The Cathedral Choir is fine-tuning this week as members prepare for a major fundraising trip to the America.

The 32-strong choral group, made up of children choristers and lay vicars, will be travelling to California on March 15 to Standford University, the Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and other venues and churches throughout the San Francisco Bay area.

Ahead of the tour, three boy choristers have been promoted to senior positions in the choir. Luke Lane becomes Bishop’s Chorister, the most senior boy chorister, while Tom Carter becomes Vestry Monitor and George Oakenfold has been appointed Turner.

David Halls, director of music at Salisbury Cathedral said: “This tour will be a great experience for the choristers. Many of them will have toured Europe before but America is a very different beast. They’ll be singing a mixture of services and concerts and performing some of the best known and best loved works from the choral repertoire.”

Two new choristers were also admitted as full choristers at the same Evensong that saw their colleagues promoted.

Sebastian Hamlyn and Sebastian Kunzer were ‘bumped up’ in a time honoured rite that is peculiar to Salisbury Cathedral which involves having their head bumped on a special stone in the South Presbytery Aisle, whilst fellow choristers chant a welcome.

There will also be educational visits for the choristers including a trip to the Golden Gate Bridge, the Monterey Aquarium and the Science Museum in San Francisco.

The two-week itinerary will include a mixture of concerts, services, workshops across the state as well as educational trips for the choristers.

David added: “The choir are in very good voice at the moment.”