The Winchester Cathedral Choir is an internationally recognized professional choir based at the Winchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire. The choir currently consists of 18 boy choristers and 12 lay clerks and sings eight services weekly in the Cathedral. Sometimes the group augments their numbers when certain musical works require a larger number of voices. The group's choiristers all attend The Pilgrims' School where they study singing, music theory, music history, and at least one instrument in addition to general academic studies. The choir regularly tours internationally, has produced numerous recordings, and appears often in television and radio broadcasts. The choir is currently directed by Andrew Lumsden who assumed the post in 2002.[1] The exact year in which the chorus was founded is unknown, but it is likely that the choir was formed in the 14th century. The earliest historical document relating to the chorus dates from 1402 when a John Dyer is named as the cathedral's organist and chorusmaster. A 1544 statute by Henry VIII of England decreed that the cathedral should have ten boys in the choir and a single organist. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.