Junior Choir

Introduction

The LSM Junior Choir is made up of 22 boys and girls, aged 7 to 16. The Choir was formed in the year 2000, making its debut with a performance of Michael Hurd's much-loved children's musical "Jonah Man Jazz". Since then, it has gone from strength to strength, and now sings three or four services each month at LSM, with several members of the Choir having achieved various levels in the RSCM's "Voice for Life" programme, including the Dean's and Bishop's Chorister awards.

Rehearsals and services

The Choir rehearses every Friday during school term, from 17:30 to 18:20 on its own, and then from 18:30 to 19:00 with the adults of the Parish Choir. The Juniors sing at High Mass on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of every month, and at Evensong and Benediction on the second Sunday. Many of the Junior Choir members also act as servers, acolytes, thurifers, and boat-boys/girls on Sundays when they are not singing. On Sunday mornings, the youngest members of the Choir normally attend Children's Group with the other children in the parish, leaving the church after the Collect for the day, and returning to the church at the Peace. The older members of the Choir form an active teen/youth group, participating in various church and social activities throughout the year.

Repertoire

The Choir's repertoire consists of much of the main-stream choral music sung by the Parish Choir, including a number of Mass and Canticle settings (Howells "Coll Reg" Mass, Darke's Masses in E and in F, Byrd's four part Mass, as well as evening canticles by Brewer, Hylton-Stewart, Walford Davies, and Dyson); they also sing numerous anthems for all seasons of the church year (by composers as diverse as Howells, Tallis, Franck, Palestrina, and Healey Willan). The Junior Choir has its own repertoire of treble-only music, both anthems and canticles, which includes soprano arias by Bach and Handel, as well as the more traditional treble-only choral music. The Juniors are also taught, and become very familiar with, the liturgical repertoire of plainsong (from simple psalm tones to melismatic antiphons and mass settings), and of course they learn and live the liturgical customary of the church.

External appearances

As well as singing at LSM every month, the Junior Choir (together with the Parish Choir) has sung Evensong at various cathedrals, recently including Ely, Peterborough, Norwich, and St Edmundsbury. The Juniors have also sung services at Selwyn College (on their own), and have participated in the RSCM's annual Diocesan services in King's College. They have sung on tour in Rome and in Brussels. They have performed "Jonah Man Jazz" on more than one occasion, and have also sung in the chorus of a fully-staged production of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta "Trial by Jury".

Voice for Life Scheme

All Junior Choir members are enrolled in the RSCM's "Voice for Life" scheme, and are annually tested for their ribbons (light blue, dark blue, red, purple). Once Choir members are experienced enough, they are prepared for the Dean's and Bishop's awards, for which examinations take place every year at Ely Cathedral. For these awards, choir members are trained in small groups in skills such as singing technique, sight-reading, ear-tests, and in the details and background of the liturgy.

As well as the wonderful musical and social opportunities outlined above, members of LSM Junior Choir learn invaluable skills by singing in this Choir: self-discipline, time-management, and organisational techniques are all part of the training that Junior Choir members receive.

More information

If you think your child might be interested in singing in the LSM Junior Choir, please contact Christian Rutherford to arrange for a meeting and possible informal voice trial.