The Choir of St George's Chapel at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

exists to sing services in

St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the Gart ...

. It has been in existence since 1348 and, with the exception of the Commonwealth period (1649–1660), has sung services in the Chapel continuously ever since.

The choir today

The choir comprises up to 23 choristers (the youngest of whom are probationers or training choristers) and 12 professional

Lay Clerk A lay clerk, also known as a lay vicar, song man or a vicar choral, is a professional adult singer in an Anglican cathedral and often Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the UK, or (occasionally) collegiate choir in Britain and Ireland. The vicars chora ...

s, who sing alto,

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

and bass. The Choir sings at Evensong each day (except Wednesdays) and at Mattins and Eucharist on Sunday mornings during the three terms of the College year. The choristers are educated at St George's School, Windsor Castle which is situated in the Castle grounds. The Lay Clerks live in the Horseshoe Cloister and on Denton's Commons. The choir sings regularly in the presence of the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and other members of the Royal Family. Concerts are also given from time to time, some collaborating with ensembles such as the London Concert Orchestra, the London Handel Orchestra,

Southbank Sinfonia Southbank Sinfonia is a British chamber orchestra founded in 2002. Composed of young professionals from around the world, each year it brings together 33 graduate musicians for a programme of performance and professional development. The annual ...

and the

London Mozart Players London Mozart Players (LMP) are a British chamber orchestra founded in 1949. LMP are the longest-established chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom. Since 1989, the orchestra has been Resident Orchestra at Fairfield Halls, Croydon. History B ...

. The choir also broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio 3 and

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

. The choir is directed by the Director of Music and accompanied the Assistant Director of Music, plus an

organ scholar An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at a cathedral, church or institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and adm ...

who is selected by audition on an annual basis. In January 2022 it was announced that the choir would admit girl choristers from the following year, forming a mixed treble line.

List of Organists and Masters of Choristers (known as 'Director of Music' from 2004)

* Walter Whitby 1406–1415 * Laurence Dreweryn 1415–1441 * John Wederby 1441–1461 *

Thomas Rolfe Thomas Rolfe (January 30, 1615 – ) was the only child of Matoaka (Pocahontas) and her English husband, John Rolfe. His maternal grandfather was Chief Wahunsenacawh (or Powhatan), the leader of the Powhatan tribe in Virginia. Early life Thomas ...

1461–1469 * Robert Cotyngham 1469–1473 * William Browne 1473–1476 *

1476–1489 * Tuke, Bell, Bowyer, Bednall and Rede (acted jointly) * Richard Wood 1496–1531 * John Marbeck, 1531–1547 * George Thaxton 1547–1559 * Preston 1559–1563 * Robert Golder 1563–1564 * Richard Farrant, 1564–1580 * John Mundy 1581–1585 *

Nathaniel Giles Nathaniel Giles (1558 – 1633 or 1634) was an English Renaissance organist and composer. He was the organist for Worcester Cathedral and wrote Anglican anthems. While Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal he took over Blackfriars Theatre in ...

1585–1632 *

William Child William Child (160623 March 1697) was an English composer and organist. Early life Born in Bristol, Child was a chorister in the cathedral under the direction of Elway Bevin. In 1630 he began his lifetime association with St. George's Chape ...

1632–1697 * John Golding 1697–1719 * John Pigott 1719–1756 * Edward Webb 1756–1788 * Theodore Aylward Sr., 1788–1801 * William Sexton 1801–1824 * Karl Friedrich Horn 1824–1830 * Highmore Skeats 1830–1835 * Sir

George Job Elvey Sir George Job Elvey (1816–1893) was an English organist and composer. Life He was born at Canterbury on 29 March 1816, a son of John Elvey. For several generations, his family had been connected with the musical life of the cathedral city. A ...

, 1835–1882 * Sir

Walter Parratt Sir Walter Parratt (10 February 184127 March 1924) was an English organist and composer. Biography Born in Huddersfield, son of a parish organist, Parratt began to play the pipe organ from an early age, and held posts as an organist while sti ...

