60 years of Girl Choristers at St Davids Cathedral

St Davids Cathedral marked 60 years since girl choristers first sang in the Cathedral Choir last weekend with a celebratory evensong. In April 1966, the Cathedral Choir were busy preparing for a BBC radio broadcast of choral evensong, when in the days leading up to the recording, numerous boy choristers succumbed to a measles outbreak that was spreading through the local primary schools. Facing the prospect of no choristers being well enough to perform, Organist and Master of the Choristers Peter Boorman approached music teacher Rosalyn Charles, and asked if the girls of Ysgol Dewi Sant school choir may be able to sing. The school, Dean and Chapter all approved the emergency measure, and following a successful broadcast on 20 April 1966, chapter agreed in July 1966 that the girls were to become full choristers.

Ever since, the soprano line in the Cathedral Choir has been sung by girls aged 8-18, drawn from St Davids and, more recently, further afield in Pembrokeshire. St Davids Cathedral pioneered the concept of girls singing in cathedral choirs, decades before similar initiatives were launched in other cathedrals.

To celebrate this milestone, the Cathedral held a special evensong on Sunday, 19 April, with the Cathedral Choir joined by former choristers from the past 60 years. An exhibition has been compiled by Mr Chris Taylor and Mr Simon Pearce, showing photos and newspaper articles from the past 60 years. The service marked a very special milestone.