Open Rehearsals
We’re looking for new members who have good sight reading skills
Please come along to St Philips Church Earls Court and try us out
Tuesday 24th May 2022 and / or Tuesday 14th June 19.15 - 21.45
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 have been meeting and rehearsing online, using Zoom. Live rehearsals resumed in late August 2021, with limited numbers at each rehearsal and with the option of participation via Zoom. Concerts and event bookings are once again very active, but the rapidly varying Covid regulations mean that forward planning remains limited in scope for the time being.
If you are interested in joining the choir then please contact the membership secretary, Robert Moffat: membership@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 for the next year will be every Tuesday between 7:15pm and 9:45pm, at St Philip's Church in Kensington.
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
Guy Protheroe
Artistic Director and Principal Conductor
Rebecca Taylor
Associate Conductor
Scholarships
We have a scheme offering singing scholarships for singers who have recently left university and are looking to join a prestigious London choir. Currently, one scholarship is available, for a bass or baritone. You must have good sight-reading ability and experience of singing in chamber choirs and/or small groups. Singers chosen will be expected to commit to an agreed number of projects over the season, but not to do every concert!
The scholarships will take the form of free membership of the ECC, free lessons from our vocal coach, as well as support for travel and accommodation expenses, as necessary, for events outside London.
If you are interested please contact the chairman Mark Roper: Chairman@englishchamberchoir.co.uk.
New members.
We are always interested in hearing new people and although we may not be able to ask you to join immediately we would still be interested in hearing you sing. We look for experienced singers with good sight-reading and the ability to take part in as many concerts as possible. Potential new singers are welcome to come along to a rehearsal and give us a try. In the first instance, please contact the Membership Secretary, Helen Gironi: Membership@englishchamberchoir.co.uk, or via the Contact Form.
Joining the Choir is by audition, at which you will perform a piece of your choice together with some sight-reading tests. As with all choirs, it’s important that in addition to musical ability you’re able to blend in with us. That means both timbre and personality. So, if successful in the audition, we tend to ask you join on a short probationary period so that we can both agree that we’re right for each other. And only after that will we ask you to formally join and pay the subscription.
If you have any questions about the process or about whether you think you’ve got the experience, please contact the Membership Secretary, Helen Gironi: Membership@englishchamberchoir.co.uk.
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
Jocelyne Hurndall
Anne Johnson
Augusta Lees
Tess Lewes
Ann Manly
Natalia Murray
Anne-Sophie O'Connor
Debbie O'Connor
Stella Redburn
Josie Taylor
Altos
Karen Bloomfield
Karolina Czech
Margaret Driver
Peggy Hannington
Katharine Johns
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
Ken Wharfe
Andrew Wightman