Diamond Fund for Choristers

Royal Patron: HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, GCVO

The Diamond Fund for Choristers raises funds to ensure that the unique living heritage of the UK’s cathedral choirs continues to benefit young people, the communities they live in, the nation and future generations.

More about our impact

Voice and instrument training

The Fund helps meet the costs of training choristers in singing technique and instrument playing, whether they are at specialist choir schools or at state schools. At a time when cathedrals find these costs increasingly difficult to meet, and the study of music in schools is declining, the Fund seeks to ensure Britain’s famed choral tradition is properly resourced.

Leicester Cathedral schools singing programme

Education, inclusion and recruitment initiatives

Declining music education in schools means that fewer children will benefit from singing and experiencing choral music. In the face of the ongoing pandemic, there is a possibility that this provision is narrowed even further, as greater focus is placed on core subjects. This will have an adverse affect on the next generation of performers and musicians. The Fund gives grants to support choral education programmes to ensure more children can benefit from this transformative music education.

Help us transform young lives

Your donation will enable us to support talented young singers in our cathedral, church and collegiate choirs

Donate

Jon Snow

I owe so much to my life as a cathedral chorister

Jon Snow, Channel 4 News

David Lammy

Being a cathedral chorister literally changed my life. It gave me the discipline and the taste for excellence to succeed. It's vital that it continues to do so for future generations of young people

Rt Hon. David Lammy, MP

Our Events

Concerts at St Paul's & Liverpool Cathedral

The Cathedral Choristers of Britain, 78 choristers representing 63 cathedrals and colleges across the nation, came together at St Paul's Cathedral to showcase Britain’s 1,000-year-old choral tradition and launch the Diamond Fund for Choristers. This was the first time choristers from so many different choral foundations had performed together, and we heard from former chorister Alexander Armstrong how choristership is the single greatest leg-up a child can be given, and how he owed his entire career to his experience as a chorister.

The choir came together again in 2019 for a concert at Liverpool Cathedral, attended by HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, Royal Patron of the Diamond Fund for Choristers. Much-loved favourites like Handel’s 'Zadok the Priest', Allegri’s 'Miserere', Howard Goodall’s Psalm 23 (The Vicar of Dibley theme tune) and Parry’s 'I Was Glad' were performed, and composer John Rutter made the appeal as well as mixing with choristers and their families afterwards.  

Mansion House Dinner 2017

At the invitation of the Lord Mayor of the City of London, the Diamond Fund for Choristers held a fundraising dinner with a live auction, and appearances by Sir Simon Russell Beale (actor, former chorister and DFC Patron), Elizabeth Kenny and the Theatre of the Ayre, and the BBC Young Choristers of the Year.

 
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Watch...

...the Cathedral Choristers of Britain, the Choir of St Paul’s Cathedral and Aled Jones as they assemble for the recording of their best-selling CD, Jubilate - 500 years of Cathedral Music, which reached No 1 in the UK classical album charts.

Our patrons

Our patrons all recognise the transformative effects chorister training has on the lives of young people. Many experienced this first hand. We are incredibly grateful for their support.

  • Alexander Armstrong*, comedian and TV presenter
  • Simon Russell Beale*, actor
  • Harry Christophers*, founder and conductor, The Sixteen
  • Katie Derham, BBC Proms presenter
  • David Hill, conductor of the Bach Choir
  • Rt Hon David Lammy MP*, former Minister
  • Dame Felicity Lott*, soprano
  • Richard Morrison, The Times chief music critic
  • Roxanna Panufnik, composer
  • Dr John Rutter, composer
  • Dr Richard Seal*, founder of first girls' cathedral choir (Salisbury)
  • Jon Snow*, Channel 4 News presenter
  • Judith Weir, Master of the Queen’s Music

* former chorister


Get in touch to find out more

You can email us at [email protected] or write to us at

Cathedral Music Trust

27 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N 3AX

Telephone: 020 3151 6096