There has been a choir singing at St Michael's Church for many years, and this tradition is carried on today by the new boys and girls who join the choir.

The main choir, consisting of around around 18 trebles, and adults singing alto, tenor and bass, sing at the 10.00am and 11.15am  Communion services, and at Choral Evensong on the 3rd Sunday of the month.

As well as providing music for the choral services at St Michael's, the choir has given concerts in aid of local charities, and has sung evensong in many of the country's Cathedrals.

Opportunities exist in the choir for boys and girls aged eight and over, and also for good adult singers, who enjoy the musical and social benefits of belonging to this type of group.  

There is a financial reward for choristers, which is paid monthly, and increases as they progress through the choir. There are additional fees for weddings and special services.

Junior members of the choir receive musical training under the auspices of the Royal School of Church Music, and work towards the various awards available.

There are four levels in Voice for Life (light blue, dark blue, red and yellow), providing training for beginners through to advanced singers.

Every level of Voice for Life provides training in five core areas:

At least one large social event is organised each term, and there are normally several smaller ones as well. Recent events for the trebles have included:

Evensong Choir (adults)

This choir sings for the 6pm service of Evensong on the 2nd and 4th Sunday's of the month, and consists of adult sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. New singers are very much welcome to join! No audition necessary!

Junior Choir

The junior choir for young children aged 7+ (year 3) meets on Fridays at 3.45pm-4.30pm, and sings at the 10.00am Communion service once a month. The choir is open to all children, boys and girls, and the emphasis is more on having fun together. Please contact the Director of Music for more information.

Choral Scholarships

St Michael's Parish Church is offering choral scholarships for the academic year September 2008-2009. There are four awards available, for soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices, and these are open to student singers of sixth-form age and above. Scholars receive a £500 bursary, payable in monthly arrears, along with support for singing tuition and other musical studies.

For terms and conditions of the scholarships click here. For more information and to apply, please contact the Director of Music, Richard Carr.

St Michael's Choir Audio Clips 

Recorded on Palm Sunday, 2008

Sanctus - mp3 (128k) ogg (128k)