St Michael & All Angels

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Worship & Music

The Choir

Can we invite you to join the Choir?

"O be joyful in the Lord … and come before his presence with a song". Psalm 100

At St Michael and All Angels there is a thriving traditional choir of about 25 voices, augmented for bigger occasions. We sing every Sunday morning except the first Sunday of the month and during August, and there are extra choral services at Christmas and Easter.

We rehearse on most Thursday evenings from 6.30 - 7.45pm, and then Sunday morning at 9.15 for the 10am service, finished just after 11am. We sing three full choral evensongs a year (4.30 for 6.30pm) and after the summer evensong there is often a party at the Vicarage.

There is one full choral Matins a year. The Choir Christmas dinner is a lovely event and there are regular trips to the pub!

In the space of a few weeks the Choir might sing Byrd, Tallis, Victoria, Alonso Lobo, Gibbons, Tchaikovsky, Stanford and Stainer, as well as living composers such as Rutter, James MacMillan and Kirsten Johnson. Our recording of her Carol was recently broadcast in New York on "one of the premier showcases for promising composers" (Time Out, NY).

In August each year, the Choir sings services for a weekend in a UK Cathedral. Highlights include Parsons' "Ave Maria" (with its unrivalled "Amen") in the Norman grandeur of Tewkesbury Abbey, and an all-Byrd evensong in the Medieval choir stalls of Ripon Cathedral where we were joined by David James, the countertenor of The Hilliard Ensemble. Howells' Gloucester Service in Gloucester Cathedral is also a treasured memory.

Back home we are blest with one of the finest acoustics in the city. Our pipe organ is a Father Willis, the greatest Victorian organ builder, so it has relatives across the country from Durham Cathedral down to St Paul's Cathedral and The Royal Albert Hall.

There is no formal audition to join the Choir and Duncan, the Director of Music, is always delighted to hear from prospective members. Email him at dsdsaunderson@googlemail.com.

Strong sightreading is not essential though some experience of reading music is useful. If the repertoire is new to new recruits, the musical journey across 500 years can be a wonderful revelation!

Regular attendance is desirable but not always possible, which is not a problem. We just ask that one is mindful of Punctuality, Attendance (especially in the run up to a big occasion) and Preparation. The more PAP, the more enjoyable it is for both singer and congregation - commitment is of course hugely rewarding and a great help!

You listen to the choir by scanning this QR code or find our music lists at this link: www.stmichaels-summertown.org.uk/worshipmusic/lists

Choral Evensong: "One of England's richest heritages; a living tradition that costs precisely nothing to experience live". The Guardian

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Choir at Tewkesbury Abbey

Our choir on tour at Tewkesbury Abbey August 2024


Click to view in our Photo Gallery

The Choir of St Michael's on tour in Ripon Cathedral in 2023,
when we were happily joined by the distinguished countertenor of The Hilliard Ensemble, David James,
for an all William Byrd evensong.

The Choir at Brecon Cathedral, July 2022

The Choir at Coventry Cathedral, June 2015

The Choir at the Summertown shops and returning to the Church, March 2012