Worcester College Choir

Worcester is unique among the Oxford colleges in that it has not one, but two flourishing chapel choirs of equal status, which share out the weekly services between them. There is a mixed-voice choir, which sings Evensong on a Monday at 6.15pm, and the Eucharist at the same time on a Thursday, and a male-voice choir, in which the upper part is sung by trebles from Christ Church Cathedral School (this choir takes contraltos as well as countertenors, and as such is unusual amongst Oxford chapel choirs in its constitution), which sings Evensong on Sundays at 6.00 pm and Tuesdays at 6.15 pm.

These choirs are run on a day-to-day basis by Worcester’s two Organ Scholars, George Castle and Tom Allery, who are supervised and trained by a professional Director of Chapel Music, Stephen Farr, who also conducts and trains the choir on a regular basis. The choirs also offer Choral Awards to all voices who belong to the College, which allow Choral Scholars to take advantage of singing tuition paid for by the college.

A wide variety of music is performed in Worcester chapel, ranging from the early, such as Palestrina, right through to the very modern, such as the work of Dr Robert Saxton, the current fellow in music at the college. Student composers studying under Dr Saxton for the degree in music are also given the opportunity to write works for the choir. In this way, members of the choir are able to experience music of all kinds, and gain a broad knowledge and understanding of the sacred choral repertory. The choirs also give concerts in most terms, have recently toured Finland and produced a new CD of music by Worcester composers, which was recorded in December 2005 and is available in the Porters' Lodge.