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 proclaim the Christian message, and its power to build up our community and encourage participation.
Our musical life is rich and varied, reflecting the different traditions we share. We are committed to maintaining a high standard of music-making while providing opportunities for people to contribute, develop their gifts, and take part in the musical life of St Andrew’s.
The Choir
The Choir of St Andrew’s Zurich is a robed, SATB volunteer choir with a long-standing tradition of choral music. St Andrew’s has cherished this tradition since the 1940s, when a Choirmaster was first appointed. Today, the Choir’s repertoire is rooted in the rich tradition of Anglican choral music, while also embracing music from other Christian traditions and cultures.
A central part of the Choir’s life is singing at the 10.30am Eucharist on Sundays from September to June, together with a monthly weekday Choral Evensong. We welcome singers who are keen to contribute to the musical life of St Andrew’s and to develop their gifts within the Choir. Would you like to sing 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 one more the Augustinerkirche in Zurich, as well as in our daughter communities. These beautiful services bring together the richness of the Anglican tradition of Lessons and Carols with the atmosphere of Christmas in Zurich. They have become a much-loved part of the city’s Christmas season, attracting not only members of our own community but also many people from across Zurich and beyond. 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!
Rehearsals are typically held on Thursdays from 7–9pm, three Thursdays each month. The Choir usually sings at around two Sunday services and one Tuesday Choral Evensong each month, with additional activity in the periods leading up to Christmas and Easter. We recognise that membership of a church choir such as ours is a substantial commitment, and our schedule is designed to balance a rewarding musical life with ample free weekends.
Alongside our regular liturgical commitments, the Choir takes part in a Good Friday concert and an annual choir recital before the summer recess. During the choir year, singers also have opportunities to perform in some of Zurich’s historic churches, including the Augustinerkirche, Fraumünster, and Predigerkirche.
And if you are new to Zurich, joining the Choir is a wonderful way to meet people and become part of the community. We have even celebrated two recent weddings among our choir members — although we make no promises!
We have high musical aspirations and are committed to choral excellence, while remaining a friendly and welcoming group. If you enjoy singing, are keen to develop your musical gifts, and would like to be part of the Choir, please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.
Instruments
Much of our worship is supported by our two-manual organ, built by Orgelbau Kuhn in 1898. The instrument has been carefully maintained and has benefited from significant improvements over the past decades.
Our Community Centre is also home to a Bösendorfer 200 grand piano, which is used for concerts, rehearsals, and other musical activities. The piano and Community Centre are available for hire 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.
