The Choir

Music plays a large role at St Mary Magdalene, and is a key component of the church. The choir consists of adult volunteers, children (Choristers), Choral and Organ Scholars from Richmond and beyond, an Assistant Organist (Karl Dorman), and is run by the Director of Music.

On Sundays, the choir sings at the Parish Eucharist and for Evensong. The choir also joins those of the other churches in the Richmond Team Ministry, St Matthias and St John the Divine, at the various Team Services which take place throughout the year.

Choir practice – Thursdays, weekly

Junior Choristers – 7.00pm-8.00pm

Choristers and Adult Choir – 7.30pm-9.00pm

Sunday Services

Eucharist – 8.45am rehearsal, 9.30am service

Evensong – 5.00pm rehearsal, 6.30pm service

Recordings of the choir can be found on our SoundCloud page.

Choristers

The Choristers of St Mary Magdalene are part of the Choral Foundation scheme that began in September 2017. We are always looking for enthusiastic children who love to sing and would like to supplement their school education with a stimulating musical education.

The Choristers are made up of children between the ages of 8 and 18 who sing at church services with the adult choir at all services where possible. Choir rehearsals are weekly during term time (Thursdays). Attendance is not compulsory, but a good level of committent is expected.

The main point of contact for the Choristers is the Director of Music, who runs rehearsals and directs the music for services. Rehearsals and services teach the Choristers a variety of music and styles, as well as vocal technique and music theory that prove invaluable to their musical education. Choristers also benefit from the strong sense of community at St Mary Magdalene, as well as gaining a natural self-confidence that comes from performing. St Mary Magdalene encourages the use of the RSCM Voice for Life scheme to all members of the choir in order to further their choral skills and musicianship.

Upon becoming full Choristers, Choristers are entitled to receive payment based on attendance, competence (e.g. most improved singer, best attendance), and ability.

If you know of any children who would like to become a Chorister at St Mary Magdalene, please contact the Director of Music via email.

Safeguarding

We take the Safeguarding of those in our care seriously. Each church has ‘Parish Safeguarding Officers’ (PSO’s) – their contact details and a summary of our ‘Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults’ policy can be found on posters which are available at all groups and on church noticeboards.

All volunteers are carefully recruited and are DBS checked where appropriate. Safeguarding training is regularly provided and we adhere to the guidelines of the Southwark Diocese, taken from the ‘Safe Church’ Document.

Volunteers

Volunteers make up the body of the choir at St Mary Magdalene and sing regularly on Sundays and extra services over the course of the year. As a voluntary choir, it is recognised that different people can commit to varying degrees, and as such are under no obligation to come every week.

The volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds; some are regular members of the congregation who have joined the choir, some are from local choral societies, whilst a few joined the Junior Choir and have been singing at St Mary Magdalene since. However the volunteers have found their way to the choir, they are highly valued by the church as a whole, and are a key component in helping make music important at St Mary Magdalene.

We are currently looking for more volunteers in all voice parts. Being able to read music is preferable, although not essential, as we tend to move relatively quickly in rehearsals to get through the music. We suggest that interested singers should sit in on a rehearsal (Thursdays: 7.30pm-9.00pm) to see if the choir is right for them.

To express your interest, or to simply gain more information, please contact the Director of Music.