St Mary’s Cathedral Choir in 2021

The Catholic Church has one of the oldest and greatest sacred music traditions of all time. Some Gregorian chants that the Church possesses are so ancient, that we don’t even know their origins. Incorporating Hebrew and Greek melodies, the body of Gregorian chants have grown through the centuries, numbering well into the thousands. 

The Saint Mary’s Cathedral Choir is a professional choir of boys and men who have undertaken the important work of maintaining this beautiful and important cultural heritage. The Choir also specialises in Renaissance polyphony, and sacred music by contemporary composers.

The Choir provides music at Vespers and Mass almost every day, making it one of only two cathedral choirs in the world to continue such a rhythm of worship. When its busy liturgical schedule permits, Saint Mary’s Cathedral Choir continues to reach new audiences through recordings, broadcasts, concerts, and tours. 

Over Holy Week and the sacred Triduum, the Choir sang almost 20 services, heralding the dolorous Passion of Christ and His glorious Resurrection on Easter Sunday. 

Sacred music has the important role as a means of lifting up the spirit to God, and as a precious aid for the faithful in their “active participation in the most holy mysteries, and in the public and solemn prayer of the Church” (Pope St. Pius X). 

As the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky once wrote, “Beauty will save the world”. A society that embraces good art, architecture and music is one which will flourish. 

The Palestrina Foundation, named after the great Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, financially assists this wonderful cultural movement. The Palestrina Foundation is our way of maintaining a cultural heritage that promotes beauty, and ultimately leads souls to Christ. 

Recent Posts