St Mary’s Choir is a mixed choir of adults and children which leads the worship Sunday by Sunday. The ethos of the choir is rooted in the rich tradition of Anglican Choral music but also draws heavily on continental experience. This means that congregations are treated to Mass settings by the “greats” of European music. Each week, whilst there is much congregational singing, the choir sings Masses by Palestrina, Lassus, Mozart, Haydn, Ireland, Howells and many more. For major festivals, the choir is accompanied by orchestra such as for the Fauré Requiem on All Souls or Haydn’s St Nicholas Mass at Midnight Mass.
Choral Evensong is sung on the first Sunday of the month at 6pm. This beautiful service, one of the greatest gifts of Anglicanism to the Christian tradition, is a time for the congregation to forget the stresses and strains of the coming week and to allow the singing of the choir to transport it to another plane. The music sung stretches right across the Anglican corpus of music, from the sixteenth century to the present day. The choir’s repertoire includes all the famous Anglican composers of canticles, such as Tallis, Byrd, Stanford, Nobel, Walmisley and Howells. Occasional continental settings also feature, such as those by Palestrina and Buxtehude. Music at the Mass on the first Sunday of the month is more congregational in character.
Choir children benefit hugely from exposure to this great array of music. The sheer pace of the choir’s repertoire means that different music is practised and performed on a weekly basis, aiding hugely the children’s ability to sight-sing and their aural and vocal development. Besides the sheer joy of singing such wonderful music, such a discipline is invaluable in developing a child’s self-confidence. The choir is also a huge help in developing social skills and the enjoyment of shared experiences.
Weddings and Funerals at St Mary’s are greatly enhanced by the presence of St Mary’s choir, which is available to lead the singing and to sing specially chosen choral music during the service. The choir is also available to sing at weddings and funerals throughout Essex and further afield.
Choir Practice is on Friday evenings at 6pm for probationers, 6.30pm for children (until 7.30pm) and 7.15pm for adults. There is also a short practice on Sunday mornings before the Mass at 9.30am and before Evensong at 4.00pm.
St Mary’s Choir receives invitations to sing at other venues in the UK and abroad.
In July 2008, they sang Choral Evensong at St Mary Woolnoth in the City of London for Sion College and a large congregation of bishops from around the world on the Eve of the Lambeth conference.
In early 2009, they sang a series of Carol Services in Umbria, Italy and will return there for a summer tour the same year.
In March 2009, they will be singing Choral Evensong for parishes in the Camberwell Deanery of the Diocese of Southwark and the following April, they have been invited to sing at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Joining the choir is open to all. Children need to have reached the age of 7 before joining as probationers. A period of training is undertaken, during which music theory and vocal production are studied, before they join the choir full-time after a few months. Adults need to be able to read music, although “rusty” readers will soon improve. The Director of Music is always happy to receive enquiries and to arrange auditions.
Enquiries about the choir and music in general at St Mary’s should be addressed to the Director of Music, Colin Baldy at colin@handmadeopera.co.uk or on 01621 856526