Truro School Joins CSA

CSA is delighted to welcome Truro School as its latest full member. From this September it will be educating all 18 boy choristers and the 18 girl choristers who sing alongside the 12 adult professional singers in Truro Cathedral.

The school, with 1037 pupils from pre-prep to sixth form, is the largest coeducational independent school in Cornwall and first Methodist school to join CSA. It was founded as Truro College at the end of 1879 by Wesleyan Methodists and has functioned on its present site since 1882. It became fully coeducational in 1990 and entered partnership with the Cathedral when the first choir for girls aged 13 to 18 was introduced.

Truro’s Cathedral is one of our youngest and it first opened its doors in 1887. Boy choristers were educated at Truro Cathedral School until its closure in the 1980s. Since then they have been at Polwhele House School on the outskirts of the city.

A fond farewell to Polwhele

Neil Chippington, CSA Chairman says: “When Truro Cathedral School announced it was to close there was great relief all round that Polwhele House School was more than happy to take over the education of choristers for the Cathedral in 1983.  Polwhele had been founded two years earlier by Richard and Rosemary White and was to prove a fantastic home for the boys for nearly 40 years.

Richard, as a former chorister and choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, was superbly qualified to oversee the special needs of the choristers. He has also played an important role within CSA both as a former Chairman and currently as Director of Development. It was under his chairmanship that the Association started to lead the way on developing partnerships to help boost singing in local primary schools.

We are delighted to welcome Truro School to full membership but we are also very sorry to say farewell to Polwhele.  A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to Richard and Rosemary and those who have been Head of the school for all they have done for several generations of choristers.”

Regular Services + lots more

As with many other cathedrals, the boy and girl choristers are distinct groups with their own musical identifies. Occasionally they sing together for the biggest services and concerts. Both choirs rehearse each weekday morning before school and in addition to regular services and concerts they undertake BBC broadcasts, CD recordings and foreign tours each year.

Andrew Gordon-Brown, headmaster of Truro Schools, adds:  “Over the last few years we have built such a constructive, productive and mutually beneficial relationship with Truro Cathedral.  I consider it a great honour for Truro School to educate and support the Cathedral Choristers and am thrilled to be joining the CSA.  I look forward to enjoying the fellowship of other CSA Heads.”

We too look forward to working with Andrew over the coming months, before his move to Kingwood School in Bath next September.  Kingswood is another member of the Methodist family of schools.