St George’s Cathedral is home to a vibrant and inclusive music programme that inspires young people through choral excellence. From our four choirs to our schools outreach, we nurture talent, build confidence, and enrich worship for the whole community. Now, we are fundraising to redevelop our Song Room to create a modern, welcoming space worthy of our music’s impact and future.
Introduction
St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, is home to a thriving and inclusive music programme at the heart of its worship and community. Our four choirs – the Children’s Choir, Junior Choir, Cathedral Choir, and Cathedral Consort – welcome young people aged 5–18 from all backgrounds, providing free membership and high-quality musical training.
Under the guidance of our professional music staff, choristers receive one-to-one vocal tuition, musicianship training, and the opportunity to perform regularly at major liturgical celebrations, diocesan events, and concerts. Many go on to win scholarships to leading music colleges or pursue professional musical careers.
The Cathedral’s professional lay clerks and music scholars enhance our liturgy each week, while the Southwark Singing Programme brings whole-class singing to thousands of children in 18 partner schools across the Diocese, developing musical skills and inspiring the next generation of singers.
This vibrant and growing musical life has outgrown its current facilities, creating the need for a transformation that will allow our choirs and education work to flourish in the years ahead.
Song Room Redevelopment Project
In recent years the Cathedral Choirs at St George’s have developed into a music programme of further reach and higher quality than ever before. What was, in the early 2000s and before, one single choir of boys and men, is now a family of four choirs for boys and girls aged 5–18, plus professional lay clerks, choral and organ scholars, and a diocesan schools singing programme working with thousands of children each week. Our cathedral choirs sing for three weekly services as well as for all Solemnities and Holy Days of Obligation, and all major diocesan liturgies.
The Cathedral Song Room and Undercroft area have housed the Cathedral Choirs for the last 25 years, but the choirs have now outgrown the space in a number of ways. The area is austere, with minimal natural light, inefficient storage, and no clear separation between areas for children and adults.
Our proposed development will ensure best practice in disabled access, health and safety, fire regulations, safeguarding, and the wellbeing of our young singers, while also futureproofing the space for new initiatives such as a programme for under-5s and their parents/carers.
In order to advance to the next stage of architectural planning and prepare a thorough proposal for grant applications, we are aiming to raise £10,000 in this jubilee year towards the Song Room Redevelopment Project.
Your generosity will ensure that young people, whatever their background, can be welcomed into a thriving music department offering a musical and religious education of the highest quality.
Select "Choir" to donate to the project.
