CHORISTER PROSPECTUS 2027
Registered Charity No. 1201499
CONTENTS Introductions 3. Welcome from the Dean 4. Welcome from the Director of Music 5. Welcome from the Heads of St Peter’s Junior and Senior Schools Being a Chorister 6. Probationers 7. Weekday Schedule 8. Weekend Schedule 9. The Chaperones 10. The Vicars Choral and Choral Scholars 11. Next Steps
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WELCOME
from the Very Reverend Dominic Barrington, Dean of York Although the exact quotation is hard to find, the sentiment that those who sing ‘pray twice’ is an enduring and endearing part of Christian tradition. For worshippers at York Minster, whether regular or occasional, it is a sentiment which needs no explanation or clarification – the beauty of the choir’s singing throughout the year elevates our worship in the most sublime way. It is with much joy, therefore, that we invite your child to consider being a member of our chorister team. Chorister life is rigorous – both for the children and for their parents and guardians – and we are deeply grateful for the huge commitment that our choristers and their families give. I also believe that chorister life brings some unique gifts and great joys (and the emotions which are very visible at the end of each choral year demonstrate this well), and in confidence and hope, I am sure this experience offers a life-long blessing for each of the girls and boys who join us.
At the Minster, our vision is ‘to inspire everyone to experience God’s love through our welcome, worship and work’, and I hope that this will be as true for our choristers and their families as everyone else. As part of this vision, we strive hard to ensure the well-being, happiness and safety of our choristers, both in the cathedral and at school. I hope you will feel able to ask us any questions as you explore what it is like to be a chorister at York Minster.
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WELCOME
from Robert Sharpe, Director of Music There has been a choir at York Minster since its foundation in the first century AD and our choristers are therefore part of an amazing unbroken tradition of singing within our beautiful and magnificent cathedral. I have been Director of Music since September 2008 when I moved to Yorkshire from Cornwall having spent six years in a similar role at Truro Cathedral. Both my adult children were choristers here so I understand chorister family life from the same perspective as you as well as from being the person who is responsible for the programme here and for the choice of music.
Our boys and girls share the duties of singing equally, coming together for the great festivals and for concerts. The repertoire is wide and includes many contemporary works as well as the great classics of cathedral music from the 15th through to the 21st century. Many of the works we sing from the 16th and 17th centuries have original sources in the Minster library, so would have been sung here within the same Book of Common Prayer Evensong service when they were brand new: a really amazing thing to be part of.
I hope you will find the answers to most of your Being a chorister is a fabulous opportunity for a questions in this prospectus. It can feel a bit musical child and something which equips a young daunting at first but we are all very friendly and will person with great team-playing skills and the always try to help! ability to organise themselves well. These skills are transferable to non-musical disciplines after chorister life, and because they are absorbed at a young age they become properly embedded by the time a chorister leaves the choir at the end of Year 8.
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WELCOME
from Phil Hardy, Head of St Peter’s Junior School The Choir of York Minster has sung in our beautiful cathedral for hundreds of years, continuing a tradition that has inspired and uplifted many thousands of worshippers. Being a cathedral chorister is an incredible opportunity and you will become part of a close knit team. Like all teams you will have lots of fun, and you will work hard to support each other through good times and even more so when some days feel tougher than others. The results will be phenomenal!
As well as being part of one of the world’s top cathedral choirs, our choristers are also part of one of the top schools in the country. Life at St Peter’s School is also an amazing opportunity, where you will be encouraged to stretch yourself both academically and in the wider areas of school life with plenty of support from your teachers and other staff. You will be busy and most importantly, I hope you’ll really enjoy yourself. You will make new life long friends and develop skills both through the choir and school, which will help you to flourish in life outside of school and as an adult.
WELCOME
from Tracey Allain, Head of St Peter’s Senior School As a chorister of York Minster, you will be part of something truly special. Through your dedication, talent and commitment, you will contribute to a musical tradition that is recognised and admired around the world. As you progress through the Senior School, we are committed to helping you make the most of every opportunity available to you, both within the choir and beyond it. We understand the demands of chorister life and the high standards expected of choristers, and we take great pride in supporting pupils as they balance these commitments alongside their academic studies and wider interests.
