Singing has been part of our daily worship at Peterborough Cathedral for many hundreds of years. The glorious sounds of the Hill organ and Cathedral Choir flood the building each day at Choral Evensong and at the main services on Sundays (see Regular Services for more information).
The current choral foundation at Peterborough consists of twenty boy choristers, twenty girl choristers and six lay clerks, together with four assistant lay clerks and two supernumerary singers who attend at weekends. The boy and girl choristers sing at different services in the week together with the lay clerks, and occasionally join forces for the larger services of the year (please click here for the Choral Rota).
In addition to its main role, the Choir regularly gives concerts and has undertaken a number of recordings. In recent years it has toured Europe and the USA and made a number of television and radio broadcasts. The Music Department also leads choirs from the Diocese in a Diocesan Choral Festival and the Music Department leads other musical events, including outreach work, the Organ Festival and our Christmas Concert.
Whilst music is imperative to the continued mission of the Cathedral, musical development and choristership is financially costly, so in 1996 The Hastings Music Endowment Fund was set up to secure the financial future of the Music Foundation, and has raised almost £2 million to date. To develop the music at Peterborough further we are currently finalising plans to provide new facilities for choir rehearsal and musical outreach work - please click here for more information on future plans and the Music Association. This development, though, will require funding, as does the running of our Cathedral Choir. If you would like to help by making a donation to the Hastings Music Endowment Fund please click here.
If you would like to attend a choral service and hear the Cathedral Choir, please see the Service, Music Lists &Weekly Sheets for full details of the music planned for the next few weeks.