The All Saints Choir
All Saints Church has a strong tradition of choral music dating from the foundation of the church in the 19th century. Today, that tradition continues led by the current church choir.
The choir consist of a junior section and a senior choir, both of which join forces at the Sunday morning service. However, they rehearse separately on Thursday evening, our regular practice night, the juniors from 7:15pm to 8:00pm and seniors from 8:00pm to 9:00pm.
The choir sings at the 10:00am Sunday morning mass and at occasional weekday and evening services for the major festivals of the church's year. The choir sings an anthem each week at the Sunday morning service and its repertoire spans music from the 16th Century to the present day.
The reason that the two sections of the choir rehearse separately on Thursdays is to be able to devote time to the Royal School of Church Music's Voice for Life training scheme for the junior members. However, the emphasis on training and learning is not exclusively the province of the juniors and music theory, singing technique feature strongly in the activities of the senior choir, which means that people of all abilities are able to develop and find satisfaction in the work of the choir. Indeed, the choir contains singers ranging from keen novices to professional.
We welcome new members for all sections and voice parts in the choir and if you are interested in joining please contact the Director of Music, Brian Graves via the parish Office: Tel: 01628 621933.
Voice for Life
Voice for Life is the title of the Royal School of Church Music's chorister training scheme used for junior members of the choir (ages 8-16). The scheme has three levels of attainment:
- Light Blue
- Dark Blue
- Red
Each level has five modules:
- Using the voice well
- Musical skills and understanding
- Personal progress
- General training
- Broader understanding of the choir and its role
Progress through the units of each module is recorded on a record card, completion of which enables promotion to the next level.
Completion of each stage is recognised with financial award.
Junior choir members approaching adulthood are encouraged to join the senior choir and appropriate training is available for them too.