The last year has been one of great change for Durham School. Of course we, like every school, has had to adapt to the challenges of the Covid pandemic and fleetness of foot has been essential as we grappled with a constantly changing scenario. However there was also a more fundamental change to our nature as we underwent a merger with The Chorister School in Durham, which had been the choir school for Durham Cathedral for over 600 years.
Going through a merger of schools is never easy, and there were a huge number of things to consider: the use of the site, the deployment of staff and, importantly, the effect of such a move on staff, pupils and parents at both schools. One aspect of our new identity it was important to learn and understand, particularly for me as Principal of the newly formed Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation, were the challenges and opportunities that life as a Cathedral chorister present.
There are around 45 cathedral choir schools in the UK and they all have a different approach to managing life for the choristers at their respective cathedrals. Some are prep school and finish at 13 and some are all through schools; some are independent schools and some are state-funded; some are physically intertwined with the cathedral precincts and some are at a distance away.
What they all have in common however is a commitment to supporting and promoting choral music in the Christian tradition. In Durham, the Cathedral and the Foundation work closely together on finding new choristers and allowing them to honour their cathedral commitments, whilst still making the most of the opportunities of being a member of the wider school community.
To understand this, you need an appreciation of what a commitment chorister life is. The pattern of the week is slightly different for boys and girls as duties at the cathedral are shared, but a typical day begins with a choir rehearsal at 7.40am. This lasts for an hour and then pupils move to registration and the rest of their busy school day. At the end of school, choristers have another hour-long rehearsal and then perform Choral Evensong in the Cathedral at 5.30pm. The day then ends formally but of course there is homework, music practice and even relaxation to be fitted in. There are weekend commitments in the cathedral for the choristers too.
It’s quite a busy week to say the least, and the achievements of the choristers are all the more impressive when you realise that the youngest members of the choir are eight years old. So, given this level of commitment, why do they do it?
Even just half a term into my new role, I can see exactly why the life of a chorister is such a special one. It is a huge privilege to sit in a building which is over a thousand years old, and integral to the identity of the north-east as a region, and take a leading part in the worship that goes on there. One of our aims in the new foundation is to “educate…choristers…so that they can sing the daily praises of God” and anyone who sits in the pews of the cathedral during those services would understand just how glorious the sound really is. The choristers experience a training that goes above and beyond that of many professional musicians and the results are there to hear. Moreover, their singing is a genuinely spiritual experience and, whatever one’s particular faith, it is hugely moving to listen to them sing.
For my part I am delighted to be part of the education of choristers and that the merger will enable that choral tradition to continue and indeed to expand. It’s a special part of what we do and, if this is something that you feel your son or daughter would like to be involved in, please do get in touch.