Cathedral Choirs

Music is central to the life of St Edmundsbury Cathedral. Our choirs enrich and beautify our worship across at least six weekly services. Many children across Bury St Edmunds and beyond experience the joy of singing through our work, either as choristers in the renowned Cathedral Choir or through our work with schools in the area. The Music Department is led by Timothy Parsons, and Richard Cook is the Assistant Director of Music.

The Cathedral Choir

The majority of services at St Edmundsbury Cathedral are led by the Cathedral Choir, which consists of 40 boy and girl Choristers aged 7-14 and a team of around 12 adult singers. They sing at five choral services per week: Evensong on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, and Eucharist on Sunday mornings. For more details about these services, please head to the ‘Services’ page under ‘Worship’.

 

Choristerships at St Edmundsbury Cathedral

 

St Edmundsbury Cathedral is proud to recruit its choristers from a wide variety of local schools in the Bury area and beyond. Timothy Parsons, Director of Music, is always delighted to hear from prospective chorister families and may be contacted on timothyparsons@stedscathedral.org. The commitment is shared equally between the boy and girl choristers and is designed to be manageable for families, with each child being required to attend the Cathedral on two weekday afternoons per week and every alternate Sunday.

 

The Adults of the Cathedral Choir

 

The lower voices (altos, tenors and basses) of the Cathedral Choir consists of professional Vicars Choral, together with a team of Lay Clerks who give their time voluntarily. The Adults of the Cathedral Choir usually sing for Evensong (with the Choristers) on Thursdays and Fridays, as well as for both choral services on Sundays. Occasionally vacancies will arise for adult positions in the choir.

 

Organ and Choral Scholarships

St Edmundsbury Cathedral has an Organ Scholarship and a Choral Scholarship position available each year. These are held in partnership with two major schools in Bury St Edmunds: King Edward VI School (Organ Scholar) and County High School (Choral Scholar). These positions are suitable for young musicians aiming to gain experience working within a busy Cathedral music department as well as in a school environment; they are equally suitable for pre- or post-university candidates. Accommodation is provided by the Cathedral. The posts are usually advertised in October each year; please contact Timothy Parsons for more information about either of these roles.

St Edmundsbury Singers

Formed in 1988, the St Edmundsbury Singers is a women’s voluntary choir that sings Evensong at the Cathedral on at least two Wednesdays per month and on several important occasions throughout the year. The choir is directed by Richard Cook, who is always pleased to hear from prospective sopranos and altos: please contact him to find out more on richardcook@stedscathedral.org.

Cathedral Youth Choir

The Cathedral Youth Choir consists of young singers aged 13 to 19 and sings Evensong on some Wednesdays as well as on other occasions throughout the year. Partly intended to provide ex-Choristers with an opportunity to continue singing at a high level, the choir is open to any teenager with a passion for choral singing. Please contact Timothy Parsons (timothyparsons@stedscathedral.org) for more information.

Edmund Consort

The Edmund Consort is a small adult chamber choir which meets occasionally to provide music for special Cathedral services, most often weddings and funerals. A good level of sight reading is required for this ensemble, and fees are often available.