|
|
Croydon Parish Church has over 80 singers involved in four choirs. The Choir of Men & Boys, the Girls' Choir, the Schola Cantorum and Croindene sing four choral services each week, give regular concerts throughout the year, and have toured, broadcast and recorded. The parish provides young singers with a unique musical education and gives adults of all abilities the opportunity to sing the finest works of the sacred choral repertoire within a liturgical context. In recent years, the choirs have performed with the London Mozart Players and the English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble, and strong links exist between the music department and the Parish Church Schools and the schools of the Whitgift Foundation. The church boasts a fine 4-manual organ by the celebrated 19th century organ-builder William Hill, and has a distinguished track record of sending young organists to Oxbridge and music colleges. Croydon Parish Church is an associate member of the Choir Schools' Association.
The music department is led by the Organist & Master of the Choristers, Andrew Cantrill. Andrew was previously Director of Music at Grimsby Parish Church (the only parish church in the country to have its own choir school); the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, New Zealand; and St Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo, NY, USA. He directs the four parish choirs and is responsible for the annual programme of special services and concerts promote by Friends of Music at CPC. Andrew is assisted at the organ by Martin How and by three organ scholars: Matthew Greenfield, Sophie Winter and Douglas Tang.
Croydon Parish Church has flourishing choirs of boy and girl choristers. The choirs rehearse and perform separately, coming together for special services and concerts throughout the year.
Both boys and girls are admitted to the respective choirs at the age of 7 or 8. They begin as probationary choristers, learning the rudiments of singing technique and music theory, and the basics of the repertoire and the form of services. After a term or two, they are made full choristers and sing on Tuesdays and Thursdays (Boys) or Wednesdays and Fridays (Girls) and Sundays (morning or evening). Although a great deal is expected of the choristers and they are encouraged to perform as young professionals from an early age, much of the emphasis is on fun and team-work. Singing in the choirs not only offers children an unparalleled musical education, but also teaches many valuable life skills and cultivates a mature and responsible outlook on life.
Boys continue in the choir until their voices change and girls remain in the girls' choir up to the age of 18. Boys with broken or changed voices and girls over the age of 16 are referred to as Choral Scholars and make up the Schola Cantorum. This group sings occasional services by itself and the Choral Scholars sing regularly with the Lay Clerks on Sundays. Choral Scholarships are designed to help prepare young singers for Oxbridge entrance, including King's College, Cambridge.
Croydon Parish Church is almost unique in this country for having both male and female Lay Clerks. Each Sunday, the men sing counter-tenor, tenor and bass with either the boy or girl choristers, and the women (singing soprano or contralto) sing with the Girls' Choir. All Lay Clerks are volunteer and from a wide variety of professional backgrounds. The emphasis is on professionalism, and a high standard of reading and performing ability is required.
Croindene is made up of men from the Choir of Men & Boys and others, with women singing soprano and contralto. The choir rehearses up to twice a month on a Friday at 7.45pm and sings a service once a month. The repertoire is wide-ranging and therefore demands a certain level of musical confidence and sight-reading ability. Croindene sings regularly with the other parish choirs, in concerts and for the major festivals of Christmas and Easter.
The choirs of Croydon Parish Church are open to singers of all religious backgrounds. Each choir has it's own audition process and the Organist & Master of the Choristers is always pleased to talk to prospective members. Please contact him at the Parish Office on 020 8688 8104.
| Sunday | 8.50am Treble Rehearsal |
|---|---|
| 9.15am Full Rehearsal | |
| 10.00am Choral Eucharist (Men & Boys or Lay Clerks & Girls) | |
| 5.25pm Treble Rehearsal | |
| 5.45pm Full Rehearsal | |
| 6.30pm Choral Evensong (Men & Boys or Lay Clerks & Girls) | |
| Tuesday | 5.00pm Boys' Rehearsal |
| 5.30pm Choral Evensong (Boys' voices) | |
| 6.15pm Boys' Rehearsal continues until 6.45pm | |
| Wednesday | 5.00pm Girls' Rehearsal |
| 5.30pm Choral Evensong (Girls' voices) | |
| 6.15pm Girls' Rehearsal continues until 6.45pm | |
| Thursday | 5.00pm - 5.45pm Boy Probationers' Rehearsal |
| 5.00pm - 6.30pm Boys' rehearsal | |
| Friday | 5.00pm - 5.45pm Girl Probationers' Rehearsal |
| 5.00pm - 6.30pm Girls' rehearsal | |
| 7.45pm Lay Clerk Rehearsal (or Croindene) | |
| Saturday | 10.30am Optional Theory of Music Tuition |
The current choir diary is available here...
Friends of Music at Croydon Parish Church was founded in 2008 to support the work of the music department. Each year, the Friends promote a series of special services and concerts, and take a particular interest in the educational needs of the boy and girl choristers. Donors are offered ticket discounts to concerts sung by the Parish Choirs and are invited to pre-concert talks and receptions. Donations start from as little as £25.00. Please consider becoming a Friend and help to sustain and develop the musical life of this great civic church. A donor form is available at the back of church.
Copies of the Friends of Music programme for 2009 and 2010 are available.
Text last updated on Monday, 31st May 2010
Croydon Parish Church