Durham Cathedral Introduces Day Option for Choristers

From September Durham Cathedral choristers will have the choice of being boarding or day pupils at The Chorister School.

At present, all the choristers are full boarders but, as Daniel Cook, Master of the Choristers and Organist of Durham Cathedral explains: “Our choristers come from the North East region and from all over the UK. Before 1906, local children were able to be part of the Cathedral Choir without boarding, so building on our aspirations to offer choristerships to all, we are delighted to be able to complement our current team of boarding choristers by opening up this opportunity to boys and girls who live close enough to sing in the Cathedral Choir whilst continuing to live at home.”

Ian Wicks, Headmaster of the Chorister School, adds: “There are many benefits to choristership beyond the purely musical. Choristers work closely as a team alongside professional adult colleagues and many former choristers have gone on to be leaders in their chosen fields, from international cricketers to broadcasters and leaders in business, taking with them many qualities including time management, teamwork and problem solving.

“Choirs also reinforce social tolerance and inclusion, and the health and cognitive benefits of singing and learning music are well known. This unique musical experience is gained alongside an education of the highest standard at The Chorister School, rated as excellent by the Independent Schools Inspectorate.”

Anyone interested in finding out more can go along to forthcoming Chorister Experience Events. The first is on Saturday, 24 February and welcomes children in school years 2-5 to sing alongside the choristers and visit the Cathedral and Chorister School. Check out more information here: www.choirschools.org.uk/be-a-chorister-for-a-day/