Elinor in year 10 has written a piece for the blog all about her experiences as part of this choir. Thank you, Elinor!
Westminster Abbey has been there for a thousand years but never had a girls’ choir–until last year, when the St Margaret’s Choristers came together. St Margaret’s is often called the parish church for the House of Commons, and is an old, little church between Parliament and Westminster Abbey. It’s a separate building, but it’s a chapel of the Abbey.
Elinor
My uncle saw on Twitter that the Abbey was forming a girls’ choir, and I went along for an audition on a hot day in June 2023. Only four girls in each school year–years 7 to 12–got a place, and I got in as one of the year 9s!
The first rehearsal was in September 2023. I found that most of the girls went to private schools and had more experience of church music, so I was really nervous. Even though it was strange to begin with, once I got used to things like singing in Latin and chanting psalms, I started to enjoy the sound that we were making. It was hard trying to talk to the other girls at first, but it got easier and now I have lots of friends in the choir.
To begin with, we had three rehearsals a week–two of them after school–and only one service in St Margaret’s every month, often with professional adults singing harmony. Nowadays, we still have tons of rehearsals but a service in St Margaret’s every Sunday, plus we sing evensong in the Abbey once or twice a month. Singing in the Abbey for the first time was a pretty magical experience. The huge space that we’re in gives us a rich and echoey sound together as a choir. It is quite cool knowing that there are lots of people listening. Whether it’s family members or tourists or people nearby, the Abbey is always full. We have also sung in Parliament for various events, including a special service dedicated to the Suffragettes in the underground chapel there.
The choir is getting busier and busier, it is a big commitment and we are learning more music every rehearsal. My sight reading is improving, hopefully! We have free singing lessons which can be on your own or in a pair. It helps to have a one-on-one session for the singing teachers to help us with techniques for breathing or reaching high notes. We have concerts this year including the Vivaldi Gloria with a baroque orchestra and the Pergolesi Stabat Mater on Palm Sunday.
Singing in Westminster is now my everyday and I don’t often think of it as something really special. But I am proud to be in the Abbey’s first girls’ choir, improving as a singer, working with professional musicians, and I think I’m learning a lot. I am having lots of fun as well!
Elinor with the St Margaret’s Choristers and Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons. The choir sang at the ceremony for lighting the Christmas tree in Parliament in December 2024.
It’d be great to have more contributions for the blog from students. Please get in touch with me if you’d like to write something. It could be about any musical experiences outside school. For example, you could write about the ensembles you perform with, gigs/concerts you’ve been to, song/album reviews, newly discovered music …
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And finally …
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts of the 1960s. Read more about them here
Hayes Music blog 