Glasgow Cathedral Choir

Outside
Glasgow Cathedral

Today started like any other Sunday for me and I had no expectation that it would be any different to last week or the week before.  I went about my usual Sunday routine taking the opportunity to review and practice my repertoire and go over what I had learnt in the week.  However all that was about to change when one of my friends approached me in the early afternoon and asked if I would help her out by singing in the choir at Glasgow Cathedral.

Well you know me and how I love a new challenge so of course I said yes 🙂

Inside
Inside The Cathedral

I have never sung as part of the Cathedral choir at the Glasgow Cathedral before so I asked my friend Tim Edmundson if I could walk over with him as he is a regular member.

We arrived in good time for the choral evensong service which I was told was to be filmed and broadcast on the internet for those people who could not attend in person.  Which I though was a great idea for anyone who does not live close enough to  the cathedral or is housebound.

The cathedral has a long and interesting history, it’s lower crypt is the final resting place of the patron saint of Glasgow, St Mungo. I first remember coming across St Mungo when I visited the Trades House of Glasgow and read about the coat of arms of the city.

Glasgow cathedral dates back to the late 12th Century and luckily survived the Reformation of the Church in Scotland in 1560.

Adjacent to the cathedral is Glasgow’s necropolis, which sounds a little creepy but in fact is a rather beautifully laid out cemetery and park which dates back to Victorian times.

Glasgow_Cathedral_And_Necropolis
Glasgow Cathedral And The Necropolis ( 1893 )

I had a great afternoon with the help of my friends and the other choir members and though the experience was a first for me it was one that I will remember fondly.  Over the last two years I have been a part of a female chamber choir, Les Sirenes under the direction of Andrew Nunn and this has helped me immensely when it comes to sight reading in situations like this.

Female-Section

Male-Section

If anybody reading this wants to have a go at singing then joining a local choir can be an excellent way to start.

Full-Choir

49 thoughts on “Glasgow Cathedral Choir”

  5. Jolly good show. I do most of my singing in the shower. No respectable choir will have me as a member. They keep telling me I can’t carry a tune. I keep saying, “What about the shower?” They give me the weirdest look.

    Reply

  8. How fun. I did when I was younger join the church choir. However, when the ladies heard me sing — they suggested God would be happier if I went and played with my friends. 😀

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    1. You’re not supposed to be a flame Ron 🙂 The most professional choristers, like most of my friends in this choir, spend years perfecting the choral thinking, blending, relationships between members and the Choirmaster singing every week. I know that my friend Beth Taylor trained at Oxford University in the summer on a specialist course so it’s a massive commitment for them, it is very specialist.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  11. Good for you. I’m sure they were impressed. I am always in awe of those who can sight read. I no longer sing but in the 1930s my father was good enough to sing on the Third Programme (Radio 3). My late brother was a cathedral chorister. I was the black sheep. Is the tartan obligatory?

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    1. I sometimes wish I’d started in a regular choir much younger Andrew it certainly helps your sight reading skills, amongst lots of other necessities. I hope the tartan is obligatory, it is the Church of Scotland.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  19. Well, if you enjoyed it, I am sure it was worthwhile. As a soloist though, I would be surprised if your vocal coach didn’t caution you against doing too much choral singing. The best choirs of course probably don’t pose a problem but choral singing is usually not for the Cecelia Bartolis or Kiri Te kanawas of the world, if you know what I mean. Some people with fine voices can put an edge on their voice if they were to do it with the wrong choir or habitually. That said, it looked like a lovely and rewarding experience. Good for you!

    Reply

    1. Thanks Beth, being in the Les Sirenes female chamber choir did help my sight reading, that makes it easier when I’ve new scores to learn, and it’s practise is once per week. I couldn’t commit to the cathedral choir every week at the moment anyway so much to learn.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  20. Thanks for introducing me to Glasgow. The church looks amazing and it’s great to hear a choir fill up a space like that. I saw Montiverdi’s Vespers at Washington National Cathedral a number of years back and it was sublime.

    Reply

    1. I enjoyed my cathedral experience, it was the first time I’d done a full Sunday service. I must see Montiverdi’s Vespers I’ll look out for it now you’ve bought it to my attention. Thank you.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  22. I am a big fan of Glasgow Cathedral Charlotte, thank you for this historic and modern perspective. The Necropolis is fascinating with the huge variety of tomb stones. The Choir looks uplifting.

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  23. Very interesting photos. Looks like a nice place to visit. One day. I visited all your sites. I’m just making changes to an older site, and building on the photos and words site. Just practicing at the moment.

    Reply

  25. Great opportunity! The sound is so different in a cathedral with high ceilings:) I happen to like singing. In classical music I actually like instrumental music more – except for Bach, like the Matthew Passion, and Passion of John … curious as to how you found my blog?

    Reply

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