The Temple Church Choir consists of 18 boy choristers and 12 choirmen. The choir’s primary role is to enhance the liturgy of the Temple Church and many events of the Inner and Middle Temple. The choir is often heard in concert, along with the church’s fine Harrison & Harrison organ and the professional ensemble based at the church, The Temple Players.

In 1308, an inventory noted that there were ‘twenty-eight choir copes and four little copes for the choristers’. However, very little else is known about the choral arrangements of the Church until the 19th century.

On completion of the church’s 2½-year restoration in 1842, a choir was introduced by the Benchers and the Choir Committee to sing the ‘Cathedral Service’. John Calvert, a deputy Lay-Vicar of St Paul’s Cathedral, was asked to provide a choir for the opening service of the church which eventually took place on 20th November 1842 accompanied by James Turle, Organist of Westminster Abbey. In 1843, Dr Edward Hopkins was appointed Organist of the Temple Church and would serve for over 50 years, establishing the Temple Church Choir as one of the finest in London. This tradition of high-quality music was maintained by Hopkins’ well-known successor, Henry Walford Davies, until 1923. Walford Davies would go on to become organist at St George’s Chapel, Windsor and ultimately Master of the King’s Musick.

In 1923 Dr G T Thalben-Ball was appointed organist and choirmaster. This musician, who would become renowned worldwide, served the church even longer than Hopkins, retiring in 1982 after 59 years in office. In 1927, the choir recorded Mendelssohn’s Hear My Prayer with the Temple chorister Ernest Lough as the soloist. Within six months, the original master of this recording had worn out and a replacement, the version still available today, was made a year later. Its popularity earned the recording a gold disc for selling over a million copies and - 17 - made Ernest Lough and the Temple Church a household name. Ernest continued to sing as a choirman once his voice had broken, and two of his three sons, Robin and Graham, followed in their father’s footsteps and became Temple choristers. Under Sir George’s direction the choir attracted such a following that queues for services often spilled out of the Temple into Fleet Street.

In the last 25 years, the music of the church has been under the direction of Dr John Birch, Stephen Layton and the present Organist & Director of Music, James Vivian. The choir’s schedule has included tours, broadcasts, and concerts. The choir is committed to the performance of new music, and has premiered new works by composers such as Thomas Adès. In 2003, the Choir performed overnight in the premiere of Sir John Tavener’s massive work The Veil of the Temple at the Temple Church. In December 2010, the Choir released The Majesty of thy Glory on the Signum Classics label to great critical acclaim.

Being a chorister at Temple Church is a tremendous opportunity for young boys, and the Director of Music is always pleased to hear from any families who may be interested in exploring choristerships at the Temple. The boys all receive singing and theory tuition as well as a generous scholarship towards their education. For more information, please contact the music office on 020 7427 5650 orwww.templechurch.com

The Temple Church Choristers (March 2011)

Max Shotbolt (Head Chorister)
Max Davidson-Smith (Deputy Head Chorister)

Samuel Akintunde, Alexander Brady, Patrick Buchanan, Benedict Davies, Alessandro Godawatta, Rory Langmuir, Frederick MacBruce, Jamie McDermott, Luke McWatters, Emerson Murphy, Matthew O’Connor, Oscar Simms, Daniel Traves, Michael Violette.