A JERICHO schoolboy was one of 50 young choristers specially selected to record a new album celebrating 500 years of cathedral music.

Oscar Ross, 13, a student at St Edward's School, Oxford, gathered at St Paul's Cathedral, London to record the album 'Jubilate: 500 years of cathedral music'.

The album features vocals from famed former choirboy Aled Jones as well from Oscar and his 49 fellow choristers.

The aim of the album is to raise funds for 'Diamond Fund for Choristers', a charity which aims to help young choral singers secure the future of cathedral music.

Oscar said of his experience: "It was fantastic, especially working with so many talented people. It was really good working with different people. There were girls there as well and I’ve only sang with guys in my chapel choir.

“St Paul’s is very different. My chapel is really small and St Paul’s is so big and it was really exciting because the sound was so much bigger there.

“The St Paul’s choristers knew how to adapt to it and it was really interesting to see how other people adapted to it. It really tested you to push you to your limits, you have to train yourself.”

Oscar won a Choral Scholarship to New College Choir, following in the footsteps of his two brothers who have also sung with the choir, meaning he was selected from singers around the country to take part in the album.

Andrew Tester, choirmaster at St Edwards said that he was immensely proud of Oscar's contribution to the album.

He said: "We are very proud that Oscar represented the county's choristers for the Diamond Fund CD recording at St Paul's.

"Having been a major chorister at New College, and now at St Edward's, he has been lucky to grow up with the opportunities to sing at numerous prestigious occasions, developing the skills of leadership, discipline, teamwork and musicianship through singing with major choirs.

"To have the chance to gain a chorister's training shouldn't be underestimated, and the Diamond Fund is a perfect example of a support mechanism to gain new choristers those places."

Andrew Carwood, Director of Music at St Paul's Cathedral, added: “I hope this album gives listeners a glimpse into the little bit of heaven that we try to create every day in St Paul’s Cathedral.”

The songs on the album span five centuries – from Thomas Tallis’ Salvator Mundi to Paul Mealor’s Ubi Caritas, with Handel, Mendelssohn, Vaughan Williams and more. There is also a special arrangement by John Rutter of A Gaelic Blessing, sung by Aled Jones.

Most of the music chosen for the album was written by composers who themselves were former choristers, from William Byrd and Henry Purcell (Westminster) to William Walton (Christ Church, Oxford).

The cathedral supergroup was directed by Andrew Carwood and the album will be released by Decca Classics and Classic FM on March 17.