We’re looking for new members who have good sight reading skills
More information on Membership, or write to membership@englishchamberchoir.co.uk
We come together from a variety of backgrounds to share our passion for singing.
Many of us are highly experienced choral singers, having sung from an early age through university. Because we are a busy group with many concerts, recordings and services in a year, we tend to perform as an ensemble of around 30 singers although our membership number is obviously higher. We recognise that not everyone can sing in every concert, or come to every rehearsal and we also know that many of our members have demanding day jobs. Flexibility is key.
During the pandemic, we met and rehearsed online, using Zoom. Live rehearsals resumed in late August 2021, initially with limited numbers at each rehearsal and with the option of participation via Zoom.
If you are interested in joining the choir there are more details on the How to Join Us page. Contact the membership secretary, Helen Gironi on membership@englishchamberchoir.co.uk, or the artistic director Guy Protheroe on artisticdirector@englishchamberchoir.co.uk. Membership of the choir is through an audition, which covers a range of skills including sight reading, but we always suggest it is best to come along to a rehearsal first and get a flavour of how we work.
Live rehearsals are on every Tuesday between 7:00 pm and 9:30pm, at Holy Sepulchre Church, Holborn Viaduct EC1A 2DQ.
Members pay an annual subscription (but we can offer subsidies). There is also a scholarship scheme for singers leaving university this year. See below.
Members are not required to own their own music as we have an extensive library.
The English Chamber Choir is a Company Limited by Guarantee no: 08198937 and a Registered Charity no: 1153396. The choir is governed by a Board of Directors, elected annually by members at the choir AGM. Day-to-day management is undertaken by our Manager, Ann Manly.
The Choir
Key people
Rufus Frowde
Joint Artistic Director,
Artistic Director from
1st January 2024
Guy Protheroe
Joint Artisttic Director, Conductor Emeritus from 1st January 2024
Scholarships
We have a scholarship scheme open to young singers (typically but not exclusively recent university graduates) who are moving to London, looking to sing in a prestigious choir but may be deterred by the current high costs of living in the capital.
The scholarships offer free membership and assistance towards travel and accommodation expenses for events outside central London.
It is a long-held belief of the Choir that no-one should be excluded from singing on the grounds of cost. While the scholarship scheme is designed for new and generally younger members, those of limited means are encouraged to discuss their circumstances in confidence with our treasurer.
If you are interested please contact the artistic director Guy Protheroe: Artisticdirector@englishchamberchoir.co.uk.
New members.
We welcome new members at any time, subject to audition. We are looking for singers with good sight-reading and general musical skills. We get through a lot of music and a lot of performances during the year so we need a certain level of commitment, but not everyone is expected to do everything. We welcome potential new members along to a rehearsal to give us a try. You can then arrange with Guy to audition either at a subsequent rehearsal or privately elsewhere.
More information about the audition process can be found on the How to join us page
.
ECC Directors
Mark Roper
Chairman
Mark is one of our tenors; he joined ECC in 2016 having previously sung with New Sussex Opera, Sheffield Philharmonic, Brighton Festival Chorus and Twickenham Choral Society. Frequently a soloist with us, Mark is by profession a Business Change specialist and director of a niche Change consultancy.
Hannah Ainsworth
Hannah has sung soprano with us for five years, joining us from University of Bristol, where she sang in the University Singers and the Chamber Choir. In daily life she is a chartered accountant with one of the leading UK practices.
Francois Boucard
Treasurer
Francois, who has sung tenor with us for 20 years, is a senior financial controller for a leading hedge fund, hence his appointment as our treasurer. Originally from France, Francois took UK citizenship in 2016.
Hugh Joslin
Hugh has sung bass with us for nearly 30 years. Managing Director of Media Contacts, a recruitment agency for the media industry, he prides himself on being possibly the only media recruiter with a music degree and a single-figure golf handicap.
Simon Archer
Simon, and his wife, have both sung with us for over 5 years. Previously they sang with the BBC Symphony Chorus but both joined the ECC because of the variety of repertoire and the enjoyment that comes from singing with a smaller ensemble. Simon, by profession, is an Assistant Headteacher at a secondary school.
Marianne Aston
Soprano Marianne, has sung with ECC for 18 years. By profession she is an occupational psychologist, and she travels the world working with a variety of global clients. Marianne is also our German pronunciation coach.
Martin Douglas
Martin has sung tenor with us for over 5 years and is librarian for our extensive choral music collection. By day he is an IT consultant for a boutique consultancy, after many years with one of the Big Four accountancy firms.
Anne Johnson DBE
Anne started singing with the sopranos in the 1980s and, after a 20-year sabbatical, rejoined the choir 3 years ago. By day she is a researcher and public health doctor. She has served as a non-executive director of a number of health research charities and of an NHS trust.
Helen Gironi
Membership
Helen joined the choir in 2019 and previously sang with Bristol University Chamber Choir and her school chapel choir. By profession she is an impact investor and runs a small fund backing technology start-ups. She is also a trustee of Three Cs, which supports individuals with learning disabilities, autism and mental health challenges.
ECC Management
Ann Manly
Manager
Ann is the Choir's manager, responsible for booking external concerts and for administration. She studied music at Oxford and is a musician, singer, arranger, writer and arts adminstrator.
Who else is who in the ECC?
David Lowe
Webmaster and Archivist
Jay Venn
Singing Lesson Administrator
Martin Douglas
Librarian
Robert Moffat
Assistant Librarian
Peggy Hannington
Rehearsal Refreshments
Current Choir Membership:
Sopranos
Hannah Ainsworth
Nicky Archer
Marianne Aston
Jess Daggers
Julia Daniels
Helen Gironi
Kate Greenspon
Lydia Gregory
Anne Johnson
Tess Lewes
Ann Manly
Natalia Murray
Debbie O'Connor
Stella Redburn
Josie Taylor
Altos
Amy Bergs
Karen Bloomfield
Margaret Driver
Peggy Hannington
Tamsin Jones
Jenny Rowley
Robyn Sellman
Jay Venn
David Wheeler
Tenors
Francois Boucard
Roger Carpenter
Martin Douglas
Caspar Gordon
Robert Moffat
Stephen Pritchard
Mark Roper
Michael Roskell
Rob Scales
Basses
Simon Archer
David Elliott
Tim Johns
David Jordan
Hugh Joslin
David Lowe
Maxime Rischard
David Sheild
Neil Thornton
Andrew Wightman