Wantage Parish
The Choir and Music
Photo by Tim Folkes
WANTAGE PARISH CHURCH CHOIR
Our friendly and thriving choir consists of some 40-45 mixed voices, including no less than 20 children. The choir has a busy schedule of weekly rehearsals and services, providing music for worship throughout the year, with additional services for important church festivals and occasional concert performances. The choir has had a number of foreign tours; to Italy, Ireland, Czech Republic, France and Holland, and Croatia. It has occasionally sung services at other cathedrals and churches in the UK, most recently at Bristol Cathedral. Several of our younger members have moved on to take up university choral scholarships. Since 2004 the choir has run its own music scholarship scheme for young people aged between 13 and 25, founded in memory of Dickon Peschek, a much-missed member of our bass section.
Our choir is at the centre of the parish church's unusually rich and varied musical life. The church recently received a substantial Arts Council grant which made possible some extensive work restoring and re-siting the organ (by Kenneth Jones of Dublin) and providing new lighting, sound system and staging, all of which has given the building a new lease of life as a performance venue. The church is now greatly in demand from the many musical groups in the town throughout the year. Thanks to the Arts Council funding, the PCC is delighted to be able to have commissioned a major new musical composition from Harvey Brough, with libretto by James Runcie, further details of which will be announced shortly.
This page last modified: Wednesday 11 June 2008
Office Address:
Ss Peter & Paul
The Vicarage, The Cloisters
Wantage
Oxon
OX12 8AQ