The Salisbury Cathedral Choir has been in existence since the consecration of the cathedral in 1258. It was first endowed by Bishop Simon of Ghent, then Bishop of Salisbury, in 1314. In the early days, the music was executed by two groups of musicians: the Choristers and the Vicars Choral, performing either together or separately.
The Lay Vicars first appeared in the XVIth century to assist the Vicars Choral with the singing, but were not in the Holy Orders.
In 1991, Salisbury Cathedral became the first English cathedral to recruit girl choristers to form a separate and independent foundation. The choristers are nowadays educated at Salisbury Cathedral School, a boarding prep and independent day school for boys and girls situated in the Cathedral Close.
The weekly services are equally divided between the boy and girl choristers throughout the school year. Today the choir comprises sixteen boy choristers and sixteen girl choristers, aged between 8 and 13 years old, and six professional Lay Vicars singing bass, tenor and countertenor. Directed by the Director of Music, currently David Halls, the choir is accompanied by the Assistant Organist and an organ scholar who is selected by audition every year.
Every day the Cathedral Choir sings an Evensong and on Sunday mornings there is also a Choral Matins and Eucharist. In addition to singing for services, the choir tours internationally: recently the girls have travelled to Austria and Italy, and the boys and men to Estonia, France and Latvia. Boy and girl choristers have toured together for the first time in 2014 to Saintes, in France, then again later to Xanten, in Germany, in 2016.
The choir’s other commitments include frequent broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4, concerts, CD recordings and the annual Southern Cathedrals Festival, which showcases the cathedral choirs from Chichester, Salisbury and Winchester.
The Lay Vicars first appeared in the XVIth century to assist the Vicars Choral with the singing, but were not in the Holy Orders.
In 1991, Salisbury Cathedral became the first English cathedral to recruit girl choristers to form a separate and independent foundation. The choristers are nowadays educated at Salisbury Cathedral School, a boarding prep and independent day school for boys and girls situated in the Cathedral Close.
The weekly services are equally divided between the boy and girl choristers throughout the school year. Today the choir comprises sixteen boy choristers and sixteen girl choristers, aged between 8 and 13 years old, and six professional Lay Vicars singing bass, tenor and countertenor. Directed by the Director of Music, currently David Halls, the choir is accompanied by the Assistant Organist and an organ scholar who is selected by audition every year.
Every day the Cathedral Choir sings an Evensong and on Sunday mornings there is also a Choral Matins and Eucharist. In addition to singing for services, the choir tours internationally: recently the girls have travelled to Austria and Italy, and the boys and men to Estonia, France and Latvia. Boy and girl choristers have toured together for the first time in 2014 to Saintes, in France, then again later to Xanten, in Germany, in 2016.
The choir’s other commitments include frequent broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4, concerts, CD recordings and the annual Southern Cathedrals Festival, which showcases the cathedral choirs from Chichester, Salisbury and Winchester.