St Michael's Church Choir

We are a completely mixed group of singers ranging from 13 to 70 years of age & enjoy learning new ways to 'sing unto the lord'. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive group in which we support, teach & encourage one-another to express our love for sacred music & as the Choirmaster said to one of our starters recently:

"im not that concerned as to whether you can sing or not, we can teach you that, just come & enjoy the fellowship".

Do you like singing? Would you be interested in joining the choir?
We practise weekly on Thursday evenings from 7.30-9pm
For further information contact: Mr D. Sunderland Tel: 01422 883454

St. Michael’s Music Group

The group plays a number of songs and hymns in the Family Service (1st Sunday of the  month) and occasionally at Deanery or other events.

We have some gifted musicians but welcome players of a wide variety of instruments and abilities. At present this includes flute, oboe, keyboard, violins, guitar (and bass guitar), soon to be joined by a cello and perhaps a drummer.

Members have a file of well-known songs and hymns and are given notice of what we are playing each month. They are asked to turn up early at 10.30am (having practised if they need to), so that we can run through the songs before the service at 11.00am. We can also play along when the organ is leading the singing. We have great fun together but obviously our aim is to use our musical gifts to vary and enhance our worship of God.

If anyone is interested in joining us, please contact Graham Cansdale on 01422 881693 or email.

‘It just grow’d like Topsy!’ (St Michaels Music Writers)

After joining St. Michael’s back in 2000, I kept on unearthing another song-writer! First I discovered that Colin had written a whole lot. Then it was Sara, the guitarist in our music group, with her half dozen. Then James the vicar, with some ‘fun’ children’s songs. Chris had some in a file; they needed polishing. Christine had written poems, meditations, ideal for setting to music. Add to that my own growing collection, having only discovered in 2005 that I seemed to have been given a gift for composing songs, and setting other peoples’ to music.

Then I found that an ex church-warden, Eric, was into recording concerts, and his wife Lesley was gifted in the computer processing and cover design of CD production. So the idea arose of producing a home-grown CD of songs written and sung by St. Michael’s church members.

I wanted to involve as wide a cross-section of the congregation as possible, so in the end four writers produced songs, 18 singers and players took part, from top teens to over 70’s. It was mostly solos, two duets, twice a 4-part chorus, and the whole choir in one song. It was hard work, but great fun. Not cathedral standard, of course - we’re a village church - but we reckon it’s worth a listen. One thing still remains to be done, to sit down with our organist and deputy and one or two others,  and go through the 15 songs, to see if any might be suitable for congregational singing!

That’s what I would really love to ‘taste’ – a home-grown flavour in our St. Michael’s worship

(CD  ‘Listen’ is avaiable for £7.99. with all proceeds going to support the church).

Phone  01422 881693.) Graham Cansdale email.