St Albans Cathedral Choir is an English cathedral choir based in

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

, Hertfordshire, England. It is made up of: *around 12 adults

lay clerk A lay clerk, also known as a lay vicar, song man or a vicar choral, is a professional adult singer in an Anglican cathedral and often Roman Catholic cathedral in the UK, or (occasionally) college choir in Britain and Ireland. The vicars choral w ...

s. *20 boys

chorister A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

s aged 7–14 *in addition to the original boys-only choir, there is a St Albans Cathedral Girls' Choir (originally the Abbey Girls' Choir) founded in 1996. They are directed by William Fox, the Director of Music at the cathedral, and accompanied in services by Connor McGlone, the Cathedral's Organ scholar. The Assistant Director of music is Ben Collyer.

Schedule

St Albans has a strong musical tradition. For example it hosts the

St Albans International Organ Festival The International Organ Festival (IOF) is a biennial music festival and organ competition held in St Albans, England since 1963. Originally held annually, it was changed to every two years in 1965 due to the complexity of organising the increasing ...

. However, unlike many cathedrals, St Albans does not have a boarding school for its choristers. The choirs have strong links with many local day schools, including St Albans School and St Columba's College, meaning that services and rehearsals have to be fitted around a normal school week. Choristers are expected to sing at the Cathedral both before and after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, on which days

Choral Evensong Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. It is loosely based on the canonical hours of vespers and compline. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which ...

is sung, and before school on Mondays, in addition to an evening rehearsal with the Lay Clerks on Fridays and the commitment of up to four services over the weekend. A typical week will involve around 18 hours of singing, and over his seven-year career in the Choir a Chorister will spend approximately six months' worth of that singing in the Cathedral.

Touring

The Choir goes on tours to other countries every other year to perform concerts, with past tours including the United States, France, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, Italy, Germany and, in 2017, Spain, during which it performed concerts in

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is located in the Meseta central, Inner Pl ...

, Madrid and

Alcalá de Henares Alcalá de Henares () is a Spanish municipality of the Community of Madrid. Housing is primarily located on the right (north) bank of the Henares River, Henares. , it has a population of 193,751, making it the region's third-most populated Municip ...

, and sang at a service in the Church of San Andrés in Madrid. In May 2019 it toured Italy, with performances given in

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

and

Fano Fano () is a city and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by pop ...

Cathedrals, the Church of San Paulo in Fano, and Mass at the Basilica di Loreto.

Traditions

The annual Choir Camp was founded by

Peter Hurford Peter John Hurford OBE (22 November 1930 – 3 March 2019) was a British organist and composer. Life Hurford was born in Minehead, Somerset, to Gladys Hurford (née James) and Hubert Hurford, a solicitor. He was educated at Blundell's School ...

when he was organist at St Albans and held in the hamlet of Luccombe. The tents used by the Choir remained the same since the first Choir Camp in 1958, with most being army surplus from the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. On the Sunday the Choir would sing Choral Eucharist in St Mary's, Luccombe for the parishioners, and on each day the choristers and layclerks would go on hikes, often over ten miles in length, around the Somerset countryside. The Camp celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008. The Choir also holds an annual cricket match and football match using the grounds of local schools. The games are played between the two 'sides' of the Choir, known in the English choral tradition as

Decani Decani (; Latin: 'of the dean') is the side of a church choir occupied by the Dean. In English churches, this is typically the choir stalls on the south side of the chancel. The opposite side is known as Cantoris. The abbreviations "Dec." and ...

and

Cantoris Cantoris (Latin: "of the cantor"; ) is the side of a church choir occupied by the Cantor. In English churches this is typically the choir stalls on the north side of the chancel, although there are some notable exceptions, such as Durham Cathe ...

. Dec and Can have a close rivalry with Can winning football for the last 3 years and Dec winning Cricket for the last 3 years as well.

Organists

The Choir is directed by the Master of the Music. The Assistant Master of the Music is currently Tom Winpenny. The current Organ Scholar is Oliver Morrell.

Masters of the Music

*1302 Adam *1498

Robert Fayrfax Robert Fayrfax (23 April 1464 – 24 October 1521) was an English Renaissance composer, considered the most prominent and influential of the reigns of Kings Henry VII and Henry VIII of England. Biography He was born in Deeping Gate, Lincolns ...

*1529 Henry Besteney *1820 Thomas Fowler *1831 Edwin Nicholls *1833 Thomas Fowler *1837 Thomas Brooks *1846 John Brooks *1855 William Simmons *1858 John Stocks Booth *1880 George Gaffe *1907 Willie Lewis Luttman *1930 Cuthbert E. Osmond *1937 Albert Charles Tysoe *1947

Meredith Davies Albert Meredith Davies CBE (30 July 1922 – 9 March 2005) was a British conductor, renowned for his advocacy of English music by composers such as Benjamin Britten, Frederick Delius and Ralph Vaughan Williams. His co-conducting, with the comp ...

