Singing with St Bride’s Choir St Bride’s Choir always welcomes new Members who have reasonable sight-reading skills (or wish to develop their musicianship) and are keen to sing a variety of sacred music week by week. There are also opportunities for guest choristers who are unable to undertake a regular Sunday morning commitment, as well as Choral Scholarships available for singers under the age of 25 and/or in full-time education. For more information, simply speak with our Director of Music, Alan Tavener, following any Sunday morning Choral Eucharist, or email him at alan@cappella-nova.com.
St Bride’s Choir
There has always been an exciting and varied musical tradition at St Bride’s, and choral music is a vital and valued part of the life of our Church. Our Services involve the singing of a Mass setting every Sunday morning, together with motets that reflect the seasons of the Church’s Year. Hymns, psalms, and various shorter liturgical items sung to plainsong are also important parts of these Services.
Who are we?
The Choir is a friendly, dedicated and talented group of voluntary singers who are drawn together from a range of backgrounds by a love of singing sacred music in a very special liturgical context.
When do we sing?
We sing at the Choral Eucharist every Sunday morning, and for a Service of Choral Evensong and Benediction on the third Sunday afternoon of every month (except during July and August). As well as our popular Carol Services at Advent and Christmas, we also sing for occasional weekday evening Services such as Ash Wednesday and Ascension Day.
What do we sing?
As well as singing the Sunday morning Mass settings, Psalms (generally to Anglican chant) and motets, the St Bride’s Choir is one of very few choirs to sing the weekly Mass Propers for the Liturgical Year from the English Gradual (Introit, Gradual, Alleluia/Tract, Offertory and Communion). These are settings of the Psalms and other texts from the Scriptures, using beautiful plainsong. A Cantor and the Choir take turns to sing the various parts of the text, in a responsorial style. This runs as a thread through the Choral Eucharist every Sunday morning, and provides a meditative backdrop to our worship.
Our repertoire covers Renaissance Mass settings and motets from Byrd, Victoria and Palestrina to Viennese Mass settings by Michael Haydn; and Romantic English settings by Harold Darke, John Ireland and Herbert Sumsion to more modern settings by Arthur Wills, Francis Jackson and Joanna Forbes L’Estrange. Our liturgy also involves the singing of plainsong and Anglican chant week by week. Please see our Music List page [link] for details.
Singing with St Bride’s Choir
St Bride’s Choir always welcomes new Members who have reasonable sight-reading skills (or wish to develop their musicianship) and are keen to sing a variety of sacred music week by week. There are also opportunities for guest choristers who are unable to undertake a regular Sunday morning commitment, as well as Choral Scholarships available for singers under the age of 25 and/or in full-time education.
For more information, simply speak with our Director of Music, Alan Tavener, following any Sunday morning Choral Eucharist, or email him at alan@cappella-nova.com
Choral Scholarships
Choral Scholarship Programme St Bride’s Church offers excellent development opportunities for all choristers in vocal technique, choral singing and general musicianship. In addition, Choral Scholarships to the value of £1,000 per annum are available for those under the age of 25 and/or in full-time education, and Junior Choral Scholarships to the value of £500 per annum are available for school pupils, offering an ideal preparation for a university choral scholarship or further musical study. Professional vocal coaching is offered as a part of the Programme as well as opportunities are for organ playing, conducting and composing within the context of the liturgy. For further details of our Choral Scholarship Programme, simply email Alan at alan@cappella-nova.com
St Bride’s Choir in 1917
