25 former boy choristers from the 1953 Coronation met at St John’s Smith Square, London in July to celebrate the occasion’s 70th anniversary
On 17 July, the University of Hertfordshire’s Oral History Team and Heritage Hub hosted an event at St John’s Smith Square, London, to celebrate a 14 month-long ‘Coronation of the Choristers’ project.
25 former choristers who took part in the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II arrived from as far afield as Devon, Yorkshire, Dorset, Norfolk and the south of France.
The group gathered in the Jerusalem Chamber at Westminster Abbey for a welcome and address from the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle MBE. This was followed by a tour of the Abbey, taking in the setting from which the 400-strong choir sang in 1953.
- What music was played at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation?
- Charles’s Coronation: what music was played at the coronation of King Charles III?
- Who composed music for King Charles’s Coronation?
- Coronation Marches and Anthems: 10 of the best
- Coronation composers through history: meet those responsible for the majestic music
At the presentation which followed in St John’s Smith Square, the guests (including representatives from various archives and choral establishments) were treated to audio clips from the ‘Choristers of the Coronation’ interview collection, and a live performance of music from the 1953 service. The event also launched a printed volume of extracts from the project interviews, with a foreword from HRH The Duchess of Kent.
The oral interviews and transcripts, together with a gallery of images of historical photographs and memorabilia, will shortly be available on the University of Hertfordshire Heritage Hub website.
The 1953 ‘Choristers of the Coronation’ project was led by Andrew Green, UH senior research fellow, and supported by Professor Katrina Navickas and Dr Leanne Calvert, both from the History group.