*1951 Claude Peter Primrose Burton *1957

*1978

Stephen Darlington Stephen Mark Darlington (born 21 September 1952) is a British choral director, organist and conductor who served as Director of Music at Christ Church, Oxford, from 1985 to 2018. After retiring from Christ Church, he served as interim director ...

*1985 Colin Walsh *1988 Barry Rose *1998 Andrew Lucas *2024 William Fox

Assistant Masters of the Music

The assistant Master of Music at St Albans may also be the Master of Music at St Albans School. For example,

John Rutter Sir John Milford Rutter (born 24 September 1945) is an English composer, conductor, editor, arranger, and record producer, mainly of choral music. Biography Born on 24 September 1945 in London, the son of an industrial chemist and his wife, R ...

's ''Donkey Carol'' is dedicated "to Simon Lindley and the choir of St. Albans School". *1908–09 John Cawley *1921–30 George C. Straker *1936–39 Sydney John Barlow *1948–51 Frederick Carter *1951–70 John Henry Freeman *1970–75

Simon Lindley Simon Lindley (10 October 1948 – 25 February 2025) was an English organist, choirmaster, conductor and composer. He was Organist and Master of the Music at Leeds Minster from 1975 until his retirement in 2016, and Leeds City Organist from 19 ...

*1975–76 John Clough *1976–2001 Andrew Parnell *2001–08 Simon Johnson *2008–24 Tom Winpenny

Notable ex-choristers

Rod Argent Rodney Terence Argent (born 14 June 1945) is an English musician. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Argent came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the keyboardist, founder and leader of the rock band the Zombies, and went on to form the ba ...

(born 1945) – pop musician, founding member of

The Zombies The Zombies are an English Rock music, rock band formed in St Albans in 1961. Led by keyboardist/vocalist Rod Argent and lead vocalist Colin Blunstone, the group had their first British and American hit in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the U ...

and writer of international hits including "

She's Not There "She's Not There" is the debut single by the English rock band the Zombies, written by keyboardist Rod Argent. It reached 12 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1964, and 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States at the beginnin ...

", "

Tell Her No "Tell Her No" is a hit single written by Rod Argent and included by English rock band the Zombies on their debut album ''The Zombies'' in 1965. It peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States in March 1965 and was one of thr ...

" and "

Time of the Season "Time of the Season" is a song by the British rock band the Zombies, featured on their 1968 album '' Odessey and Oracle''. It was written by keyboardist Rod Argent and recorded at Abbey Road Studios (then known as EMI Studios) in September 1967. ...

" *

Rogers Covey-Crump Rogers Henry Lewis Covey-Crump (born 1944) is an English tenor noted for his performances in both early music and contemporary classical music. He has sometimes been identified as an ''haute-contre'' tenor. He has performed for over 50 years i ...

(born 1944) – tenor * Mike Newell (born 1942) – film director *

Alfred Victor Smith Second Lieutenant Alfred Victor Smith VC (22 July 1891 – 22 December 1915), known to his family as Victor, was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in ...

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

(1891–1915) – recipient of both the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

and the

Julian Trevelyan Julian Otto Trevelyan (20 February 1910 – 12 July 1988) was an English artist and poet. Early life Trevelyan was the only child to survive to adulthood of Robert Calverley Trevelyan and his wife Elizabeth van der Hoeven. His grandfather wa ...

(born 1998) – concert pianist

Trivia

St Albans Cathedral Choir appeared in the 2003 film

Johnny English ''Johnny English'' is a 2003 spy action comedy film directed by Peter Howitt and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and William Davies. It is a British-French venture produced by StudioCanal and Working Title Films, and distributed by Unive ...

, starring

Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles in the sitcoms ''Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and '' Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and in the film series '' Johnny English'' (2003– ...

and

John Malkovich John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and ...

, as the choir of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

during the coronation scene.

Performances

St Albans Cathedral Choir most notably hosts the Three Choirs Concert, a key part of the

. Since 2015, the Choir has accomplished three

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

broadcasts and has performed in two

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

television programmes. It has performed with several world-famous choirs, the most recent examples being the 2017 Three Choirs Concert, when it performed jointly with St Paul's Cathedral Choir and Temple Church Choir, and the 2019 Three Choirs Concert, with the Chapel Choir of Jesus College, Cambridge and the choirs of Salisbury Cathedral.

References

External links

St Albans Cathedral Choir website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Albans Cathedral Choir

Choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

Boys' and men's choirs Girls' choirs Musical groups from St Albans