Cathedral choirs

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History of Choral Music at Coventry Cathedral

In 1918 the parish church of St Michael became the Cathedral of the re-founded Diocese of Coventry. Although St Michael's had had a long tradition of music and a succession of distinguished organists, it was felt that, along with the great British Cathedrals, a choral tradition would be of great benefit to the church and its congregation.

In the late 1930's, a scheme of choral scholarships was established, but this was soon interrupted by the outbreak of war and the destruction of the Cathedral. In 1959, Canon J.W. Poole, a former Precentor of Canterbury Cathedral (he had run the choir at Canterbury during the war) was appointed Precentor of the new Cathedral. In February 1959, the establishment of a Coventry Cathedral Choral Foundation was announced to elect ten boys annually to choral scholarships, tenable at King Henry VIII School, Coventry. In this way a choir would be ready to take part in the consecration service due in 1962.

The first voice trial was held in April 1959. Choristers were chosen and they attended the Cathedral for rehearsals and services from September. With the new building not yet complete, services were held in the undercroft, accompanied by a grand piano. In 1961 David Lepine took up his appointment as organist, at which time the choir consisted of 24 trebles, 4 altos, 4 tenors and 4 basses.

In 1976 it was decided to open up entrance to all boys attending schools within the city, though the link with King Henry VIII has not been broken. This was born of a desire to allow opportunities for boys of all social and financial backgrounds. Interestingly, it was not until 1993 that the Cathedral started a Girls Choir: their members are aged 7-18 although some leave at age 16, and they are drawn from schools across the city. 

The Choral Clerks are professional men and women from the area who sing the lower parts with the children. The Girls, Boys and Choral Clerks occasionally sing together and all members play a full part in the many services and special events that take place in the Cathedral.

The first Cathedral Choir tour took place in 1963 with a journey behind the iron curtain to East Berlin. Over the years the choir has toured in Europe and America, South Africa and Japan. Coventry Cathedral's history of destruction and rebuilding is a powerful message of reconciliation for today’s world. The deep connections with Germany continue, and in recent years the choristers have been invited to Germany 5 times to take part in Britten’s monumental War Requiem (composed for the consecration of the Cathedral in 1962). In September 2004, the senior boy and girl Choristers visited the Russian city of Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad).

At home, the choir has over the years sung at all the great English churches such as Canterbury Cathedral, Truro Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, York Minster, and most recently at St. David's Cathedral in 2007 and 2008.

In addition to leading services and being involved with many events of educational and spiritual worth, the choristers are also exceptionally highly trained in musical matters. Recently many generous donations have helped us re-establish the chorister scholarships  thanks to a generous grant from the Thomas Garratt Fund we have been able to support choristers’ examination fees in Grade 5 singing and Grade 5 theory.

The Chamber Choir is a 30-voice auditioned adult choir and it sings every fortnight or so as well as at special services, recordings and tours. Recent engagements of the choir include services at Westminster Abbey and a broadcast on BBC Radio.