The Choir of St Barnabas numbers around 90 regular members. It is directed by William McVicker. The choir is not auditioned; any
member of St Barnabas who would like to come and sing is welcome to come and join us. All that we require is a commitment to regular attendance at both rehearsals and services.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children are admitted to the choir from the time they are in Year 3. Men and women, boys and girls all sing together but there are some Sundays at which the adults will sing in the evening service and the children sing in the morning service.

The choir’s primary role is to sing at Sunday morning Parish Communion services in St Barnabas Church. We lead the congregation in hymns and in the sung sections of the Communion service, and we have a wide repertoire of anthems. In addition to the traditional Anglican repertoire, these include several works written specially for us by composers such as Francis Jackson, John Casken, Paul Ayres, Simon Gottschalk and, most recently, Harry Bramma and Howard Skempton. We have a particular association with the music of Ian Hubbard, who has written numerous pieces for us, including the setting for Holy Communion we use most Sundays.The choir sings at all weddings in the parish.

Choir practices take place on Friday evenings. The children rehearse from 6.15pm and are joined by the adult singers from 7.00pm. We aim to finish at around 8.00pm when the children have games and social activities and the adults may do a little more singing before sharing a glass of wine.

From time to time the Choir of St Barnabas gives public concerts and takes part in recordings and broadcasts. We also sing at all parish weddings in both St Barnabas and Christ’s Chapel. We have made five CDs – Jubilate Deo; A Sure Foundation, Sing Nowell, Glorious and powerful God and Prayer is the Key. In 1999 the choir undertook a tour to Italy which included a performance of the Mass in G Minor by Ralph Vaughan Williams in the Duomo in Florence. A return visit in 2009 included concerts in Norcia, Spoleto, and the cathedrals of Perugia and Orvieto, and featured the Mass of St Barnabas written for the choir in the same year by Tigran Grigoryan, one of our basses and a student of piano at Trinity College of Music. In 2011 the choir returned to Umbria and gave concerts in Foligno, Spello, Todi and Terni - the home town of our Assistant Director of Music.