One of the greatest rewards of your time in the Senior School will be the relationships you build. You will become part of a community that values kindness, ambition and mutual support, where lasting friendships are formed and individual talents are celebrated. There will be challenges along the way, but there will also be countless moments of achievement, enjoyment and personal growth.
I hope your years at St Peter’s will be filled with memorable experiences, new discoveries and opportunities to challenge yourself in ways you may never have imagined. We are here to champion your successes, guide you through any difficulties The qualities that make a successful chorister, and help you develop the confidence and character such as perseverance, discipline, collaboration and needed to make a positive contribution to the world confidence, are the very same qualities that enable beyond school. young people to thrive throughout their school I look forward to seeing all that you achieve during years. We encourage you to bring these strengths your time with us. into every aspect of school life, whether that is in the classroom, through sport, the arts, leadership roles or the many co-curricular activities on offer. 5
BEING A CHORISTER P ROBATIO NE R S When your child first joins the choir, he or she is Probationers are not involved in evening practices a probationer which is effectively a chorister-in- and services until the summer term, but we warmly waiting. The routine for probationers is less busy than encourage you to bring them to Evensong during for full choristers so children and parents normally the Christmas and Easter terms to get a good sense have a year or so to get used to things before the full of what they will be doing later in the year. commitment (outlined further down) begins. Parents are invited to bring probationers to the The probationers attend morning practice Tuesday Minster in March for an evening reception following to Friday. They are collected from the Music School Evensong, when you will be able to meet the clergy at St Peter’s Junior School at 7.55am. They return to and music team and ask any questions. St Peter’s Junior School in time for the first lesson at 9.00am. Occasionally there are changes to this During the summer term, probationers will follow routine. Those affecting probationers will appear on the full chorister schedule on weekdays, including the schedule as ‘P’ which indicates both boy and girl morning and evening practices with the choristers, and singing in weekday Evensongs (as in the probationers [they are taught as a group]. schedule). You will receive further information Probationer lessons include vocal training [both as a about this when the time comes. For these services, group and individually], sight singing, theory of music they will wear cassocks, and they will then receive and an introduction to the music and words of the their surplices when they are read in the following services. Musicianship skills are developed through a September. variety of musical and vocal games, fostering a sense of individual responsibility while having fun.
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WEEKDAY SCHEDULE Morning rehearsals for choristers and probationers take place at St Peter’s before school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Weekday PM Schedule
Schedule A
Schedule B
Tuesday
Evensong (York Minster)
Rehearsal (St Peter’s)
Wednesday
Rehearsal (St Peter’s)
Evensong (York Minster)
Thursday
Evensong (York Minster)
No choir (free after school)
Friday
No choir (free after school)
Evensong (York Minster)
Each group of choristers will follow Schedule A for one half term, and then Schedule B for the following half term. This enables all choristers to have the opportunity to participate in after school activities on Thursdays and Fridays at some stage in each term. Probationers are free after school each day in the Christmas and Easter terms. In the Summer term, they join the choristers for services and practices after school on weekdays. Tuesday–Friday arrangements After school Chorister tea at school; probationers free to go home Choristers singing Evensong walk to the Minster with chaperones Rehearsal at St Peter’s begins (Tuesday and Wednesday) Rehearsal with full choir Collection from St Peter’s from pm rehearsal (Tuesday and Wednesday) Break 5.30pm
Evensong
c. 6.15pm
Evensong ends
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WEEKEND SCHEDULE The usual weekend pattern is that one group of choristers sings for Saturday Evensong and the other group sings for all three services on Sunday. This alternates each week, so that as far as possible each group of choristers has alternate Saturdays/Sundays free. All choristers have Saturdays free on exeat weekends. Saturday Afternoon
Duty choristers (boys or girls) arrive at the Minster Chorister rehearsal Break Rehearsal with full choir Break
5.30pm
Evensong
c.6.20pm
Evensong ends
Sunday Morning
Duty choristers (boys or girls) arrive at the Minster Chorister rehearsal Rehearsal with full choir
10.00am
Matins
c. 10.40am
Matins ends
11am
Eucharist
c.12.15pm
Eucharist ends
Afternoon
Duty choristers (boys or girls) arrive at the Minster Chorister rehearsal Rehearsal with full choir Break
4.00pm
Evensong
c.5.00pm
Evensong ends
For three weeks of the year (Christmas, Easter and the week after term finishes in July), the choristers maintain a schedule outside school term. The morning rehearsals are at the Minster and there are a variety of different morning and evening services, depending on the festival.
