About the choir

Although there has been Christian worship on the site of All Saints' Church, Wokingham, for over eight hundred years the choir has been active in its present form for only the last thirty. The range of music we sing represents all the best of church music from medieval plainsong through the Renaissance and Reformation to composers of the present day. A glance at our music list archive will give some idea of our repertoire.

The choir's purpose is to help in leading the Sunday worship. There is a 9.30 a.m. Parish Communion every Sunday which follows Common Worship. Other services include Choral Evensong (first Sunday of the month), Sung Evensong (second Sunday of the month), Choral Matins approximately four times a year, and Choral Eucharist twice a year. All of these last services follow the Book of Common Prayer. And then, of course, there are the special services such as the Candlelit Advent Carols, the Christmas Eve Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and the Palm Sunday evening Lenten Meditation.

The choir is affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music, and the junior choristers follow their Voice for Life training scheme, which provides individual instruction and incentive through a system of tests, badges and coloured ribbons. In order to make progress, regular attendance at practices and services is essential. Obviously we understand that family and other commitments will necessitate absences from time to time but we would expect an average attendance rate of between 70% and 80% over a year. The choir does, of course, have holidays from duties. There is a week off after the Christmas and Easter celebrations and the whole of August.

Choir practice is on Friday evenings. The trebles practise from 6.45 to 8 p.m. and the adults from 7.30 to 9 p.m.

Trebles are paid a small amount of pocket money quarterly and, if they sing at weddings, they do earn substantially more!

The choir also sings at cathedrals and other historic churches regularly each year. In the last week of July we spend either a whole week or a long weekend singing the services at a cathedral while their own choir is on holiday. These weeks are always very popular with the trebles and friendships are forged there which last a lifetime. These weeks also include a variety of trips out to make a break from the singing. In addition there are one or two Saturday visits to more local cathedrals and churches to sing choral evensong.

Many of our choristers have gone on to greater things. One of our boys became Head Chorister at Kings College Chapel, Cambridge, and another has progressed from Organ Scholar to Organist at the Chapels Royal, London. Yet another has become quite a well-known composer of modern church music. And many of our ex-choristers come back for our special services and cathedral visits.

New choir members are always welcome, both adults and children from the age of eight upwards. No previous musical experience is necessary but there must be a genuine love of singing and a willing commitment. Click here to find our contact details.