About Saint Mary’s Cathedral Choir

The boys who sing in the upper parts of the Choir are known as the Choristers, and are aged 8–13. St Mary’s is the only Roman Catholic cathedral in Australia with an on-site Choir School where the twenty-four boy Choristers are educated. Membership in the Choir offers boys a disciplined musical education which is unparalleled in Australia. The Choristers have appeared in concerts with the Brandenburg Orchestra and the Sydney Youth Orchestra.

In addition to rehearsal and Mass on Sunday mornings, the Choristers rehearse four mornings a week before school, and sing at a rehearsal and Mass on two weekday evenings. Choristers receive individual singing tuition, and continue study of another musical instrument.

The Lay Clerks are the gentlemen of the Cathedral Choir who sing the alto, tenor, and bass parts. The Lay Clerks are all professional singers, some of whom have previously sung with the choirs of King’s College, Cambridge; Westminster Cathedral; Durham Cathedral; Lincoln Cathedral; The Sixteen; and Collegium Vocale, Ghent. Some are current members of The Song Company and Opera Australia Chorus. In addition to their work with the full Choir, the Lay Clerks sing for some occasions as an independent ensemble.