BERLIN (AP) — A court in Germany has rejected a 9-year-old girl's bid to join a centuries-old Berlin boys choir.

In its ruling Friday, the Berlin administrative court said the choir's right to choose its singers outweighed the principle of gender equality.

The girl's lawyer, who is also her mother, claimed the State and Cathedral Choir had rejected her daughter's membership on the basis of gender.

The choir, which has never admitted any girls since its founding in 1465 by Frederick II of Brandenburg, denied the allegation. It said the girl would have been asked to join if she had displayed extraordinary talent and motivation and "if her voice had matched the desired sound characteristics of a boys choir."

German news agency dpa reported that judges said the girl can appeal the ruling.