Clerk (choral)

The clerks are the adult members of the college choirs of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

• Undergraduates admitted to a College on the basis of their ability and potential in both singing and academic study are traditionally called "Choral Scholars". At Christ Church, Magdalen College, and New College, Oxford, they are called "Academical Clerks"^[1].
• "Lay clerk" is the usual term used to denote professional singers in collegiate and cathedral choirs, many of whom are recent graduates. Often they have careers unrelated to music and take "Lay Clerk" positions as a way of continuing to sing liturgical music, a style that has a particular attraction for them.
• "Clerks Choral", or Choral Clerks are also found in a few of the ancient Cathedrals and collegiate churches in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland however these singers are more usually styled "lay clerks" or occasionally "lay vicars" or "lay vicars choral".

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1. ^ Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford - Academical Clerks