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ROMSEY ABBEY CHOIR
The
Choir of Romsey Abbey is one of the largest and most successful all male Parish
Church Choirs in the South of England. Its
members are drawn primarily from the Romsey area, but with some travelling from
further afield. The aim of the Abbey Choir is to provide music of a high
standard, to lead and enhance the worship at services in the Abbey, including
important Civic Occasions.
Boys
are auditioned when they are in year three at school and those who are
successful join the choir as probationers after Easter in the year of the
audition. However, entry at other
times is possible, especially in cases where families move into the area.
The chief requirements expected of the boys are fluency in their reading,
a musical ear, the ability to work as part of a team and a lively interest in
the work and life of the choir. There
are usually twenty boys that make up the treble section, ranging in age from 8
to 14.
The
expectations for the men are very much the same as for the boys.
There are 12 men divided up into counter-tenors, tenors and basses, with
an Assistant Organist and Organ Scholar. The
full choir meets every Thursday for rehearsals during term time and, in
addition, the boys have a separate practice on Mondays.
There are two sung services in the Abbey on Sundays with additional
evening services for feast and festival days.
A high degree of commitment to all rehearsals and services is expected
from all members.
The
life of an Abbey Chorister is a demanding, but very rewarding one. The boys, in particular, receive an excellent all round
musical grounding and sing a repertoire which ranges from plainsong, the
earliest music of the Christian Church, to music from the twentieth century.
Such
a demanding schedule and level of commitment must be balanced by lighter moments
as well. There are many social and
fundraising events throughout the year organised by the Friends of Romsey Abbey
Choir. These occasions usually
involve the whole family, drawing in brothers and sisters, wives, mothers and
even grandparents. It is a very
important aspect of the life of the Abbey Choir, which enables us to relax,
laugh and have a lot of fun. This
in turn inspires us anew for the work we do in offering the very best music we
can to enhance the worship at Romsey Abbey.
More information about Robert Fielding
More Information from WWW.ROMSEYABBEYCHOIR.ORG.UK
More Information from www..romseyabbeychoir.org.uk about FORAC (The friends of Romsey Abbey Choir)