Music is central to the life of St Andrew’s. Rooted in the Anglican tradition, our music serves the liturgy, helping us to approach, encounter, and respond to God. We acknowledge the ability of both vocal and instrumental music to reflect upon and teach the Christian message, and its power to build up our community and encourage participation.
There is a rich variety of music on offer at St Andrew’s and our music reflects the different traditions we share, as well as the diversity of talent in Anglican church music today.
The Choir
The Choir of St Andrew’s Zurich is a robed, SATB, volunteer choir. St Andrew’s has a cherished tradition of choral music going back to the 1940s when a Choirmaster was first appointed. The choir performs not only the rich repertoire of the Anglican choral tradition but also music from a variety of broader Christian cultures and traditions.
Central to our Choir’s mission is to sing some of the 10.30am Eucharist on Sundays from September to June, as well as a monthly weekday Choral Evensong. Are you interested in singing with us?
The Choristers of St Andrew’s
The Choristers of St Andrew’s is a choral programme for young voices striving for excellence in singing. The Choristers programme will offer children and young people a chance to learn and grow through singing, and is delivered through the highly regarded Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) Voice For LifeⓇ Training Scheme and Singing Awards.
Do you have or know a child who loves to sing and would want to become a Chorister of St Andrew’s Zurich?
Click here for more information!
Choral Evensong
The Choir sings Choral Evensong service at least once a month, usually on a weekday.
Choral Evensong Dates 2026-2027
Tuesday 29 September – Michael and All Angels
Friday 23 October – Evensong @ Predigerkirche
Tuesday 3 November – All Souls
Tuesday 1 December – Patronal Evensong
Sunday 24 January – Joint Evensong (Christian Unity)
Wednesday 10 February – Ash Wednesday Choral Eucharist
Wednesday 3 March – Lent
Tuesday 23 March – Tue of Holy Week
Tuesday 27 April – Christina Rossetti
Tuesday 18 May – Pentecost
Friday 4 June – Joint Evensong @ Augustinerkirche
Tuesday 15 June – Thanksgiving for the Choral Year
For details, see our Calendar of Services.
Carol Services
Each year in the weeks before Christmas, we hold two services of Lessons and Carols at St Andrew’s and also at the Augustinerkirche in Zurich, as well as in our daughter communities. We warmly invite you to join us for these services. Full details are shown on the Christmas Services page.
Join our Choir!
Do you read music and enjoy singing? Our Director of Music, Shaun Yong, is eager to hear from you!
Our rehearsals are typically held on Thursdays from 7–9 pm (three Thursdays a month) and our duties include singing at approximately two Sunday services and one Tuesday Evensong each month – with more activity in the time leading up to Christmas and Easter. We understand that being in a church choir like ours is a substantial commitment, so the schedule is designed to balance musical enjoyment with ample free weekends.
In addition to our liturgical duties, we have a Good Friday concert and an annual choir recital before the summer recess. Singers also have the chance to perform in some of Zurich’s historical churches such as the Ausgistinerkirche, Fraumünster, and the Predigerkirche in the course of the choir year.
The choir possesses a high ambition and ability for choral excellence, at the same time being a friendly and welcoming group. We love welcoming new members – please get in touch if you wish to sing with us!
Instruments
Much of our worship is supported by the sound of a fine two-manual organ built by Orgelbau Kuhn in 1898. It has been well-cared for with major improvements made over the last decades.
We also have a fine Bösendorfer 200 grand piano in our Community Centre that we use for concerts and rehearsals. Rental of the grand piano and the Community Centre is available at a reasonable hourly rate.
Please contact our Church Office to find out more.
Music News
“You are my God and I will praise you!”
As we observed the beginning of Holy Week at St Andrew’s on Sunday, we were very grateful to the Zurich authorities for making it possible for us to walk around the church for our Procession of Palms. The buildings works will continue for some months yet, so if you are planning to attend any of…
Keep readingThank you, Google!
I had just moved to Zurich, and homesickness hit hard. Despite moving away from rural Northern Ireland at 18 for university and living in various parts of Scotland (and a brief stint in Canada) for the last 6 years, nothing prepared me for the challenge of moving to Zurich and I felt incredibly out of…
Keep readingRemembrance Sunday: 12th November 2023
To understand how this decades-old tradition continues to be relevant in today’s world, we recently asked members of the congregation of St Andrew’s to share their thoughts in the latest edition of Search Magazine. We were inundated with contributions, so decided to share some more of them in the article below. The Remembrance Sunday service…
Keep reading“Sing with the Choir!”
Ever since I moved to Zurich, St. Andrew’s Church Choir has been one of the highlights of my life. I thoroughly enjoy singing with the choir at practices, Sunday services, Christmas Carols, and most of all the monthly Evensong.
If you are reading this, and would like to participate in a musically-enriching activity, do come and sing with us. Wonderful people and beautiful English music await you!
Crispin
Crispin has sung with the choir since 2017.
He also plays the organ and accompanies the choir.
“Thanks for the music”
I have enjoyed being in the choir for the last 4 years, singing with the group at our practices and services, learning new music, and getting to know new friends. I will miss it greatly when I go to London.
Iona
Iona sang with the choir for four years and is now a student at the Royal Academy of Music in London training in vocal performance.
“Vivat Regina!”
Everyone was friendly, enthusiastic, and they did a great job singing the pieces.
If any of you are interested in singing in the choir, I hope that you will take the plunge and give it a try – The music and the social aspect of choral singing are very enjoyable, and everyone looks good in a choir robe.
Chris
Chris is a professional singer in the chorus of the Opernhaus Zurich.
