The Cathedral Church of St Andrew, Aberdeen

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The cathedral has long been the centre for liturgical music within the city of Aberdeen, and with this fine tradition of Anglican choral music, the Cathedral Choir has always been at the heart of cathedral worship, with a fine reputation across Scotland, and an active pattern of touring across England. The expansion of the musical programme at Aberdeen Cathedral has seen, in turn, an expansion in the diversity of the choirs who sing the offices. The cathedral is now pleased to hold five choirs, all of whom sing on a regular basis. The basis for the Cathedral Choir is the traditional configuration of boys and men, referred to as Trebles and Lay-Clerks. The Cathedral Choir in its traditional format can be heard by clicking here, which presents a sample from the Magnificat from the 'Collegium Regale' service by Herbert Howells. A girls' choir was formed in 2004, reflecting the recent trends in both the range of cathedrals within the Anglican communion, and the popularity of choral music among children of both genders. In order to cater for the vast musical talent and experience within the cathedral, an adult choir was also formed in 2004, given the title 'The Cathedral Voices'. It is these three choirs that alternate the singing of the Sunday services. In addition, with the introduction of choral services during the week, two further choirs were formed, both under the guise of the Cathedral Choir in its adult format. A configuration of the Lay-Clerks from the Cathedral Choir, ladies from the Cathedral Voices, and singers from the University Choral Society sing Choral Evensong every Wednesday, while the Lay-Clerks form a single entity of mens' voices for the singing of Choral Compline every Friday. Additionally, the Diocesan Choir meets on an annual basis for the singing of the large-scale 'Diocesan Choral Festival', and is comprised of singers stretching across the vast Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney. The Cathedral Choir, most regularly in its traditional format of boys and men, is pleased to tour every summer. The Cathedral Choir has sung in a cathedral of the British Isles every summer for the past thirty years. Recent Cathedral Choir tours have included St Asaph, Winchester, St Albans, Durham and Truro. With the impenetrable links held with the Episcopal Church of the Unites States of America, the Cathedral Choir, the Girls Choir, and members of the Cathedral Voices toured to our sister cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut in the autumn of 2005. It has recently become traditional for the Lay-Clerks to engage on a yearly tour, having recently sung in Bangor Cathedral, Chester Cathedral and both of the cathedrals in Dublin. The photo shown on the right displays the Lay-Clerks of Aberdeen Cathedral on tour in Bangor.