St Andrew’s Choir

is a mixed choir of very dedicated and active members. One of the great things about the Choir is the sheer range of musical styles with which it can cope – from the earliest forms of church music, through anthems by Byrd, Purcell, or Bach, the great anthems of the English cathedral tradition, all the way through to modern worship songs which are usually specially arranged in four-part harmony. Any one service may contain music from a variety of styles and periods, the guiding principle always being that the music must reflect the theme and mood of the service. Some of the music we use has been written or arranged “in house”, including the three different settings for the Eucharist composed by David Fuge.

One of the highlights of the Choir’s year is the annual service of Nine Lessons and Carols by candlelight, which takes place at 6.30pm on the Sunday before Christmas. The music for this service includes traditional and more recently composed carols sung by the Choir, as well as familiar congregational carols in which all can join.
Every Good Friday at 7.30pm, the Choir take part in a “Devotional Performance”, sometimes of a major choral work, on occasion accompanied by a small orchestra, or we hold a service of music and readings based on the Passion story. Works performed in the past include Handel’s Messiah, Requiems by Mozart, Fauré, Duruflé and Rutter, Crucifixion by Stainer, and both Pergolesi’s and Karl Jenkins’ settings of Stabat Mater.

The Choir meets in a fun and friendly atmosphere to rehearse between 8pm and 9.30pm on most Friday evenings. There are no practices during August.

The Community Choir

is a relaxed, all-age choir that meet occasionally during the year. Publicity is put out before they meet, inviting anyone to come along, and they rehearse from 7pm – 8pm on the Friday leading up to performances. The only requirements are enthusiasm and a love of singing!

The Band

While our traditional music is normally accompanied by the organ, our Band provides the backing for more contemporary music. The core of the group is piano, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, percussion, saxophone, and flute.

Come and join us!

We are always pleased to encourage new faces in the Choirs and the Band, so if you sing or play an instrument and would like to take part in the musical worship life of St. Andrew’s,  then please do get in touch with David Fuge via email at davidf@sac.church or speak to him after a service.

If you wish to get a flavour of the worship at St. Andrew’s, please visit our YouTube channel where you can find many services at which the Choir and Band take part: https://www.youtube.com/@standrewschurchcobham6668/streams