Welcoming our visiting choirs to the 369th Festival

Durham Cathedral Choir

Tracing its origins back to the 11th century, Durham Cathedral Choir leads the daily worship of the Cathedral and regularly sings for BBC Radio 3’s Choral Evensong, as well as touring both within the UK and abroad.

The choir is made up of girl and boy choristers, usually singing separately and alternating services between them, only coming together for major services such as Christmas, Easter and now the 2024 Festival Service.

Recent concerts have included Bach: St John Passion with the Avison Ensemble, a period-instrument orchestra. The choir is led by Daniel Cook, Master of the Choristers and Organist of the Cathedral since 2017.

Rochester Cathedral Choir

Led by Director of Music and Organist, Adrian Bawtree since 2022, the choir is made up of boy and girl choristers from King's Rochester Preparatory School and can trace its routes back to the Cathedral's foundation in AD 604.

As well as singing the daily round of services during the school terms, Rochester Cathedral Choir also frequently perform in concert, on the radio and they tour both nationally and internationally.

Their success and popularity also blossomed a Children's Choir for 7 - 13-year-olds in 2017, and a Cathedral Voluntary Choir, with a pool of thirty experienced adult singers.

St Paul's Cathedral Choir

Durham and Rochester Cathedral Choirs will perform alongside St Paul's Cathedral Choir - who have leant us their time and talent every year for over three centuries - led by their Director of Music, Andrew Carwood MBE. Speaking on last year's Festival Service, Andrew said:

“It is a rare and wonderful joy to work with such incredible choirs each year, and even more so when you are part of an almost unbroken line of choirs singing together under the dome of St Paul’s stretching back over nearly 370 years.”

The Choir have performed at some of the Cathedral's most important services – including their Grenfell Tower memorial service and their Service of Prayer and Reflection for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.