The Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral and director of music David Newsholme have today announced a change in requirements for membership of the Boys’ Choir. From September 2023 the choir will be open to children from any local school.
This change ensures that both the Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs present equal membership requirements and, in a further step towards equality between both choirs, the boy choristers (aged 8-13) and girl choristers (aged 12-18) will each sing three services a week.
The very reverend Dr David Monteith, dean of Canterbury, said: ‘We believe that this announcement helps children across the area benefit from the life-changing experience that singing in a cathedral choir offers whilst ensuring the continuation of the choir for generations to come. We are extremely grateful for the support and contribution St Edmund’s School have made during the past 50 years of our close partnership.’
This news presents a change from the choir’s original rules, which since 1971 saw boarding at St Edmund’s School as a compulsory requirement for all Boy’s Choir members. The boy choristers were each given a partial scholarship to the £12,500-a-year independent school, with all boy choristers studying two musical instruments and receive weekly theory lessons. Girl choristers were drawn from a variety of local schools and received weekly music theory lessons but did not receive the same all-round education or music lessons.
Director of music David Newsholme said: ‘We want music-making in our cathedral not just to survive, but to evolve and flourish, and we share the Cathedral Music Trust’s commitment to enabling children from a diverse range of backgrounds to experience the many benefits that come from being a chorister. We believe that this is the way to secure the future of the choir and we are excited to be moving forwards into this new era building on the strengths of our two well-established and respected choirs.’
The Cathedral will continue to financially support all current choristers studying at St Edmund’s School on a full choral scholarship until their tenure with the choir has finished.
