York boasts one of the country's finest choirs. MATT CLARK took an exclusive look at how its choristers are trained with the man who does the teaching.

ACCORDING to Robert Sharpe, the Minster is York's biggest umbrella. He's joshing of course, but you kind of know what he means. Playing the tricky role of house of God while being the city's number one tourist attraction, St Peter's cuts a fine balance incredibly well.

Mr Sharpe is its director of music and last Saturday he jointly conducted the choir in a collaboration with the touring City of London Sinfonia. Soon his attention will turn to the annual performance of Handel's Messiah, not to mention services to mark Christmas.

Then there is the day job.

York Press:

Choir practice at York Minster. Picture: Matt Clark.

"During highlight events we become a concert choir working in a sacred building, singing sacred music to a paying audience," says Mr Sharpe. "But while we do that we carry on with the round of services which are not treated in any way as a lesser event. That's the remarkable thing, really, it's like doing eight concerts a week."

Those mini performances are just as grand and Evensong, in particular, often has a profound effect on visitors.

"We get maybe 30 to 40 people every day who didn't know they were coming along an hour before," says Mr Sharpe. "Then they come out at six, having heard extraordinary choral music in an amazing space with a changed experience, not necessarily religious, but certainly in a way they weren't expecting to feel."

He's right. York Minster is the largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe and if you haven't been for a while you really should, especially as entrance is free for residents.

York Press:

Choir practice at York Minster. Picture: Matt Clark.

"The cathedral comes to life every day, rather than just being a tourist destination and people can take what they want from it. You can sit quietly and do nothing, you can be quite involved or just enjoy music in a beautiful building. It's big enough to allow everything."

The religious side to daily life isn't diluted in a bid to reach out to more people, but Evensong is a good example of how the fine balance between house of God and tourist attraction is achieved.

York Press:

Choir practice at York Minster. Picture: Matt Clark.

"If you are in the building at 5.15 you can go to Evensong or not. It's still happening though. We don't stop one thing to do the other."

This may seem to be a very 21st century concept, but actually it is being true to the cathedral's medieval roots. Historically the nave was a gathering space, worship went on in the Quire, privately almost.

These days the nave doubles up as an auditorium. The Mystery Plays took over almost all of it earlier in the year and in December concert goers will fill it for the choir's rendition of Handel's Messiah.

You might think such an epic would take months of practice. Not so.

"It's a curious thing," says Mr Sharpe. "Outside a cathedral you might work with a choir for a whole term. We sing eight times a week with daily rehearsals, so the time factor is much tighter.

"We will start looking at the Messiah after half term and really it's only the day before that you think it's in the bag."

Mr Sharpe says that can be a bit stressful, although he reckons tension helps when working towards a target.

York Press:

The choir arrives for Evensong at York Minster. Picture: Matt Clark.

"There aren't so much butterflies when you are directing in the same way as when playing the organ or performing. However, the odd one is quite useful to focus the brain during difficult parts – as long as everyone knows they can do it when it matters."

Mr Sharpe is used to the 'conductors just stand there waving their arms about' jibes, he's heard them all before, but, then again, what does he do?

"A conductor is shaping the whole direction and pace of the performance, visually holding together the tempo. An orchestra in particular needs that with a choir. If the choir is singing with just an organ you're more guiding. Stop conducting and it will still happen."

He's too modest. We were given exclusive access to Evensong rehearsals, where the swans feet really do paddle ahead of the gliding performance at 5.15.

Cease conducting there and it will certainly not still happen. If the choristers close their copy everything stops. It's not just an aide memoire, the piece has been learned, but not well enough to do the whole piece without it.

"Younger members don't look up as much as you would expect from the adults. But when the tricky bits come up, then they will."

In fact all eyes are on Mr Sharpe during rehearsals. Someone is slightly flat, another is a millisecond too keen. Is it me, they are all thinking.

"I always say in rehearsals, for goodness sake lets make lots of mistakes, that's how you learn and get things right," he says. "The worst thing is a child who won't take a chance in case they get it wrong, that makes it too slow to get better."

York Press:

Choir practice at York Minster. Picture: Matt Clark.

That said, the choristers are trained to sound a certain way, Each choir trainer has an idea of the vowel sounds they like and that can often be influenced by the building itself.

"Here we have an extraordinary amount of cubic air to move, so you need a fairly energetic sound even when it's quiet, which in itself is a challenge. It's much easier to train a choir in a little cathedral with a gentle acoustic."

Training continues, even during a service, not with words of encouragement or gentle chiding – Mr Sharpe has particularly good turn of phrase – instead, small gestures indicate subtleties of phrasing and dynamics that weren't covered in rehearsal.

"Actually, a lot of the work is done by osmosis. At the end of July, when the choir year ends, two on each side leave. In September two little ones take their place and everyone else moves around. As a full chorister in year four (aged 8) there is an automatic thing in place, they just go with it."

Mr Sharpe's working week is Tuesday to Sunday, during choir terms, and sometimes up to 12 hours a day. The boy and girl choristers on the other hand may have similarly long days, but they share duties on a two weekly pattern. That, he jokes, means he works twice as hard as they do.

"It's definitely a lifestyle choice, not just a job choice and you could spend a working week within a 500 metre radius. So it's important to keep a perspective."

The choristers working pattern is based on what are called heavy and light weekends. The heavy one is Saturday evensong, Sunday morning Eucharist and and Sunday morning Matins, the light one is Sunday Evensong. The following weekend it's the other way around.

Considering their age and the fact that they do this for five years, while also being in full time education, being a member of York Minster Choir is not an option for youngsters who enjoy a lie in.

Term time is also longer. The pupils don't break up until Christmas Day and they stay on for two more weeks in summer.

Like the Minster's fine divide between house of God and tourist attraction, striking a balance between proper childhood and discipline is crucial.

But the rewards are immense.

"We always aim for perfection, but you have to learn to accept that sometimes it's only going to be excellent."