Choir
St Mary’s Choir has a long and distinguished history and is now one of the last parish choirs in London to maintain an historic chorister tradition of having girls and boys singing the treble line.
The Choir has been at the heart of worship at St Mary's for generations; our records show that a choir similar to the modern-day one has existed at St Mary's for at least 150 years. During the mid-nineteenth century, at the height of the Oxford Movement, parish choirs were formed across the country to provide a high standard of music imitating the musical offering often found in cathedrals.
While the Choir’s heritage and traditions are important, many things have changed since its inception, most significantly the inclusion of women and girls. The standard of singing and range of repertoire is probably much better too, if contemporary records are anything to go by!
The modern Choir, which numbers around 30 singers is made up of adult volunteers, choral scholars and boy and girl choristers. As well as singing morning and evening services, the Choir also performs in concerts and visits cathedrals across the UK. In recent years these have taken the Choir to Bristol and Ely Cathedrals, and to Westminster Abbey in 2023.
