Being a chorister at Sheffield Cathedral

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CHOIRS

There was a choir of men and boys in the old Parish Church of Sheffield for centuries, and when that church was raised to the status of a Cathedral in 1913, the tradition continued. In recent years the music of the Cathedral has vastly expanded and today there is a very busy programme of services and concerts throughout the year.

The Cathedral Choir sings Evensong on each weekday except Monday during term-time at 5.45pm Sunday services consist of the Sung Eucharist at 10.30am and Evensong at 6.30pm. Currently there are some 40 young people involved in the Cathedral Choir. These children attend schools all over the city of Sheffield, and come in to rehearsals and services up to five times each week to be joined by the Cathedral Songmen and Student Songmen (choral scholars). A regular weekly schedule of services looks like this:

Tuesday	5.45pm	Evensong	Men’s voices
Wednesday	5.45pm	Evensong	Girls’ voices (boys’ voices once a month)
Thursday	5.45pm	Evensong	Girls and men
Friday	5.45pm	Evensong	Boys & men (men only once a month)
Sunday	10.30am	Sung Eucharist	Boys & men (girls & men once a month)
	6.30pm	Evensong	Boys & men (girls & men once a month)

Please visit the music list for more details of current services.

The boy and girl choristers all receive individual singing tuition from a specialist vocal tutor during their time in the choir, and in addition to their regular services, the Cathedral Choir often gives concerts in the Cathedral and beyond, broadcasts on radio and television, tours in the UK and abroad, and makes recordings for CDs. In the last few years the choir has toured the USA, Holland, Germany, France and Hungary. Please click here for more details of choir tours.

The Cathedral is often a centre for workshops/singing days given by distinguished visiting musicians, including Sir David Willcocks, John Rutter, Scott Stroman, Ralph Allwood and Michael Brewer.

The Boys and Men
The boys and men sing together for usually three services a week, with the men singing a further one alone. The 16 boys (including probationer or trainee choristers), aged between 8 and 13, come from different schools across the city. The gentlemen of the choir are divided into two categories, Songmen and Student Songmen. The former are five professional people who form the backbone of the choir and are complemented by five students who are students at the city's universities. There is no choir school and so the boy choristers have to learn a wide variety of music on a very tight rehearsal schedule. Personal commitment, punctuality, team-work and musical excellence help make the choir what it is today and these very qualities stand the boys in good stead in later life.

The Girls
The girls' choir, which was formed in 1994, has 20 members aged between 12 and 18. The girls come into the Cathedral three times a week and usually sing two services a week, together with the Sunday services once each month. Like the boys, the girls come from a number of different schools in the city and again commitment and dedication are very important. It is hoped that many of the girls, after gaining musical experience at the cathedral, will continue to sing at college and later in life. In recent years, many girls have left the choir to continue their studies and singing elsewhere, with some recent choristers winning choral scholarships to Cambridge University.

Aims
The choirs are directed by two professional musicians. All choristers receive an individual singing lesson on a fortnightly basis. None of the music should be seen in isolation as the Cathedral strives for a cohesive musical programme. Our overall aim is to be able to use resources not only to enrich our own worship but to act as a wider resource to the city and diocese.

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