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Cathedral Choir

For hundreds of years, Cathedrals in this country have maintained a unique tradition of daily sung services, performing a wide range of music to the highest possible standards. The choir of Guildford Cathedral is among the newest additions to this ongoing tradition, but in only fifty years it has established an enviable reputation for the quality of its singing.

RGS Prep is proud to be the Guildford Cathedral Choir School. The boy choristers of the Cathedral Choir (a separate group of girl choristers was formed in 2002), are all educated at RGS Prep. They rehearse at school on four mornings a week, and the full choir of boys and men sings at Evensong in the Cathedral on Tuesdays and Thursdays; there are currently three choral services on Sundays. There are also duties at Christmas and Easter. The main activity of the choir is the maintenance of regular sung services, but in the last few years the choir has also toured in Normandy, Bruges, the East Coast of the USA and most recently, the Netherlands. The choir has given concerts locally and in London, has made several recordings, and has appeared on BBC Radio 3.

Listen to the Choristers rehearsing below:

There are vacancies each year for musical boys who are interested in becoming choristers; the Chapter of the Cathedral award educational bursaries to boys selected for the choir. Additional bursaries are sometimes available to those who are unable to afford school fees.

Having a son who is a chorister is a commitment for the whole family, but there are great rewards. Many choristers go on to pursue careers in music, and all benefit from the experience of teamwork and sense of achievement the choir gives them; in particular, ex-choristers often go on to achieve music scholarships and other awards at leading schools.

Full details can be found here.

Music Scholarships

Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Total
RGS 1 3 3 3 4 10
Cranmore 1 1
Reigate Grammar 4 1 5
Hampton 1 1
St Edmund’s 1 1
Westminster 1 1
Reeds 3 3

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