www.stlawrencelechlade.org.uk
Church Cottage
Market Place
Lechlade on Thames
Gloucestershire
GL7 3AB
Organist
St Lawrence Church, Lechlade-on-Thames, Gloucestershire, is looking to appoint a skilled Organist and accompanist to support our Director of Music in enhancing our worship.
We have a friendly mixed four-part choir with both young and adult singers.
Duties will include playing for 3-4 services a month (which include occasional Parish Communion CW but mainly Choral Evensong BCP), other festivals and also accompanying choir practices.
Salary is £2,000 per annum with additional fees paid for weddings and funerals (negotiable depending upon experience) To apply, please send your CV with a covering letter to our Director of Music, Rachel Bath, preferably via email to info@stlawrencelechlade.org.uk
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We are happy to advertise vacancies for organists on this website, but we would be grateful if churches would tell us if a post is filled. In any case, we can only guarantee that requests are posted for six months.
Organist & Director of Music required for the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin. Wotton under Edge. Gloucestershire. GL12 7LS.
We are looking to appoint a committed and enthusiastic
musician who is not only an organist and pianist, but someone
who can also direct our choirs.
St Mary’s Church is committed to safeguarding and promoting
the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All
post holders and volunteers are expected to share this
commitment.
Responsibilities will include music for Sunday services, significant
Holy days and regular choir practices, weddings and funerals as
required (although help may be available for weekday services).
This person will help us to continue the development of music to
enrich our worship.
They must have good people skills, be sensitive to Anglican
worship, liturgy and varied musical styles.
We have a strong choral tradition, and this supports the liturgy at Sunday Eucharist usually incorporating a communion anthem, and monthly Book of Common Prayer Evensong (including sung psalm / canticles and anthem). We also have monthly Choral Evensong where the service is led almost entirely by music and a well-established choir. We are exploring the scope for musical groups with new musical styles for our family services.
Our parish is part of the Tyndale Benefice (the parishes of Wotton, North Nibley, Alderley and Tresham). Our organ, Christopher Shrider’s magnificent instrument of 1726, has over four hundred of the original pipes and more than thirty stops distributed across three manuals and pedals. Harrison & Harrison regularly maintain it to a high standard.
St Mary’s has an Assistant Director of Music who organises the musical administration of the parish and who has kept our music playing throughout this vacancy.
There is much scope for musical development as well as leading our established choral traditions in this beautiful church.
Remuneration is in the range of £4300 – £5500 per annum depending on experience, qualifications, and responsibilities undertaken. Job shares would be considered. This is a part time role, the person(s) appointed will be employed by St Mary’s PCC and will be responsible to the Priest in Charge.
All appointments are subject to acceptable pre-appointment checks, including a satisfactory Enhanced DBS Check.
For an informal conversation please contact Hil Varlow 07795515219
For an application pack please email: office@tyndalebenefice.co.uk
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Director of Music St Peter’s, Leckhampton
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email revgarygrady@btinternet.com
Closing date: 15th June 2023
Director of Music
Roles and Responsibilities
St Peter’s Leckhampton is looking for a new Director of Music from 1st September 2023 to continue
the excellent tradition of music and to further develop music making to enhance worship.
St. Peter’s is an Anglican church located on Church Road at the foot of Leckhampton Hill, on the
south side of Cheltenham, and is a part of the South Cheltenham Team of churches.
St. Peter’s has a regular congregation of between 80-100 for its main Sunday morning service and
follows a traditional format using the organ and choir to lead the music. The first Sunday of the
month is more family oriented and is an opportunity to introduce new worship songs to the
congregation, as appropriate.
There is a regular 4-part choir (children and adults), which is un-auditioned but capable of learning
pieces in a variety of styles and difficulty.
There is no regular evening service at St. Peter’s; instead there are 4-6 special evening services per
year, including a Lent and Harvest evensong, a summer Songs of Praise, and a Christmas Carol
Service. St. Peter’s has also organised an autumn music festival in previous years.
The organ is 3-manual and built entirely new by Hill, Norman and Beard in 1936. In 2000 Nicholsons
of Malvern carried out a complete restoration of the instrument and continue to look after it for St.
Peter’s. A specification of the instrument is given in Appendix 1.
The church also has a good-quality upright Yamaha piano, which was purchased new in 2021. There
is also a digital piano, in the church cottages, which is used for rehearsal before the service on
Sunday mornings.