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THE CHAPERONES Ellen Harvey and Lynda Houlston are the chaperones for the boy and girl choristers respectively, though they each know all the children and will deputise for each other. They are both highly experienced in this work and make sure the children are safe, cared for and enjoying all they do at the Minster. They liaise closely and regularly with the Director of Music and his colleagues and with school staff to ensure the best possible care of the choristers. They are with the choristers at all times in the Minster, including during rehearsals and services. They are also responsible for walking the choristers from St Peter’s School to York Minster safely. In this latter task, they are assisted by Benjamin Rice and Alexandra Nightingale.
Ellen Harvey Chaperone Boys
Lynda Houlston Chaperone Girls
Benjamin Rice Chorister Liaison & Tutor to the Choristers
Alexandra Nightingale Music Secretary at YM & Assistant Chaperone 9
THE VICARS CHORAL AND CHORAL SCHOLARS The adult members of the choir number twelve in total and comprise professional Vicars Choral, who are permanent members of staff resident in York, and Choral Scholars, who are typically undergraduates or postgraduates at the University of York. Alongside their Minster duties, many Vicars Choral teach and perform freelance to form a portfolio career, whilst Choral Scholars are studying for a degree or diploma. A very high level of competency is required as there are only two singers to each voice part (alto, tenor and bass) on each side of the choir. The Back Row, as they are known, are also great fun and the choristers really enjoy singing with them.
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NEXT STEPS APPLICAT I O NS AND AU D I T I O NS A love of singing is the key to becoming a chorister. We are looking for boys and girls who enjoy making music, are enthusiastic about learning and will bring their own passions and personalities to their singing at York Minster and to their education at St Peter’s School. Life as a chorister is busy and rewarding, with new adventures and opportunities each day. Choristers must live near enough to York for the extra duties of the Choir to be practicable. Applications are generally invited from pupils in Year 3; choristers then typically join us as Probationers at the start of Year 4 and remain in the Choir until the end of Year 8. All prospective choristers will be auditioned by Mr Robert Sharpe, Director of Music at York Minster. Formal singing experience is not required, but children need to be able to sing in tune, pitch notes and be interested in developing their musical talents. These skills are explored at audition through a series of simple singing and listening exercises that assess qualities such as tunefulness, pitch recognition, musical memory and responsiveness. The aim is not to identify fully trained musicians, but rather children who show aptitude, commitment and a genuine enjoyment of singing. All choristers are educated at St Peter’s School, where, alongside their singing audition, they will also sit an entrance exam, which will include maths, English and reasoning tests, a creative writing paper and a group task. For all choristers, a substantial part of the school fee is paid by the Chapter of York Minster. Choristerships are open to all and additional means-tested funding is available which may potentially increase the level of funding to 100%. Applications to become a chorister should be submitted by the 31 December before the September you would be due to start at St Peter’s, whether children are already at the school or are applying from a different school. For further information, please see the details on the St Peter’s School website here: https://www.stpetersyork.org.uk/admissions/how-to-apply/chorister-admissions/ If you have any further questions about choristerships, please contact Mrs Alexandra Nightingale, Music Secretary at York Minster: musicsecretary@yorkminster.org
SAFEGUA R DI NG AT YO R K M I NST E R We work closely as a team, both within the Minster and with St Peter’s School, to promote the wellbeing of our choristers. We have our own Safeguarding Lead in the Minster Music Department, Benjamin Morris, Assistant Director of Music: he works with the Minster Safeguarding Officer, Caroline Wood, and with the Designated Safeguarding Lead at St Peter’s School to ensure that the safeguarding of our choristers is at the forefront of all we do. The Minster Safeguarding Policy, which includes a policy specifically for the safeguarding of the choristers, can be found on the Minster website here: https://yorkminster.org/about-us/safeguarding/ If you have any questions about safeguarding at York Minster, please contact our Safeguarding Officer, Caroline Wood: carolinew@yorkminster.org
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