Today, the Cathedral Choir is made up of two independent teams of choristers (boys and girls, aged 7 and up) and a 'back row' of professional adults singing alto, tenor and bass. Together they sing six services a week in term-time, providing an outstanding education to boys and girls across London who show musical potential, and occupying a unique and important place in London's musical landscape. In addition, the Cathedral also has opportunities for non-professional singers from a range of musical backgrounds to contribute to the life and work of our community.
Membership of the boys' and girls' choirs is open to any child who shows musical potential and who would benefit from the life-changing opportunities offered. There is no requirement to attend a specific school, and children need not have had musical training or experience. For more information on how to join, please see Joining the Choir.
The Boys' Choir
Boys aged 7-13
The Cathedral has a rich history of boys' singing, stretching back as far as the 15th Century, when it was a major church ministering to the theatrical community of London's Bankside. Since its re-formation as a Cathedral Choir in 1905, the Choir has become a centre of musical excellent in the Capital, taking part in radio broadcasts, CD recordings, major Diocesan and national events, and touring internationally. The modern choir is made up of 24 boys and 6 Probationers (trainees), who come to the Cathedral three times a week (on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays) to train and sing services.
The Girls' Choir
Girls aged 7-13 and 14-18
As part of the Millennium Project, marking the year 2000, Southwark Cathedral Girls’ Choir was formed to enrich the Cathedral’s musical heritage and to offer the same opportunity for musical, spiritual and social development which the boys have enjoyed for so long. Not only does the Choir provide a unique musical education (spanning music from plainsong to the present day) for girls as well as boys, it also enables the Cathedral to have choral services more regularly and so continue to minister in a unique way to the people of south London. The Choir has toured Norway and the Czech Republic, and performed in Rouen, Rome, Belfast, Paris and Krakow as well as making recordings which have been released to critical acclaim.
The choir is made up of girls in two age groups, numbering around 30 in total, singing separately and together. Girls in the senior section are given specialist training to navigate voice change and in preparation for singing at University and beyond. Girls come to the Cathedral two or three times a week (on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays) for rehearsals and services. They are joined by the Cathedral Lay-Clerks on Mondays and Thursdays, sing at the Consecrations of Bishops, Eucharists and special Diocesan services.
Lay Clerks
There are six Lay Clerks in the Cathedral Choir, all of whom are professional singers. They sing Evensong on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays during term-time, and for Choral Eucharist and Evensong on Sundays. Three of the Lay Clerks are supported by endowments from The Ouseley Trust; the Vernon Ellis Foundation and the Friends of Cathedral Music.
All Lay Clerk vacancies are advertised in the Church Times and on our vacancies page here. We also maintain a list of approved deputies: singers with at least three years' of professional experience are welcome to request an audition to join the list at any time, via the Music Administrator.
Southwark Cathedral Old Choristers’ Association
Southwark Cathedral Old Choristers’ Association is an organisation which seeks to reunite former members of the Cathedral’s music department. Events currently take the form of a special Evensong in the summer term, followed by a trip to a local hostelry. The Association was re-launched in July 2025 with a special Evensong conducted by former Director of Music Peter Wright and former director of the Girls’ Choir Stephen Disley. The massed choir of current and former music department members enjoyed music by Stanford, Rose, and Parry’s epic Blest Pair of Sirens!
Membership of the Association is free, and is open to former choristers, lay clerks, choral scholars and organists. If you would like to join and receive news and information about forthcoming events, please email us at cathedral.oldchoristers@southwark.anglican.org or join the Facebook group ‘Southwark Cathedral Old Choristers’ Association’.
Our other choirs
The Cathedral Consort
On occasions when the choristers are unavailable, our Lay Clerks are joined by a team of freelance professional sopranos. These events - often major Diocesan services taking place during the school day, or evening events for external organizations - offer an opportunity for the Cathedral to enjoy the world-class talents of some of London's finest sopranos.
The Merbecke Choir
The Merbecke Choir is a group of around 25-30 singers who sing a wide range of music to a high standard. The choir is mostly made up of people in their twenties and thirties, who meet to rehearse every Tuesday in term time. It is a regular contributor to the liturgy at Southwark Cathedral, notably at the monthly service of Compline and Eucharistic Devotions. It also performs regular concerts, usually three a year, has toured abroad and in the UK and has released a CD, Under the Shadow of Thy Wings.
In 2003, Southwark Cathedral founded the Merbecke Choir to be a place for boys and girls who had left the Cathedral Choirs to explore a wide range of repertoire under expert tuition. The choir has grown since then and has a broad mix of ages and backgrounds, though former Cathedral choristers remain very welcome.
The choir is a staunch supporter of new music, having commissioned several new works, as well as being adept in the performance of renaissance polyphony. They have performed for the Poet Laureate, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, contributed to Her Majesty the Queen's Christmas Broadcast recorded at Southwark Cathedral in 2006 and performed for Songs of Praise recorded in 2017.
The choir’s current director of music is Emily Elias.
The Choir is named after the Tudor composer, John Merbecke (1510-1585), who composed one of the most popular settings of the Book of Common Prayer Communion Service. Merbecke with three other companions was tried for heresy in 1543 in the Retrochoir at Southwark, which was used for this purpose at the time. He was found guilty and condemned to be burned at the stake. His sentence was commuted however by Bishop Stephen Gardiner, the then Bishop of Winchester, who decided that as a mere musician Merbecke 'knew no better' and so was released to continue his music making.
For further information or for further details on how to join the Merbecke Choir or for information on future events please visit their website here.
Southwark Cathedral Community Choir
The Cathedral Community choir is made up of people from the local community, residents and those in work in the shops and businesses around the Cathedral, who simply enjoy singing. There is no audition and members have a wide range of experience and musical training, brought together by a love of choral music. The choir contributes to a number of services and events across the year, generally including a service of Choral Evensong each term. Members also lead the singing at the Cathedral's Carol Sing-In before Christmas. Rehearsals take place on most 2nd Thursdays each month at 1pm.
For more details, please contact the Music Administrator via email.