The Southwark Cathedral Merbecke Choir was established in late 2003 to provide a choir for ex-cathedral choristers (boys and girls) to continue singing. It also comprises other young singers - often ex-choral scholars from university college choirs and student singers based in London.

The Merbecke Choir is the only amateur chamber choir attached to a London cathedral.

The choir is named after John Merbecke, an English theological writer and musician known for producing the a song-noted edition of the 1549 Book of Common Prayer

Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...

. He was tried and convicted of heresy in the retrochoir of Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge....

 in 1543 but received a pardon owing to the intervention of Stephen Gardiner

Stephen Gardiner

Stephen Gardiner was an English Roman Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I of England.-Early life:...

, Bishop of Winchester

Bishop of Winchester

The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...

.

Role at Southwark Cathedral

The Merbecke Choir is part of the Music Department at Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge....

. During term time, it sings all the services of Compline

Compline

Compline is the final church service of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St...

 and Eucharistic Devotions. Additionally, it sings evensong, when requested, a number of special services and three concerts each year - Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

, Passiontide

Passiontide

Passiontide is a name for the last two weeks of Lent, beginning on Passion Sunday and ending on Holy Saturday....

 and Summer.

Choir Director

Huw Morgan is the current director of the choir. He combines the post with that of Director of Music at St Laurence's Church, Catford. Formerly, he was Director of Music at All Saints, Blackheath.

The founding director was Ian Keatley, then organ scholar of Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge....

. He was succeeded by David Pipe in 2006, who left the post in 2008 to take up the position of Assistant to the Director of Music at York Minster

York Minster

York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...

 in September 2008, and subsequently Assistant Director of Music in September 2010.

Repertoire

The choir's staple repertoire is early European liturgical music. However, for concerts, the music list is typically expanded to cover more modern compositions - recently including a composition by Huw Morgan The Word of the Cross and the first performance of Michael Bonaventure's Doxology in March 2010.

Notable Performances

In December 2006, the Merbecke Choir was broadcast worldwide performing a setting of Ding Dong Merrily On High as the finale to the Queen's televised Christmas message.

In July 2009, the choir gave a concert - "I Sing of a Rose" - in the presence of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...

 and Mrs Tutu to commemorate the naming of two new varieties of rose in their honour, and to coincide with the celebrations for the 800th anniversary of the first stone-built London Bridge

London Bridge

London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...

.

In August 2009, the Merbecke Choir sang for a special choral evensong at Southwark Cathedral to commemorate the 20th anniverary of the Marchioness disaster

Marchioness disaster

The Marchioness disaster occurred on the River Thames in London in the early hours of 20 August 1989. The pleasure boat Marchioness sank after being run down by the dredger Bowbelle, near Cannon Street Railway Bridge. There were 131 people on the Marchioness. Some were members of the crew, some...

. The service was recorded by the BBC and extracts of the music were broadcast on BBC One on 13 October 2009 in a programme titled "The Marchioness: A Survivor's Story" presented by Jonathan Phang..

In October 2009, the choir performed for the Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...

, when he delivered the annual Operation Noah lecture on "The Climate Crisis: A Christian Response".

In March 2011, the choir toured to France, performing in Rouen Cathedral

Rouen Cathedral

Rouen Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Gothic cathedral in Rouen, in northwestern France. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Rouen and Normandy.-History:...

 and Église de la Madeleine

Église de la Madeleine

L'église de la Madeleine is a Roman Catholic church occupying a commanding position in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It was designed in its present form as a temple to the glory of Napoleon's army...

 in Paris on the Feast of the Annunciation

Annunciation

The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...

 of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mary (mother of Jesus)

Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...

, before concluding with a home concert in Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge....

. The tour commemorated the 400th anniversary of the death of Tomás Luis de Victoria

Tomás Luis de Victoria

Tomás Luis de Victoria, sometimes Italianised as da Vittoria , was the most famous composer of the 16th century in Spain, and one of the most important composers of the Counter-Reformation, along with Giovanni da Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso. Victoria was not only a composer, but also an...

, one of the great composers of the Renaissance

Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

, with a performance of his late masterpiece, the Missa Pro Defunctis

Requiem

A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...

 of 1608.

In December 2011, the choir sings the Crisis (charity)

Crisis (charity)

Crisis is is the UK national charity for single homeless people. The charity offers year-round education, employment, housing and well-being services from centres in London, Newcastle, Oxford, Edinburgh and Merseyside, called Crisis Skylight Centres....

 Carol Service 2011 in the presence of Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy

Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy

Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...

.