Experiencing Chorister life: Wells Cathedral welcomes aspiring Choristers for ‘an afternoon in the life’
On Saturday 21 September, Wells Cathedral hosted a fabulous, free, ‘behind the scenes’ afternoon, during which children were able to experience the life of a Cathedral Chorister.
Thirty children aged between six and nine came from schools across Somerset and beyond for the annual Be a Chorister for a Day event where they met the Cathedral Choristers and participated in engaging and fun singing workshops.
The afternoon culminated in singing Choral Evensong in the Quire of the Cathedral with the world-renowned Choir. The children performed the anthem The Lord is my shepherd by Howard Goodall, helped the Choir lead the two hymns in the service, and learned how to process, too.
Timothy Parsons, Director of Music, said: “It was an absolute delight to welcome nearly thirty children, along with their families, to Wells Cathedral on Saturday. The children enjoyed an action-packed afternoon, culminating in a service of Choral Evensong, where they performed beautifully alongside the Cathedral Choir. Our hope is that every one of them had a wonderful, fun, and informative day learning about our special musical tradition at Wells, and that they will have come away from the Cathedral enthused about the idea, perhaps, of becoming Choristers themselves.”
If you are interested in the 2025 Be a Chorister for a Day event, please contact the Cathedral via [email protected]. If you can’t wait that long, you may like to join Wells Cathedral Song Squad, the Cathedral’s un-auditioned choir for children aged 7-11, or Wells Cathedral Song Squad Minis, for children aged 4-6, both of which meet on Tuesday afternoons during term time. For further details please e-mail [email protected]. There is also the Wells Cathedral Youth Choir for children aged 11-18 which meets on Wednesday evenings. Please e-mail [email protected] for more details.
Thirty children aged between six and nine came from schools across Somerset and beyond for the annual Be a Chorister for a Day event where they met the Cathedral Choristers and participated in engaging and fun singing workshops.
The afternoon culminated in singing Choral Evensong in the Quire of the Cathedral with the world-renowned Choir. The children performed the anthem The Lord is my shepherd by Howard Goodall, helped the Choir lead the two hymns in the service, and learned how to process, too.
Timothy Parsons, Director of Music, said: “It was an absolute delight to welcome nearly thirty children, along with their families, to Wells Cathedral on Saturday. The children enjoyed an action-packed afternoon, culminating in a service of Choral Evensong, where they performed beautifully alongside the Cathedral Choir. Our hope is that every one of them had a wonderful, fun, and informative day learning about our special musical tradition at Wells, and that they will have come away from the Cathedral enthused about the idea, perhaps, of becoming Choristers themselves.”
If you are interested in the 2025 Be a Chorister for a Day event, please contact the Cathedral via [email protected]. If you can’t wait that long, you may like to join Wells Cathedral Song Squad, the Cathedral’s un-auditioned choir for children aged 7-11, or Wells Cathedral Song Squad Minis, for children aged 4-6, both of which meet on Tuesday afternoons during term time. For further details please e-mail [email protected]. There is also the Wells Cathedral Youth Choir for children aged 11-18 which meets on Wednesday evenings. Please e-mail [email protected] for more details.