, 1882–1924 * The Revd Canon

Edmund Fellowes Edmund Horace Fellowes (11 November 1870 – 21 December 1951), was a Church of England clergyman and musical scholar who became well known for his work in promoting the revival of sixteenth and seventeenth century English music. Life and work ...

, 1924–1927, Acting Master of the Choristers, with GS Kitchingman and later Malcolm Boyle, as Acting Organist * Sir

Henry Walford Davies Sir Henry Walford Davies (6 September 1869 – 11 March 1941) was an English composer, organist, and educator who held the title Master of the King's Music from 1934 until 1941. He served with the Royal Air Force during the First World War, du ...

, 1927–1932 *

Charles Hylton Stewart Charles Hylton Stewart (21 March 1884 – 14 November 1932) was an English cathedral organist, who served in Rochester Cathedral and St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. He also produced several compositions for organ, and a few for choir. Bac ...

, 1932 * Sir William Henry Harris, 1933–1961 * Sidney Campbell 1961–1974 * Christopher Robinson 1974–1991 * Jonathan Rees-Williams 1991–2002 * Roger Judd (Acting) 2002–2004 * Timothy Byram-Wigfield, 2004–2013 * James Vivian, 2013-incumbent

Sub organists

*Richard Frank Martin Akerman 1908 – 1924 * Malcolm Boyle 1925 – 1932 *

Reginald Alwyn Surplice Reginald Alwyn Surplice (20 August 1906 – 21 April 1977) was an English organist and composer.Charles Hancock ???? – 1875 *G.F. Huntley 1875 – 1880 *Hubert Hunt (?1880 - c.1885) *

1885 – 1890 (later Organist of the

Temple Church The Temple Church is a Royal peculiar church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. It was consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of J ...

London and subsequently Organist here 1927–1932 – see above) *Richard Frank Martin Akerman 1900 – 1908 (afterwards Sub Organist) *Harold William Rhodes 1908 – 1910 (later successively Organist of Coventry Cathedral and

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

) *

Reginald Alwyn Surplice Reginald Alwyn Surplice (20 August 1906 – 21 April 1977) was an English organist and composer.Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...

and

) *John Charles Stirling Forster 1941 – 1945 *Philip Harold Moore 1946 – 1949 (not the same as Philip J. Moore who was later Organist of

Guildford Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford, commonly known as Guildford Cathedral, is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England. Richard Onslow donated the first of land on which the cathedral stands, with Viscount Bennett, ...

and

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...

) *

Lionel Frederick Dakers Lionel Frederick Dakers (24 February 1924 – 10 March 2003) was an English cathedral organist who served in Ripon Cathedral and Exeter Cathedral. Background Dakers was born on 24 February 1924 in Rochester, Kent. He studied organ under Harold ...

1950 – 1954 (later Organist of Exeter Cathedral) *Richard George Greening 1955 – 1959 (later Organist of

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom with three spires (together with Truro Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh), and the only medie ...

) *Clement McWilliam 1959 – 1965 (later Sub Organist of

) *John Porter 1972 – 1985 (deceased while in office) *Roger Judd 1985 – 2008 *Ben Giddens 2008 – 2009 (Acting)

Assistant Directors of Music

*Richard Pinel 2009 – 2016 (currently Director of Music at

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

) *

Luke Bond Luke Bond (born 2 February 1980) is a British organist and is currently Assistant Organist at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, where he played prominently for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke ...

2017 – incumbent

Organ Scholars

*Peter J Williams 1965–1966An entry for Graham Elliott which formerly appeared here has been removed in the light of the following statement which was inserted by Peter J Williams: ''"Graham Elliott was NOT an Organ Scholar but a private pupil of Dr Sidney Campbell. I went in 1964 as a private PA to Dr. Campbell and then became the first Organ Scholar, along with John Porter who stayed on when I went to be Assistant Organist at York Minster 1966. Many of these dates are wrong!"'' *John Porter 1965–1967 (later Assistant Organist here) *John Taylor 1965–1967 (then Assistant Organist of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh) *Terence Atkins 1967–1969 (now Organist and Choirmaster at St John the Baptist Parish Church, Chipping Barnet) *Jason Smart 1969–1972 * Francis Grier 1972–1973 (afterwards Organ Scholar of King's College, Cambridge; later Organist and Master of the Choristers at Christ Church, Oxford) * Colin Walsh 1973–1974 (afterwards Organ Scholar of Christ Church, Oxford; later Assistant Organist Salisbury Cathedral, Organist

St Albans Cathedral St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Norman times. It ceased to be ...

