Winchester College Chapel Choir
Winchester College Chapel Choir is a renowned British choir that sings in the Chapel of Winchester College. When William of Wykeham founded Winchester College in 1382 he made provision for 16 boys called Quiristers to sing the Chapel services. The College has maintained its medieval choral foundation ever since and the choral tradition is still maintained at a high level.
Choir
The Quiristers, or "Qs" are they are colloquially known, who sing the treble line for the choir, are all awarded choral scholarships at The Pilgrims' School, close to the college itself.[1] They also sing a good deal in their own right as a boys' concert choir. The lower parts in the Choir are sung by senior pupils, many of whom have themselves been Quiristers, or choristers at cathedrals and other choral foundations.
The choir sings regular services, including evensong, Sunday mattins or communion, as well as at special College events. The Choir gives recitals, broadcasts and records for BBC radio and television, and makes regular tours abroad, most recently to USA.[2] and Hong Kong. The Quiristers' programme includes several concerts each year in aid of local and national charities. Past Quiristers have been particularly successful in the BBC Young Chorister of the Year Competition, winning the title in 2001, 2003 and 2004. The choir robes in full red cassocks and white surplices.
The choir sang choral evensong live on BBC Radio 3 on Wednesday 1 October 2014.
Director
The Director of Chapel Music and Organist at Winchester College is Malcolm Archer, who moved from St. Paul's Cathedral in September 2007 to undertake the post. Previous directors include Christopher Tolley (1992–2007), Julian Smith (1977–1992) and Raymond Humphrey (1970–1977).