St Helen's Choir

St Helen’s is a very special place for choral singing: At a time when many other churches have moved to worship groups it still has a traditional SATB (soprano, alto, tenor & bass) Anglican robed choir, which proves a great blessing, leading worship with music of great depth and beauty. And, excitingly, the St Helen’s choir is part of something much bigger, something worldwide, due to it being one of the 11,000 members of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) to which it has been affiliated since 1960.

This is particularly important to the ‘trebles’, who are the boys and girls who sing the soprano line in this singing tradition, because it enables them, in addition to the opportunity to have fun singing amongst friends, to have a first class musical training (via the Voice For Life scheme). The outward manifestation of this for any onlooker is the medals being worn on a variety of different coloured ribbons around their necks.

The trebles also have an opportunity to have a rewarding and challenging hobby, and an appreciation of the value of undertaking an interest with commitment. They practise on Thursdays from 6.30 to 7.15pm, and then, joined by the adults, take part in a practice for the full choir which continues until 8.00pm.

The adults, who sing the alto (or counter tenor), tenor and bass musical parts, range from 17 to 70 in age. No wonder choir members feel like they belong to an extra church family – including the nagging! Like their young counterparts they also appreciate the challenge of choral music, the joy of singing, and the satisfaction of leading the congregation in praise and worship through the many moods of the church year, and via a wide range of eras and styles of Christian music.

The choir also has ‘extras’. These are people who love choral singing but are not able to commit to week in week out all year round practices, so join the choir to rehearse for Advent and Christmas Carol Services and the special services in Holy Week – Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Many former choristers who have headed off to travel or to work or to further study at universities, are also welcomed back for such occasions.