Girl choristers admitted to St John's Choir

The first three girl choristers have been formally admitted to St John’s College Choir, Cambridge, marking their arrival as fully fledged members of the group.

Amelia (ten), Ingrid and Martha (both nine) began as probationers in April this year, joining their fellow boy choristers at the renowned choir, along with its first female alto. St John’s College now has the first Oxbridge choir to include both female and male singers as choristers and adult choral scholars.

After successfully completing their probationary period, the trio went through a rite of passage familiar to any cathedral or college chapel chorister, whereby they receive a white surplice to wear over their cassock. The ceremony took place at a weekend evensong service and was presided over by the Dean, while current senior choristers helped to present the surplices.

‘It’s a significant thing that happens for any chorister here, and it has been for hundreds of years,’ the director of music Andrew Nethsingha told Classical Music, ‘These were the first three girls to be presented with their surplices in that way, so it was a wonderful moment’.

‘It is a big step of which we’re very proud. At the same time, we’re trying to treat the boys and girls absolutely equally,’ he continues. ‘It is a big moment but it shouldn’t be that much more of a big moment than we presented surplices in May to two boys.’

St John’s College Choir is made up of 20-25 choristers and 16 adult choral scholars. Earlier this year, Nina Vinther became the first woman to join the choir, as part of its alto section. She is studying for an MPhil in European and Latin American Cultures at nearby Trinity College, Cambridge.

In the future, the group hopes to achieve an even gender balance across the choristers and altos and aims to achieve that across the next four years. This autumn it will welcome six new probationers: four boys and two girls. ‘We’ve had a similar degree of interest from prospective boy and girl choristers,’ reports Nethsingha, ‘I had thought we might get far more enquiries from one gender than the other, and in fact it’s been very even, which is pleasing.’

The move to open a traditionally all-male choir up to girls and women is part of a wider trend across the UK in recent years. St Paul’s Cathedral Choir took on its first female alto in 2017, while both Hereford Cathedral and St George’s Chapel, Windsor recently announced they will be admitting both boy and girl choristers in the future.