Page 21 - Church Music Quarterly March 2018

MILLENNIUM YOUTH CHOIR
The Millennium Youth Choir is on the lookout for new members, and currently has vacancies for tenors and basses. Good sight-reading is essential, as well as voices with great potential. Enquiries to myc@rscm.com.
RSCM IN THE
UK AND AROUND THE WORLD
A NEW JUNIOR CHOIR
Liverpool and Isle of Man Area
In September 2017, after months
of planning, All Saints, Rainford took the brave step of re-establishing a junior choir. The picture shows the five new recruits at the Church Christmas Tree Festival in December 2017. They are already taking part in Voice for Life (White) and can be seen with their choir uniform and arm-bands with RSCM Membership Badges.
Mike Jones, organist & choirmaster,
All Saints, Rainford; RSCM Liverpool
& Isle of Man Area Chair and Treasurer
HARVEST IN HARROGATE
Ripon and Leeds Area
On 15 October the choir and congregation of St John, Bilton, Harrogate were joined by several smaller RSCM-affiliated choirs from the surrounding area to celebrate harvest evensong. Under the direction of Ruth Yarborough and Kevin Paynes, music by Malcolm Archer, David Houlder, Elizabeth Lawrence, Charles Villiers Stanford and Herbert Sumsion was sung by the combined choirs of
St John, Bilton, St Robert, Pannal,
St James, Birstwith, St Thomas a Becket, Hampsthwaite, St Thomas the Apostle, Killinghall, and St Michael and all Angels, Beckwithshaw. The organists were Sarah Warnes and Kieran Fitzsimons. Sarah Warnes, organist and choir director, St James, Birstwith, Harrogate
SECOND NATIONAL FESTIVAL
RSCM France, 21 October 2017
The Second RSCM France National Festival was held in the American Cathedral in Paris and directed this year by Malcolm Archer, Director of Chapel Music at Winchester College.
The Festival attracted some 40 singers, many of whom had travelled quite a distance to be at the event.
The music was taken from the RSCM Festival Service Book Reform and Renewal, and included music by John Ireland
and Stuart Townend, as well as the
new Sarum Service, specially composed for this book by Malcolm Archer. The singers enjoyed the occasion and a very high standard of singing was achieved, which culminated in a beautiful service of evensong at the end of the day.
Thanks must go to the RSCM France organizing committee for all their
hard work, to the staff at the American Cathedral and their Director of Music, Zachary Ullery, for his help and support in making this excellent venue available. Special thanks are also due to Andrew Dewar for his first-class organ playing during the Festival Service.
Malcolm Archer, Festival Guest Director
Harvest evensong from Bilton, Harrogate
GOOD NEWS FROM ARBORFIELD GREEN!
The former Garrison Church of
St Eligius, Arborfield Green has not only been saved as a civilian church, but following a small parish boundary change will soon be within the Church of England structure in the parish
of Finchampstead and California.
Having lost the organ and piano when the military moved from Arborfield, successful fund-raising resulted in
the purchase of new instruments.
On 8 October, an ecumenical Service
of Celebration and Dedication of the new organ and piano was held to acknowledge the contributions of various organizations and individuals. The full church included representatives of the Corps of the Royal Electrical
and Mechanical Engineers, the Viscount Alanbrooke and the mayor
of Wokingham Borough, Councillor Rob Stanton and Mrs Maureen Stanton. Music was provided by the Blackwater Valley Wind Quintet, the church choir and the organist. Canon John Edwards led the service and dedicated the organ and piano ‘so that the voice of music may help to proclaim God’s praise’
and blessed both instruments ‘that they may be set apart and consecrated for this purpose’.
Further good news comes with the resumption of monthly lunch-time concerts, with the aim of bringing good music to Arborfield Green and of raising funds for St Eligius Church. Organ and piano recitals can now be added to
the schedule.
With the future of St Eligius within
the Church of England secured, and with the imminent arrival of a new
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