, now Organist Laureate Lincoln Cathedral) *Christopher Brayne 1974–1975 (later Organist and Master of the Choristers of Bristol Cathedral; now Director of Music at Christ Church, Charlotte, North Carolina) * Thomas Trotter 1975–1976 (afterwards Organ Scholar of

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...

, later Organist of St Margaret's Church, Westminster and Birmingham City Organist) *

Adrian Partington Adrian Frederick Partington (born 1 October 1958) is an English conductor, chorus master, organist and pianist. He is director of music at Gloucester Cathedral, joint conductor of the Three Choirs Festival and artistic director for the Glouceste ...

1977–1978 (afterwards Organ Scholar of

; currently Director of Music Gloucester Cathedral) *

Harry Bicket Harry Alexander Clarence Bicket (born 1961) is a British conductor, harpsichordist and organist. He is particularly associated with the baroque and classical repertoire. Bicket was educated at Radley College, Christ Church, Oxford, where he ...

1978–1980 (Director,

The English Concert The English Concert is a baroque orchestra playing on period instruments based in London. Founded in 1972 and directed from the harpsichord by Trevor Pinnock for 30 years, it is now directed by harpsichordist Harry Bicket. Nadja Zwiener ha ...

) * Wayne Marshall 1980–1983 *Iain Simcock 1983–1984 *Neil Kelly 1984–1986 *

Andrew Nethsingha Andrew Nethsingha, FRCO, ARCM (born 16 May 1968) is an English choral conductor and organist, the son of the late Lucian Nethsingha, also a cathedral organist. He was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey in Lo ...

1986–1987 (afterwards Organ Scholar of St John's College, Cambridge; currently Director of Music at St John's College, Cambridge) *Roger Muttitt 1987–1988 (currently Director of Music at

Durham School Durham School is an independent boarding and day school in the English public school tradition located in Durham, North East England and was an all-boys institution until 1985, when girls were admitted to the sixth form. The school takes pupils ...

) *Philip Scriven 1988–1990 (afterwards Organ Scholar of St John's College, Cambridge; then Sub-Organist of

; later Organist and Master of the Choristers at

) * Mark Wardell 1990–1991 (later Assistant Organist of Chichester Cathedral) *Jonathan Lilley 1991–1992 (later Sub-Organist at Leeds Parish Church; then Assistant Organist at Ely Cathedral; currently Organist of Waltham Abbey Church) *Christopher Allsop 1992–1993 (afterwards Organ Scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge; Assistant Organist at St. Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham; Assistant Organist and Assistant Director of Music, Worcester Cathedral; currently Assistant Director of Music, The King's School, Worcester) *Matthew Raisbeck 1993–1994 *

Greg Morris Francis Gregory Alan Morris (September 27, 1933 – August 27, 1996) was an American actor. He was best known for portraying Barney Collier on '' Mission: Impossible'' and Lt. David Nelson on ''Vega$''. Early life and career Born in Clevela ...

1994–1995 (currently Associate Organist Temple Church, London) *

Iain Farrington Iain Farrington (born 1977) is a British pianist, organist, composer and arranger. He performs regularly with some of the country's leading singers, instrumentalists and choirs, as well as giving solo recitals. Biography Early years and educatio ...

