Westminster Abbey Choir School
| Established | c.1560; 1848 |
|---|---|
| Type |
Independent boarding prep school Choral foundation school |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Headmaster | Jonathan Milton |
| Chair of Governors | The Very Rev Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster |
| Location |
20 Dean's Yard London SW1P 3NY England |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| DfE number | 213/6044 |
| Students | 30 (2015) |
| Gender | Boys |
| Ages | 8–13 |
| Houses | Blow and Purcell |
| Website | www |
Westminster Abbey Choir School is a boarding preparatory school for boys in Westminster, London and the only remaining choir school in the United Kingdom which exclusively educates choristers (i.e. that only choirboys attend the school). It is located in Dean's Yard, by Westminster Abbey. It educates about 35 boys, aged 8–13 who sing in the Choir of Westminster Abbey, which takes part in state and national occasions as well as singing evensong every day (except Wednesday) and gives concert performances worldwide. Recent tours include to America, Hungary and Moscow. Other tours have included Australia, America and Hong Kong. The school is one of only three choir schools that educate only the male trebles of the choir, the others being Saint Thomas Choir School in New York City and Escolania de Montserrat in Spain. The headmaster is Jonathan Milton, former headmaster of The Abbey School, Tewkesbury. The organist and master of the choristers is James O'Donnell, former Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral.
The school is believed to have been founded around 1560, as the choir boys of Westminster Abbey have been educated there since Elizabethan times. The present school was built in 1915 (2015 being its centenary year) and underwent renovations in 1990s.
The two houses of the Choir School are named after the musicians John Blow and Henry Purcell, who were both Organists of Westminster Abbey, and who are both buried in the abbey.
The Chairman of the Governors of the school is the Very Reverend John Hall, Dean of Westminster and former Chief Education Officer for the Church of England.
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