Choirs | Great St Mary's

Great St Mary’s has a long musical tradition and history; music has been offered as part of worship here for more than eight centuries. Our choirs include choristers (school years 4 to 9) and a teenage Youth Choir (school years 9 to 13) drawn from schools across Cambridge and the wider region. An adult back row of altos, tenors and basses supports the singing of the children. We also have a thriving Junior Choir for children aged 6 to 8. All of these singers enrich our Sunday and weekday worship with offerings of choral music, as well as singing for occasional concerts, visits and tours.

The Director of Music is always keen to hear from singers who are interested in joining the choirs of Great St Mary’s. Please contact music@gsm.cam.ac.uk or on 01223 747 276 or read on for more information.

Junior Choir

For children in school years 1 to 3 (ages 6 to 8)

Our lively and friendly Junior Choir (unauditioned) for the youngest singers meets a few times a month to rehearse and sings as part of a service at Great St Mary’s around once or twice a term.

For more information about joining the Junior Choir, email its director, Helen Groves (juniorchoir@gsm.cam.ac.uk).

The Great St Mary's Choristers

For children in school years 4 to 9 (ages 8 to 14)

Older children at Great St Mary’s enjoy a varied and rewarding programme of weekly rehearsals, tuition, choral services, concerts and tours throughout the year, bringing beautiful music to thousands of worshippers and visitors at the heart of the city and University and further afield. Children start in the choir as probationer choristers, and after a year's apprenticeship are promoted to full choristership.

We are currently recruiting children who will be in Years 3 and 4 from September 2025 (auditions on 29 March and 19 April 2025). We typically take 3 boys and 3 girls in each year group.

We also have places for boys currently in Year 5, who would be able to join mid-year.

Youth Choir

For teenagers in school years 10 to 13 (ages 14 to 18)

Our Youth Choir offers an enriching musical education to teenagers who are serious about their music-making. Rehearsals are fun and purposeful, and our repertoire is broad and ambitious. The Youth Choir sings either independently or with the adults back row.

We are especially looking for tenors and basses to join the Youth Choir. We also encourage applications from boys with changing voices in Year 9 and below.

Adult singers

Our adult back row is made up of volunteer Altos, Tenors and Basses. They rehearse once a week on Friday evenings. We are always keen to hear from experienced singers with strong sight-reading skills who are interested in joining.

We currently have places for two tenors and two basses.

Auditions

All sections of the main choir are auditioned. Admission can be at any time of year, dependent on places. If you would be interested in joining our lively and welcoming community of musicians, please contact the Music Department on music@gsm.cam.ac.uk for further information. We look forward to hearing from you!