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This week
Music at St Michael’s (30/03/2025)
The motet at his morning’s Eucharist is “O for a closer walk with thee”, is by Charles Villiers Stanford (1852 – 1924). The text was written by William Cowper in 1772, a hymn that reflects his longing for intimacy with God. Stanford was born and educated in Dublin, and became one of the leading musicians of his generation, having a profound effect on the development and history of English music as a performer, conductor, composer, teacher and writer. His contribution to Anglican choral music was immense, from short songs like this one, to many service settings, and larger works. He also composed seven symphonies, eight string quartets, nine operas, and a large body of chamber music.
Concerts at St Michael’s
A new season of concerts at St Michael’s begins on Friday, 2nd May with the SU Music Students’ “Showcase ‘25”, followed the following Saturday, 10th May, by a song recital by Simon Harper (tenor) and Eleanor Perks (piano): “Winter into Spring”. Mark your diaries now, and for more details and tickets see our concerts webpage (link above).
Join our Junior Choir
Our Junior Choristers start from Year 3 and Youth Singers from Year 7.
find out moreHalf-Term Singing Days
Open singing days run during half terms for those in years 3 and over.
find out moreListen to the Choir
Listen to audio and video recordings of the St Michael and All Angels’ Choir.
find out moreAbout us
We sing Choral Eucharists Evensongs, Carol Services,
The Family Service…We rehearse on Wednesdays from 7.30–9.00pm (6.30–7.45pm for younger singers) and before services. The choir doesn’t sing at St Michael’s immediately after Christmas and Easter, or during the school summer holiday, when cathedral visits are sometimes arranged.
Director of music: Andrew Hanley
The Choir and COVID-19
During COVID times, it was hard to keep singing! Yet as a choir, we found it more important than ever. We worked hard to keep a choral sound available, and keep practising. Virtual anthems and hymns were produced for services. We ran a “virtual pub” after Zoom-based choir practices, complete with the occasional “pub” quiz, and birthday and special occasion celebrations. From the first service featuring our recordings (Palm Sunday, 2020) through to the end of the second lockdown in May 2021, well over 100 recordings of our hymns, anthems, and psalms were used in our services.
You can view the recordings of these virtual anthems on the YouTube “NSABparish” channel. virtual anthems on YouTube