Girls' Choir
Louth’s great Parish Church of St James has a strong tradition, and the choirs of boys, girls and adults sing a wide variety of music at the Sunday services. We are looking for musically talented girls between the ages of 8 and 13 to join the Girls’ Choir and help keep this tradition going. We offer a good musical and vocal training and a worthwhile and enjoyable out-of-school activity, in a Christian context, and St James’s is a glorious building in which to sing.
Girls’ choir practices take place each Wednesday at 4.45pm, ending at 6:00. The girls’ and boys’ choirs take it in turns to sing on Sundays with the choir adults. At present the Girls’ Choir sings at the church’s Family Service on the second Sunday of each month at 10 o’clock, preceded by a practice at 9.30, and usually on two other Sundays per month (at 10:00am and/or 6:00pm), with Friday evening practices to prepare for them, leaving one weekend off in a normal month.
The girls are involved in the church’s special festival services such as those at Christmas and Easter and at the St James’s Day Festival in late July. They have a month off in August. There is a Christmas outing, the girls are paid at the end of each term, and they can earn extra pocket money by singing at weddings. There are opportunities for them to enter for the Royal School of Church Music examinations for Dean’s and Bishop’s Awards. After the end of the summer term each year the girls join with the boys' choir to sing at a cathedral for the weekend.
The choir has its own smart and attractive uniform. In common with the dress worn by many cathedral girls' choirs, the colours match those of the boys and adults, but in reverse, consisting of a long white robe with a red tabard over the top. This means that they can easily join in with the choir adults, who wear red cassocks and white surplices, and at great festivals a particular spectacle is created by the appearance of girls, boys and adults all together.
Girls who are interested in joining will need to be able to show that they can sing in tune and read fluently enough to follow the words of our songs, and they will be able to come for an informal, friendly audition.
If you would like to find out more, please contact the Parish Office.