The Choirs of St Mary’s
The Choirs of St Mary’s Church, Warwick, are at the heart of its musical life, upholding a distinguished tradition of choral excellence. The main, ‘robed’ Choirs – made up of separate front rows of boy choristers and girl choristers and the adult singers, historically known as the ‘Gentlemen of the Choir’ – provide music for the regular pattern of worship, including services of Choral Evensong on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday and the main Choral Eucharist on Sunday morning, and contribute to special liturgical and civic celebrations throughout the church year.
Beyond Warwick, the Choir has travelled extensively. The Choir’s first overseas tour was to Germany in 1965, and it was the first Parish Church Choir to visit the United States of America (in 1968) and Russia (in 1996). A visit to Texas in August 2000 was the Choir’s fourth visit to the USA, and other international tours have taken the Choir to Dublin (2008), Leipzig (2015), Normandy (2023) and Spain (2026). It has sung services in most of the cathedrals of England, as well as at Westminster Abbey and St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
The Choir is regularly invited to make broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and TV – most recently live broadcasts on BBC One for Easter Day in 2019 and Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve in 2024 – and boasts a number of former BBC ‘Choristers of the Year’ among its alumni.
The Choir has many CDs to its name, most recently ‘Music for Our Lady’ (Regent Records, 2010), ‘Christmas from Warwick’ (2013), ‘Gaudeamus omnes’ (Regent Records, 2014) – celebrating Warwick’s 1100 years, and ‘I will lift up mine eyes’ (Regent Records, 2024) – a collection of anthems for upper voices sung by the Girl Choristers.
Alongside them, St Mary’s Scholars – the church’s accomplished adult chamber choir – enriches the church’s musical offering at particular times of year. Both Choirs are known for their high standards of musicianship, nurtured through regular rehearsals, tours, and recordings, and they play a pivotal role in sustaining the church’s reputation as a centre for outstanding sacred music.
