There has probably been a choir singing in Bristol Cathedral since its days as an Augustinian abbey church, founded in 1140. When, in 1542, it became the cathedral church of the new diocese of Bristol, its new statutes still provided for cathedral life in terms of worship, community and education; of the praises of God sung with perpetual jubilation, of the common table, of the masters of the choristers and of the Cathedral Grammar School. The passing of the centuries has modified but not destroyed the pattern.

The Cathedral Choir consists of 32 choristers (16 boys and, as of 2006, 16 girls), all of whom are educated at Bristol Cathedral Choir School which is the first government-funded Choir Academy in the country. It also includes 6 lay-clerks and 4 choral scholars. The Cathedral Girls' Choir was formed in 1993, one of the first of the 'new wave' of Girls' Choirs, its membership drawn from throughout the greater Bristol area.
Elements of both choirs were combined in the formation of the Cathedral Consort in 2002. Originally, it was made up of sixth form boys from Bristol Cathedral School (now Bristol Cathedral Choir School), the majority of who had been choristers in Bristol Cathedral Choir, along with the sixth form members of the Cathedral Girls' Choir. The intention was to give them more experience, which would stand them in good stead when looking at, for instance, university choral scholarships. The lower voices were assisted by some of the lay-clerks or choral scholars from the Cathedral Choir. The Consort rehearsed and sang Evensong usually once a month.

From September 2009, the Consort has expanded and now uses the whole of the Girls' Choir as its soprano and alto sections, and the choral scholars from the Cathedral Choir as part of its alto, tenor and bass sections. Just as the Girls' Choir has always been open to membership from across the city, rather than the one school, so the whole Consort is too. It now rehearses weekly and sings Evensong usually twice a month.

As well as these regular services, there is other musical activity, and the opportunity to sing large scale works with a big choir and orchestra is becoming part of the regular programme. The Girls' Choir had already joined with Bristol Cathedral Concert Choir (March 2009) and Bristol Cathedral Chamber Choir (December 2009) for performances of Monteverdi's Vespers and Handel's Messiah. Now there is a regular link between the Consort and Bristol Cathedral Concert Choir (the Cathedral's choral society) which started in March 2010.