The Parish Church Choir
The Parish Church Choir is a mixed choir of adults which sings at both main services on a Sunday, with the exception of the second Sunday of each month, when it sings only in the morning. There is a wide range of abilities and musical backgrounds amongst the members, but the unifying factor is that it is a relaxed and friendly group which comes together with the specific purpose of singing good choral music to high standards. At present, we number approximately 25 singers.
At Christmas and Easter things get busier and there are special arrangements made for practices and services at those times. Likewise, on certain Saint's Days and major feasts (eg. Ash Wednesday) there are additional services at which the choir is needed. In recent years the choir has made singing visits to several cathedrals, including Coventry, Worcester and Wells. The most recent choir tour, in 2003, took us to Paris where the highlight was singing for the International Mass on Sunday morning at the cathedral of Notre-Dame. In 2006 the choir received very fine reviews when it provided the music for the annual Christmas Concert in Aid of Cancer Charities at Newbury Parish Church in front of a capacity audience and celebrity readers.
In July 2007, the choir recorded a CD of choral works for the church year which will be released in July 2008. Please see the Recordings page on this website for further details of this recording.
Membership is open to anyone who can make the necessary commitment. An ability to read music is not essential although as rehearsal time is limited, it does help. Most importantly, members should have a good ear and an ability to sing in tune! Normal procedure for prospective members is to attend a few rehearsals (and services if appropriate) by arrangement with the Director of Music. This period is intended to be, principally, an opportunity for the prospective member to get a taster of choir life and to be sure that the commitment is manageable. If so, a short audition (very low-stress!) with the Director of Music formalizes membership.
The commitment in a normal week is as follows:
Rehearsal on Thursday evening - 8.00 pm until 9.15 pm (attendance required).
Sunday morning - 9.15 am rehearsal for the Parish Eucharist at 10.00 am. Finish c.11.15 am.
Sunday evening - 5.15 pm rehearsal for Choral Evensong at 6.00 pm. Finish c.7.00 pm.
Our repertoire is drawn, in the main, from traditional church choral repertoire of all periods. We sing everything from unaccompanied Renaissance polyphony through to some of the cornerstones of the 20th Century repertoire and we attempt always to strike a good balance between well-known, popular works and some more 'off the beaten track' items. We are not a choral society or oratorio choir so a good variety of different styles is always on offer. The liturgical style at the Parish Church is broadly Anglo-Catholic but Sunday morning Parish Eucharists are intended to be as inclusive as possible, for which reason we use a core repertoire of congregational settings for the principal texts of the communion service, with the choirs main focus being on the communion motet. On special occasions however, we do offer a more elaborate choral setting. Evensong is traditional Book of Common Prayer.
For further information on the choir, please contact:
Anthony Hammond (Organist & Director of Music)
