About Us

Founded in 1953 under the patronage of the composer Edmund Rubbra, the Canterbury Singers are established as one of the leading chamber choirs in the Canterbury area.

Musical Director Biography

Assistant Musical Director Biography

The Singers - 1980

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We are fortunate to have been able to appoint a series of talented Musical Directors. Organist and Master of the Choristers of Canterbury Cathedral, Dr David Flood, directed the choir in the 1990s, and still takes a keen interest in our work, advising when necessary. All the other Directors of the last 20 years have been the Assistant Organists at Canterbury Catherdral, starting with Michal Harris, who is now the Organist at St Gile's Cathedral, Edinburgh; followed by Tim Noon (who moved to St David's in Pembrokeshire on his appointment as Cathedral Organist there); Matthew Martin, (now Assistant Organist at Westminster Cathedral); and, most recently, Robert Patterson, who is now Head of Academic Music at St Swithuns, Winchester.

Our current Musical Director is John Robinson, who moved to Canterbury to be the Assistant Organist at the Cathedral in the summer of 2008, and is proving to be as enthusiastic and talented as his predecessors.

Our choir has about 30 singers, of varying ages, and from all walks of life. We sing just about every sort of part-music which could be called "classical", both secular and religious, from the 15th to the 21st century. We sing both unaccompanied and accompanied, be it with church organ, chamber group or full orchestra.

The Singers in Canterbury Cathedral - 1990

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We aim to produce one major concert per school term, with extra, lighter concerts in between, for example, a "Summer Serenade" is usual in June/July, as is an Advent/Christmas concert, plus carol-singing commitments. In addition, we are often invited to perform, usually on a commercial basis, for weddings, for various groups, e.g. tourists and for one-off cultural functions. For information on inviting or hiring us, please e-mail us.

There is no fixed performance venue. We like to sing in Canterbury Cathedral, but this is not often possible. Instead, we usually use our beautiful Kent churches, with their lovely acoustics, which abound in the surrounding towns and villages, and have built up a good relationship with many of the local parishes.

The Singers have also been on foreign tours to Germany and France and there are plans for one or two European trips in the next year or so.

We are always keen to attract new singers, either for direct entry to the Singers, or, if not needed immediately, to go on a waiting list, and anyone with a good singing voice and reasonable sight-reading ability is welcome to apply to join. A straightforward audition is normally required. Choir members are expected to attend rehearsals every Tuesday evening, in Canterbury, during school term time. The financial bed-rock of the choir derives from the annual subscription for each choir member, currently £50.

The best way to hear us is either to attend a rehearsal or - even better - to come to one of our concerts publicised on our web-site. There is always room in the audience for one more concert-goer. If you wish to be included on our mailing list please contact us by email.