The Pueri Cantores of the Sistin Chapel

The Pueri Cantores of the Sistine Chapel consist of the children's voices of the same section of the Papal Musical "Sistine" Chapel.

The origin of the Pueri Cantores Choir of the Sistine Chapel dates back to the sixth century, when Pope Gregory the Great formed a School of children singers who sang alongside the adults in the Papal celebrations.

In more recent times, Lorenzo Perosi, appointed Choirmaster of the Chapel in 1898, introduced the young singers, expelling the by then few castrated singers and keeping the falsettos who were already part of the choir: but these Pueri Cantores were not full-fledged members of the Chapel as they were called only when needed from other choirs in the city of Rome.

In 1956, under the direction of Domenico Bartolucci, the "Pueri Cantores" of the Sistine Chapel were officially instituted in their current configuration.

They attend a private school inside the chapel, the "Schola Puerorum" of the Sistine Chapel," which includes the last two years of Primary School and the first three years of Secondary School. To the normal daily class hours, vocal and musical instructions hours are added.
Each year, M ° Adriano Caroletti goes to elementary schools and parishes in the Roman territory to search for the voices that will be suitable for the preparatory class of the "Sistine Chapel" Choir.
Children are selected one by one and the best are chosen for a second audition at the Schola Puerorum seat.
In this auditioning, children who are gifted musically and vocally are chosen, to form the fourth class (preparatory class).
At the end of the preparatory class and completing their scholastic studies in their institute, the Pueri Cantores eligible enter permanently in the Sistine Chapel Choir till they change their voice, Sistine Chapel Choir is composed of fifty-five people, about thirty-five of which are Pueri Cantores.

The voice instruction of the boys for nearly forty years was entrusted to Father Giovanni Maria Catena, OSM, who died in 1992, and to Father Raffaele Preite, OSM, who died in 1999.

Msgr Giuseppe Liberto named Msgr Pavan Marcos, the Music Master of Pueri Cantores.

Msgr Massimo Palombella, the current Choir Master of the Papal Musical Chapel, appointed Luciano Luciani and Adriano Caroletti, the Music Masters of Pueri Cantores, on October 25th, 2010