St. Peter’s is looking for a Director of Music who can fulfil the following key criteria:
1) A highly-competent organist, preferably with ARCO or FRCO diploma. As well as
accompanying the choir, s/he will be required to play organ voluntaries after the Sunday
morning service, and to play suitable music at weddings and funerals.
2) A demonstrable track record of being an experienced choir trainer and have a passion for the
Anglican choral tradition. S/he will be required to develop and expand the existing choir, both
children and adults. S/he will have a wide knowledge of the choral repertoire and be willing to
introduce the choir to new music.
3) An excellent communicator with strong interpersonal skills. St. Peter’s is keen to expand its
musical resources and to create a sustainable, high quality musical capability for future
generations of worshippers. St. Peter’s is looking for someone who can build a creative
musical relationship with the local school, with the aim of recruiting pupils to the choir and
enabling a wider musical engagement with the life of the church.
4) A person of faith, who has an understanding of the role of music in Christian worship and
outreach.
Roles and Responsibilities
The following are the key tasks and responsibilities of the Director of Music:
1) To be available for 10am service every Sunday (other than on agreed Sundays off) to play the
organ, or piano, and direct the choir as appropriate; rehearsing with the choir before the
service at 9.15am.
2) To play the organ or piano and direct the choir, as appropriate, at a number of additional
services at St. Peter’s during the year. In recent years, these have included: Advent Carol
Service, Christmas Carol Service, Crib Service, Christmas Midnight and Christmas Day services,
Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Ascension Day, All Souls and
Remembrance services.
3) To liaise with organists at the other churches in the South Cheltenham Team to support music
making at joint services, which may including some of the services listed above, as
appropriate.
4) To play the organ (and direct the choir if required) at weddings and funerals and to offer an
annual recital.
5) To maintain a regular pattern of rehearsals for the choir in order to ensure high standards of
music and understanding of its liturgical content. Currently, choir practice is 7-8pm for
children and 7.30-8.15pm for adults, on Fridays.
6) To plan and prepare the musical content of all services, including the selection of hymns and
appropriate anthems, in conjunction with the clergy, and to attend meetings with the Vicar to
plan the forthcoming seasonal content.
7) To recruit new children and adult members to the choir to strengthen the musical capability
of the church.
8) To help identify then teach, guide and mentor an organ scholar for St. Peter’s.
9) To promote concerts at St. Peter’s, as appropriate.
10) To be responsible for the care and maintenance of St. Peter’s organ, piano and music library
(see Appendix 2) in conjunction with the Vicar and Church Council.
11) To arrange appropriate holiday cover for organ playing and choir direction when on leave.
12) To continue St. Peter’s affiliation with the RSCM and to engage choir members with the RSCM
Voice for Life scheme.
13) To comply with the Safer Recruiting policy of St. Peter’s when recruiting children or vulnerable
adults to the choir, or other events.
14) To be responsible for the conduct and general welfare of any children or vulnerable adults
whilst undertaking musical duties for the church.
Accountability and Responsibility
The Director of Music is line managed by and responsible to the Vicar of St. Peter’s.
Disclosure and Barring
The appointment is subject to satisfactory enhanced DBS disclosure.
Interview and Audition Format
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview which will include:
1) Performing a voluntary or recital piece on the organ.
2) Rehearsing and conducting a piece with the choir.
3) Accompanying the choir from the organ.
Salary
RSCM recommended rates (level negotiable) with annual leave entitlement.
References
The candidate shall provide two references, one of which shall be from a previous employer.
Enquiries
Revd Gary Grady – revgarygrady@btinternet.com or 01242 511522
Applications
Should be made in writing with CV and accompanying letter by Thursday 15th June 2023.
Interview Dates
To take place on Friday 23rd June or Friday 30th June, between 7-9pm at St. Peter’s
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Organist needed for St Mary’s Church, Cowley, Cheltenham – a small rural church for 11am service
on 3rd Sunday of each month.
Congregation 10 – 20 people per service
Common worship Morning Prayer with 4 hymns.
We are able to pay £40 per service.
For information on the organ please visit https://www.npor.org.uk/survey/N05695
If you would like to visit the church and try the organ, pleases contact Beverly Ayling-Smith on
baylingsmith@gmail.com