For 11-year-old Evie, becoming a chorister at Gloucester Cathedral has strengthened her faith, her confidence, a sense of responsibility, and her musical talent.
Evie was recently formally given a title of Deputy Head Chorister at the Cathedral, which was in recognition of her growing experience and leadership within the girls’ choir. The role means she has more seniority among the choir, setting the example and tone for the younger singers.
“Feeling that you’re responsible of all these lovely voices and making sure that they’re on the right page – it feels amazing,” Evie said.
Evie first discovered the Cathedral choir through her school when she was just six years old. Already a keen singer at home, in the car, and in the school choir, she decided to audition after seeing a notice calling for new choristers.
“Evie was so young when she started. She had to do the audition by herself because it was during the pandemic. It’s something that’s always made me very proud,” said Alex, Evie’s mum.
After being accepted, Evie attended a taster session and was paired with an older chorister to help her settle in. Five years on, choir life has become a central part of her weekly routine.
“We practice every day except for Thursday. There’s Evensong on Mondays and Wednesdays, and we sing every other Sunday. When you’re new, you don’t perform immediately but instead sit in the stands, listen to the music, and follow along – or you rehearse separately,” Evie said.
As well as developing her voice through daily rehearsals and services, she now plays both the violin and piano – skills she began after joining the choir.
“At the start, I didn’t really have much proper musical experience,” Evie said. “I didn’t know how to play any instruments, and I couldn’t read music that well, but I could sing. You do need some basic singing ability to be able to be a chorister. If you can sing a reasonably wide range, that really helps.”
Choral singing has also strengthened Evie’s personal faith.
“Choral singing has helped my faith grow. I believe in God, and going to the Cathedral regularly has developed this. At the start, I wasn’t really that religious – I barely went to church unless we went with school, or for Christmas and Easter with my family. Now I go so much, I’ve ended up dedicating quite a lot of time to Jesus. I like that I’ve gotten more religious from being a chorister.”
One of the most exciting aspects of chorister life for Evie has been the range of opportunities it brings. She has sung at Birmingham Town Hall, taken part in the Three Choirs Festival alongside choirs from Hereford and Worcester, and she has travelled to sing at different cathedrals.
“The choir does a lot of outreach in the diocese, so Evie’s also been to places such as Newent, Painswick, and Chedsworth to sing. It’s brilliant because they’re reaching people that might not be able to get to the Cathedral,” Alex said.
Evie is keen to continue singing for as long as she can. For other young people who may be wondering whether to try choir, Evie’s message is: “Just go for it. Of course, there is that chance that you could be told, ‘sorry, but we’ve not accepted you into the choir’, but that’s not a bad thing because you just carry on with normal life. If you feel committed and ready to start, to get into singing, then I think you should do it.”
For Alex, the impact of chorister singing goes beyond music; it improves confidence and maturity as well.
“She’s only an 11-year-old, but she’s really organised and has become really mature. The way that they perform, her confidence in front of a group of people – I just think it’s something else. They’re also encouraged to do readings on occasion, so Evie has stood at the front of a service and has read in front of a whole congregation, which I think is amazing.”
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