedral Choir and Chamber Choir, creating a more substantial sound than from either choir on its own, or creating impressive, multi-directional soundscapes in the cathedral.
Discography
- Christ Triumphant - Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir (2002)
- How lovely are thy dwellings - Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir (2004)
- Be thou my vision - Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir (2011)