Our lively and active robed choir has about 30 members of all ages, led by our excellent Director of Music and Organist. The repertoire is diverse – from the seventeenth century to the present day, and from simple to moderately difficult.
The choir sings at the main Sunday services (September to July), often with an appropriate anthem, and sings a full choral evensong in most months. They also sing at some other services, at weddings, and occasionally at funerals.
The choir often sing carols at local retirement homes during December for those not able to attend church over the Christmas period. The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols (no sermon!) is at 6.30pm on the Sunday before Christmas Day. The Christmas Eve Holy Communion service begins at 11.30pm, preceded by half-an-hour of carol singing by the choir.
The choir is affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music and the younger members follow the RSCM Voice for Life Scheme; some of them also attend external RSCM courses or take external RSCM examinations, and our choristers have won RSCM scholarships or bursaries in recent years. The choir sings at a Cathedral or Abbey each summer, and over the last few years we have sung at Bath Abbey, Portsmouth Cathedral, Guildford Cathedral, Southwell Minster, Bristol Cathedral and Southwark Cathedral. These opportunities have a positive effect on team building and also encourage the improvement of standards and repertoire, as well as being very enjoyable.
The choir also has an active social life and supports fundraising and other groups in the church, including the Friends’ Christmas Concert.
There is also a small band of instrumentalists and singers which plays monthly for our less formal All Age ‘Bread & Wine’ service on the 1st Sunday of the month and for other informal services through the year.
If you’re interested in joining either our choir or band, please contact [email protected].