The Choirs

Leicester Cathedral Choir consists of: The Cathedral Boys Choir, The Cathedral Girls Choir and The Cathedral Songmen.

Boys and Girls are recruited from a variety of schools in the Leicester area and songmen come from many differing walks of life. We are also fortunate to have several Choral Scholars, through links with Leicester University.

The boys learn the wide repertory needed at rehearsals during the week: on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, sometimes Saturdays, and Sundays. They often meet outside these times to play football, go swimming and during the holidays to visit other places. Past activities have included a training and countryside week at the Diocesan Centre, Launde Abbey.

The songmen sing Choral Evensong on Wednesdays in addition to the Sunday Services and occasionally on Saturdays.

The thriving Cathedral Girls Choir sing Evensong on Mondays. They also join the Songmen in singing for the first Sunday Eucharist each month and sing for special services.

In 2001 they joined 18 other girls' choirs at the Salisbury Festival in Salisbury Cathedral. The girls have also visited Lincoln Cathedral and Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral to sing services during the summer months.

In 1998 and 2005 the choirs visited Japan. The choir has also visited the United States, Germany and France. During the summer months they have visited St. David's, Wells and Chester to sing the services while the regular choirs of those Cathedrals have been on vacation.

Each year during February the Choir joins those of Derby and Coventry and more recently Southwell Cathedrals for a Choir Festival. This is always an experience to remember with well-known music sung by a very large choir.

In the last few years the choirs have recorded two CDs of popular church and organ music and these are available for purchase at a cost of £12.00 from the Cathedral Bookstall or by contacting the Cathedral Centre.

For more information on the Cathedral Choirs please contact the Director of Music, Dr. Christopher Johns.