For the first time ever, girls will perform in a choir at the Christmas Day service at St Paul’s Cathedral.
The choir, made up of both adults and children, will perform on Christmas Day under the 365-foot dome of the cathedral, designed by Christopher Wren after the 1666 Great Fire of London destroyed its medieval predecessor.
The first two girls to become choristers officially joined in June.
It was the first time girls had been part of the choir in its 900-year history.
Lila, 11, and Lois, 10, made history in June when they became the first female members of the choir at the Choral Evensong service.
The pair were given full membership, after having been probationers in training within the choir since September 2023.
Female choristers are now becoming permanent members of the cathedral choir and will play an equal part in the singing of services, as well as at events of national importance.
The announcement was made in May 2022 that girls were set to join the choir and that the Cathedral and St Paul’s Cathedral School would ‘undertake the practical arrangements needed to provide a truly equal offer for girl and boy choristers’.
Girls will join boys in a choir for the first time in the 900-year history of the service at the cathedral
The announcement was made in May 2022 that girls were set to join the choir for the first time
Music to their ears: Lila, 11, (right) and Lois, 10, (left) made history as the first girls officially admitted into the choir at St Paul’s Cathedral in London
The choir, made up of both adults and children, will perform on Christmas Day at the cathedral
Plans included a fundraising campaign and to ensure the Cathedral’s scholarship programme could be delivered equally to boys and girls.
At the time the Dean of St Paul’s, the Very Revd Dr David Ison, said: ‘It has been a long-held ambition to introduce girls’ voices into the Cathedral Choir at St Paul’s.
‘Doing this will create an exceptional new music opportunity for young people and will further enhance the contribution of our highly valued and much-loved choir to the worship life of the Cathedral and the heritage of the nation.’
Completed in 1711, Wren’s massive Portland Stone cathedral – inspired by St. Peter’s in Rome – sits atop Ludgate Hill in London’s financial district. Its huge dome can be seen from miles away, and by law, no new buildings are allowed to block the view from several distant vantage points.
During World War II, its survival during night after night of German bombing became a symbol of London’s endurance.
The cathedral has been the site of numerous state events, including the wedding of Prince Charles, now the king, and Diana Spencer in 1981, and the funerals of former prime ministers Winston Churchill, in 1965, and Margaret Thatcher, in 2013.
Many of Britain’s greatest figures are buried in the cathedral, including Adm. Horatio Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Wren himself. The architect’s grave is covered by a simple marble slab, with a nearby plaque that reads, in Latin: ‘If you seek his monument, look around.’
Female choristers are now becoming permanent members of the cathedral choir
Girls will play an equal part in the singing of services, as well as at events of national importance.
The Very Revd Dr David Ison, said: ‘It has been a long-held ambition to introduce girls’ voices into the Cathedral Choir
There are now plans to ensure the Cathedral’s scholarship programme could be delivered equally to boys and girls
The Christmas service in St Paul’s Cathedral is one of the most important services in the choir’s calendar
St Paul’s Cathedral School said it will ‘provide a truly equal offer for girl and boy choristers’
The Dean of St Pauls said it will create ‘an exceptional new music opportunity for young people’
The Very Revd Dr David Ison said the inclusion of the girls will further enhance the contribution of the much-loved choir
The Choristers of St Paul’s choir, rehearse for the Christmas services in St Paul’s Cathedral