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The
Choir of St George's Chapel
THE
CHOIR OF ST GEORGE'S CHAPEL comprises 23 boy choristers and twelve Lay
Clerks singing alto, tenor and bass. The boys are educated at St George's
School which is situated in the Castle grounds, and the Lay Clerks live
in the Horseshoe Cloister, just to the west of the Chapel, and on Denton's
Commons. The primary function of the Choir is to sing the daily services,
the Opus Dei, and the large repertoire of music drawn from all
ages and traditions.
St George's Chapel exists to provide a place to give thanks to Almighty
God and to pray for the Sovereign and the Most Noble Order of the Garter,
and the work of the choir is central to that aim. The choir was founded
at the same time as the founding of the College in 1348 and, with the
exception of the Commonwealth period (1649-60), has sung the services
continuously since then. The choir sings regularly in the presence of
the Queen and other members of the Royal family, and in recent times sang
at the marriage of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones; and at the Service
of Prayer and Dedication following the Marriage of HRH the Prince of Wales
and HRH the Duchess of Cornwall. It sang also at a concert in celebration
of the seventieth birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, and at celebrations
for the eightieth birthday of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. The choir sang
at the funeral of Princess Margaret in St George's and also at the Thanksgiving
service for her life held in Westminster Abbey.
As well as the choir's work within the Chapel, it has won acclaim for
its singing in concerts and recordings, both in Windsor and elsewhere.
It regularly collaborates with such ensembles as the Southbank Sinfonia
and the London Mozart Players, and regularly gives one of the principal
concerts in the Windsor Festival. For a number of years the choir has
been involved in the London Handel Festival, working particularly closely
with the London Handel Orchestra. The choir is embarking on a series of
recordings, including projects on the Naxos label, and including discs
of music by Holst and Reger. Abroad, the choir has been heard in the USA,
France, Holland, Poland and Spain. In May 2004 the Choir made a trip
to Geneva as part of the Festival of Sacred Arts and Music there.
For details of services at St George's Chapel please click
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