St Bertoline’s is very proud of its music and its choir.
The Congregation appreciate the organ and choral music, and their comments and requests are always welcome.
The Organ
The organ is a digital electronic instrument manufactured by Makin, which was installed in 2005, replacing the old pipe organ. It is the Westmorland 27 model with 2 manuals (keyboards) and pedals, with 27 stops and the usual couplers. There are manual and general thumb pistons to help with the registration changes.
The tone is produced by sampling the sound of real organ pipes and storing them in memory digitally, then they are reproduced electronically through the speakers.
The sound is remarkably true to pipe organ intonation and is musically very satisfying.
For Sunday services, typically, there will be solo organ music before the service, with a short concluding piece at the end of the service.
There is currently a team of three organists, operating on a rota system. Any organist with a background in traditional, Anglican Church Music would be more than welcome to join the team. Please contact Gill Thorley on 01270 878293 for further information.
For other services such as weddings, funerals etc, choice of music can be made from the organ repertoire or transcriptions of other instrumental pieces depending on personal preferences.
The Choir
St Bertoline’s has a committed church choir affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music.
Young people are encouraged to come along and try out for the choir. Also particularly welcome would be tenors and basses with a basic ability to read music. Young or old or anywhere in between, age is no barrier!
The choir meets on Tuesday evenings at 18:30 at the church. Members are committed and enthusiastic and enjoy an active social life. If you would like to know more please contact Gill Thorley on 01270 878293.