Canterbury Cathedral Children’s Youth Choir continues to hit the high notes with Eastern Crypt recital

On the evening of Wednesday 8 July 2026, the Canterbury Cathedral Youth Choir (CCYC) performed in an intimate gathering in the Eastern Crypt in front of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress.

Songs included Whisper! by Greg Gilpin and Let Me Walk In Peace (inspired by How Beautiful Are The Feet Of Him, an aria from Handel's Messiah) by Will Todd, in what is only their second gathering since launching earlier this year.

Their next presentation will see them perform in public for the first time at the Sounds Sublime Choral Festival in London on Saturday 11 July. Run by The Sixteen, the day includes workshops and shows celebrating the passion, joy and diversity of the human voice.

The Canterbury Cathedral Children's Youth Choir was launched in January 2026 and is open to all local children aged between 7-11 who love to sing. It is currently 35 members strong and will be expanding to 40 in the autumn. The CCYC is completely free, and the only thing that kids must bring is commitment, as it involves weekly attendance and practice at home.

The CCYC offers a vibrant and dynamic singing programme that puts choral tradition at its centre, with the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion a fitting place to nurture the next generation of voices given the Church of England’s championing of Evensong.

It also helps broaden the children’s repertoire, enhance musicianship, and teaches them singing techniques that will help keep their voice healthy.

The Choir is another way that Canterbury Cathedral helps the local community, offering children opportunities in life, from pursuing their passion to learning new skills.

The programme is funded by the Cathedral as well as The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral through various initiatives, including organising a scratch choir of over 200 singers to come to Canterbury to sing Mozart’s Requiem, where the money the music raised is then put to good use to help usher in the next generation of singers.

Caroline Plaisted, Chief Officer of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral said:

“We are proud to have supported the launch year of the CYC. Funding for the Choir was raised from our biennial ‘Big FRIENDLY Sing’ in 2025 and at which a scratch choir of over 200 singers from across the UK came to Canterbury to sing Mozart’s ‘Requiem’. It seemed fitting that we made music then to make music for the future with the CYC, the youngest singers amongst our Cathedral’s musicians.”

Helen Brookes, Singing Partnerships Lead and Director of Canterbury Youth Choir, said:

“I am so proud of the wonderful progress our new Cathedral children’s choir, CYC, has made in such a short space of time. This is all down to the singers’ amazing commitment to regular rehearsals, fantastic work ethic and determination to embrace lots of brand-new ideas and experiences with enthusiasm and positivity.

Looking ahead to next year, we already have exciting plans to sing a special Evensong in the Cathedral and to join forces with the Friendly Singers for a performance of Fauré’s ‘Requiem’, conducted by Canterbury Cathedral’s Director of Music, Dr David Newsholme. We also have several Christmas performances in the pipeline and the extraordinary opportunity to premiere a specially commissioned piece of music composed just for CYC. I am thrilled to be on this journey with these amazing young singers. They have already become a real choir family, and I cannot wait to see what they achieve next. Watch this space!”