They have been performing for less than three years, but already reached such acclaim that the 42 choristers of the St John’s Chapel Choir are to lead the Pontifical High Mass at the Vatican this summer.

The award-winning choir will depart on Monday 20 August. The choir will then head to Rome where they will lead the Pontifical High Mass in the Vatican on Sunday 26 August.

The group of 42 Choristers and four staff will be joined by a separate coach full of their friends and families as they perform to an audience of several thousand in Rome’s St Peter’s Basilica. The boys are also eagerly awaiting the announcement of whether they have been granted a special Private Audience with the Pope.  In addition to the Vatican, the Choir will sing in Florence, Milan, Pisa and Assisi Cathedrals.

Mr Ellison comments, “It is extremely unusual for a school choir to be accepted to sing the main Sunday morning Mass at the High Altar – so we are absolutely delighted with this news. This is such an accolade - not only for the Choir and the School, but also for the City of Portsmouth. The choristers work so hard and are unbelievably dedicated to the choir – they thoroughly deserve this. It shows that hard work and commitment brings success.”

The St John’s Chapel Choir is a traditional robed choir, and their principal medium is the liturgical performance of sacred music maintaining the English Choral tradition. Provision is made for 24 choristers for boys aged between 9 and 14 years. As well as giving many performances at concerts and services in school and around the city of Portsmouth, they have toured widely over the past three years. The choristers have sung in over 25 different cathedrals, and in buildings as notable as Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral London, Canterbury Cathedral, Windsor Castle and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. In 2011 the choir became the overall choral winners of the Portsmouth Music Festival, and are renowned for their ‘Angelic Voices’ concerts. They will perform a series of these sell out concerts throughout 2012, both in Portsmouth and throughout the country.

In preparation for their Tour of Italy the Chapel Choir will undertake another three separate tours.  They will spend a week performing in York Minster in April and will sing in Liverpool Cathedral for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Service in June.  They have also been invited to return as guests to Windsor Castle in July as the Choir in Residence.   All of these events, as well as many more local performances, will give the Choir a suitable opportunity to practice and perfect their Latin music before they perform in Rome.