The Cathedral currently offers three choral services each Sunday. Parish Choir sings at the 9.15 a.m. Eucharist and focuses on the best contemporary choral repertoire which is also accessible to singers of all abilities. It also specializes in leading the broad range of congregational mass settings in this service. This choir is not auditioned and rehearses each Wednesday evening.
The Cathedral Choir provides the music for the 11.00 a.m. Sung Eucharist. With repertoire ranging from Gibbons to Gowers and beyond, the choir sings the choral mass settings, motets and anthems which punctuate the readings and elevate the Eucharist each Sunday.
The Cathedral Choir also leads a number of additional events throughout the year, including liturgical performances of The Requiem (Fauré, Mozart, and others) and the annual Advent Procession and the famous service of Nine Lessons and Carols at Christmas time.
Choral Evensong is sung each Sunday at 4.30 p.m. by the St Christopher Singers. A mainstay of the Anglican Church for centuries, Evensong centers around an Old Testament and a New Testament reading, punctuated by a diverse range of choral settings of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, highlighting the prophecy of Jesus’ birth and his incarnation and promise of salvation. The service is flanked by sung psalms and spoken prayers.
Membership of one choir does not exclude membership of another one, and the commitments of each group are carefully managed to allow for broad participation.
The Director of Music Donald Hunt is always happy to hear from interested singers. To arrange an audition, please contact dhunt@christchurchcathedral.bc.ca
There are also a few spaces available for Choral Scholars.
Check out the Cathedral Choir, singing Kathleen Allan's "I syng of a Mayden," commissioned by the cathedral in 2019:
In addition, we have a Young Choristers' program, unique in Canada at an Anglican Cathedral, for young singers aged 9-14.