Music
The musical life at St Mark’s is respected for being inclusive, of a high standard and varied. We are proud of the way our worship is enhanced with music, but we also aim to make the musical scene open to all, regardless of age or expertise. Music is an essential aspect of dynamic, imaginative worship, and it is also a way of fostering community, developing skills and interests, and generally having some fun. The aim at St Mark’s is to create a musical scene that is of high quality, but also fun, unintimidating, and life-giving.
Given below is a taste of the opportunities St Mark’s has to offer, both to the listener and the budding performer.
We also offer an organ scholarship, tenable for one academic year (with the possibility of an extension for up to one further academic year). Use the right-hand menu to view details.
If you have any questions, please contact Wendy Dickinson (Music Co-ordinator): wendy.dickinson@btinternet.com.
St Mark's Choir
We are very lucky to have a sizable choir, with members of all ages, which helps to lead the worship at each 10am Parish Communion and at other services. The choir has a refreshingly varied repertoire: from Tallis to Rutter, Taize chant to African spiritual. At least twice a year, the choir sings a more ambitious choral work. For instance, we have sang Leonard Bernstein's 'Chichester Psalms', extracts from David Fanshawe's 'African Sanctus', the five spirituals from Michael Tippett's 'A Child of Our Time', Bach's famous advent cantata 'Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme' and most recently Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man for Passion Sunday in 2010.
The choir is always very happy to welcome new members. We rehearse every Thursday 7.45pm-8.45pm here at St Mark's (except during August), and again at 9am before the Sunday Parish Communion. If you enjoy singing, please be encouraged to come along. You need not be a good sight-reader; the Thursday practice is intended particularly for those who can't sight-read as quickly. You will find us to be a friendly, enthusiastic group of people who just enjoy singing.
All-Age Worship
On the first Sunday of each month, the Parish Communion takes the form of ‘All-Age’ worship. This service incorporates an imaginative liturgy centred on a theme, and some lively music. The choir is accompanied by the all-age band, consisting of around 25 musicians of all ages and standards.
The band rehearses on the preceding Thursday at St Mark’s, 6-6.30pm and on the day at 9am. Once again, all are welcome to play, regardless of the level of expertise.
Night Service
Night Service (Sunday, 8pm) provides an excellent opportunity for anyone who might like to use their musical skills in a worship setting. This quiet, reflective service is accompanied by a range of instruments: from guitar and violin, to flute and piano, to recorder and bongos, to string trio.
Other Opportunities
Beyond those listed above, there are many opportunities to become involved in the musical life of St Mark’s. The voluntaries before and after the 10am Parish Communion, for instance, are sometimes provided by guest musicians. During the communion itself the choir often sings Taize chants, accompanied by a range of instruments. We also unleash our musical enthusiasm on the local community: from carol singing at Christmas, to leading hymn-singing at local residential homes. Whatever your interest in music, there will be some way of expressing it at St Mark’s.