1995–1996 (then Organ Scholar of St John's College, Cambridge) *Myles Hartley 1996–1997 *Teilhard Scott 1997–1999 * Jonathan Vaughn 1999–2000 (afterwards Organ Scholar of St John's College, Cambridge; then Assistant Organist of Wells Cathedral) *Robert Kwan 2000–2001 (Assistant to the Organist-Choirmaster, Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Westport, CT; currently Director of Music, Trinity Episcopal Church, Southport, CT, USA) * Francesca Massey 2001–2002 (Acting Assistant Organist September–December 2001; afterwards Organ Scholar of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge; then Sub-Organist of Durham Cathedral; currently Organist and Director of Music at Rochester Cathedral) *Tom Winpenny 2002–2003 (Acting Assistant Organist; then Organ Scholar of King's College, Cambridge; then Sub-Organist, St Paul's Cathedral; currently Assistant Master of the Music, St Alban's Cathedral) *Henry Parkes 2003–2004 (Acting Assistant Organist September–December 2003; then Organ Scholar of Christ Church, Oxford; later Associate Director of Music All Saints, Margaret Street, London) *Ben Giddens 2004–2005 (afterwards Organ Scholar Norwich Cathedral; subsequently Acting Assistant Organist at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle; later Assistant Organist Magdalen College, Oxford) *Peter Stevens 2005–2006 (afterwards Organ Scholar of King's College, Cambridge; currently Assistant Master of Music, Westminster Cathedral) *John Challenger 2006–2008 (afterwards Organ Scholar of St John's College, Cambridge; currently Assistant Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral) *Laurence Williams 2008–2009 (afterwards Choral Scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge) *Alexander Binns 2009–2010 (afterwards studied organ at the Royal Academy of Music, London whilst Organ Scholar at Marylebone Parish Church, the Royal Hospital Chelsea, and Southwark Cathedral, currently Director of Music at Derby Cathedral) *Ben Bloor 2010–2011 (afterwards Organ Scholar of New College, Oxford; later Organ Scholar of Westminster Cathedral; currently Organist of the London Oratory, Brompton) *Adam Mathias 2011–2012 (afterwards Organ Scholar of Emmanuel College, Cambridge) *Joseph Beech 2012–2013 (afterwards studied organ at the Royal Academy of Music, London, whilst Organ scholar of Brompton Oratory and then St Paul's Cathedral; Assistant Master of the Music, St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh; currently Sub-Organist, Durham Cathedral) *Glen Dempsey 2013–2014 (afterwards Organ Scholar of St John's College, Cambridge; currently Assistant Director of Music, Ely Cathedral) *Alexander Hamilton 2014–2015 (afterwards Organ Scholar of

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

then Organ Scholar of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

; currently Assistant Director of Music of

Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose cathedra it holds as mother church of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Built as a ...

) *Asher Oliver 2015–2016 (afterwards Organ Scholar of

; then Organ Scholar of St Paul's Cathedral) *Benjamin Newlove 2016–2017 (King's College, University of London; previously Organ Scholar of St Michael's Church, Cornhill and currently at St. Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge) *Jason Richards 2017–2018 (afterwards Organ Scholar of

) *Lucy Morrell 2018–2019 (then Organ Scholar of St Mary’s Collegiate Church, Warwick) *Emily India Evans 2019-2020 (currently Organ Scholar of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge) *Alexander Trigg 2020-2021 (afterwards Organ Scholar of St John's College, Cambridge) *Alex Robson 2021-2022 (currently Organ Scholar of St John's College, Cambridge) *Miriam Reveley 2022-present (Organ Scholar elect of Jesus College, Cambridge)

Notable alumni

Michael Chance Michael Chance CBE (born in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom 7 March 1955) is an English countertenor and the founder and Artistic Director of The Grange Festival. Chance was born in Penn, Buckinghamshire, into a musical family. After growing ...

, countertenor * Sir

, composer and noted speaker and broadcaster on music * David Fanshawe, classical composer * Francis Grier, classical composer * Sir William Henry Harris, composer of church music * John Lubbock, conductor * Sir Arthur Sullivan, composer * Robin Blaze, countertenor

References

*For organists appointed prior to 1939: Organists and Masters of the Choristers of St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

Historical monographs relating to St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle The historical monographs relating to St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle are a series of scholarly publications supported by the Dean and Canons of Windsor. Much of the scholarship is based on the material held in the archives at St. George’s C ...

Volume 3.

(1939)

External links

Choir websiteInformation about the choristers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choir of Saint Georges Chapel Windsor Castle Saint Georges Chapel Windsor Castle Organisations based in Berkshire Windsor Castle Musical groups established in the 14th century Organizations established in the 1340s 1348 establishments in England