East Leake

ST MARY'S CHOIR

The adult choir rehearses on Wednesdays in the church 7.15 til approx 8.15pm. All enthusiastic singers welcome.

St Mary’s Choir loves to have additional singers to join them for the Christmas services. They concentrate on the Carols by Candlelight service, Christmas Eve 7.45pm and Christmas morning.

There is also be an opportunity for children to sing in a choir over Christmas and for special services during the year.

If you are a young person who loves singing and would like to sing in church you will be very welcome. Practices are held at 6.30pm on Fridays before the Adult Choir, but not every week. Please check with Abi.

Report of the Choir
I am very much enjoying being involved in the music making at St. Mary’s and I think the choir are going from strength to strength. I am trying to keep the choir members working hard and they have responded with some beautiful music at special services during the past year.

Last year’s Easter and Ascension Day services, in which we joined forces with the music group were great fun and a lovely chance to use many different elements of worship music – anthems, traditional and more modern hymns and Taize music. I really enjoy joining with the music group in this way and hope that we will continue to develop ways of working and worshipping together.

The choir were also involved in the “meet the church family” weekend in the summer and it was fantastic that again our ‘affiliated’ members (anyone who wants to join in!) joined us for a good sing of all our favourite hymns and anthems.

In the autumn we again travelled to Southwell- after weeks of practice! – to take part in the annual Diocesan RSCM evensong service. I was pleased that we did so well learning some challenging music for this event and it is a joy to sing in a large group and in such a beautiful place of worship.

We combined with the other benefice choirs at various evensongs this year and hosted the advent carols at St. Mary’s. Although it was hard work, the lead up to Christmas proved well worth it, as I received some very kind feedback after the Candlelit service on Christmas Eve. We were very pleased to meet Andrew Atkinson at this time and make use of him as an excellent Tenor at Christmas. We very much hope he will be able to join us again at future services and I must reiterate my usual plea for anyone who loves singing to consider joining us at whatever level of commitment you have available. We are also very pleased to welcome Ron Hetherington as a permanent member.

The children seemed to enjoy themselves singing for us at Easter and I managed to have a few new singers at Christmas. Numbers had depleted a little by the Christingle and so again, any junior music lovers out there are more than welcome to join in singing at various events. We are now looking forward to Mothering Sunday* with all the musicians combined….!

Finally, I must just thank all of the members of the choir for their work and friendship during this past year. I hope I can continue to make the music making stimulating and enjoyable for all concerned at St. Mary’s in the coming year.

Abigail Henderson Smith
Organist and Choirmistress