About the Project

Choristers of the Coronation 2022/23- The Project

In the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the University of Hertfordshire oral history team was inspired to act on the fact that many of those who sang as boy choristers at the 1953 Coronation of the Queen were still alive. Thus, the Choristers of the Coronation project was born.

The 1953 Coronation choir numbered around four hundred. A very large proportion of the singers were male, the sole contribution from women being a range of professional singers invited to London from around the world.

Some 180 boy choristers sang, a fact which made it likely that a good number of these would still be available to interview. In the event, around thirty such individuals were interviewed either in person, by videolink, or on the phone. They were to be found in many parts of the country, but also abroad. Many represented high profile choirs in 1953 – from St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal at Saint James’s Palace, for example – but they came also from other cathedrals and collegiate establishments. Some had sung in 1953 under the banner of the Royal School of Church Music, which selected outstanding young vocal talent from around the country, not least from parish church choirs.

The project participants, listed by choral establishment in 1953

The Choristers of the Coronation project sought simply to harvest a collection of complete narratives of the experiences enjoyed by those choristers who sang at this landmark event in 1953, starting with the explanation of how each individual began his career as a chorister – at a time when there was much greater competition to sing in high-quality choirs than today.

The chorister’s testimony was collated into the various episodes that made up the complete story of the 1953 Coronation as far as these singers were concerned. This collation formed the basis of the book of the project, which is available in limited numbers.

The project also made a point of gathering in images of Coronation-related memorabilia in the possession of the 1953 choristers, evoking the atmosphere of the time.

Coronation pass admitting a singer into rehearsals

The publication of the Choristers of the Coronation book was celebrated with an afternoon event in Westminster in July 2023, attended by many of these one-time choristers, most of them present with their partners.

The oral history team working on Choristers of the Coronation offers its warmest thanks to the University of Hertfordshire (especially to Leanne Calvert, Katrina Navickas and Rowland Hughes) for its enthusiastic and generous support of the project. The result was a never-to-be-forgotten experience for all involved.

Here are collections of clips from the recorded interviews.

Below, the sound files for each interview together with transcripts.

Finally, the text of Andrew Green’s Introduction to the book of the project, Choristers of the Coronation.