Music at St Jude's
Music is right at the heart of our worship, community and events at St Jude's.
We have a magnificent Father Willis organ. We established a formal musical educational link with Henrietta Barnett School in 2004 through the provision of organ scholarships and participation in some sung services. This scheme has been a great success with many of the holders of the organ scholarship going on to pursue organ playing and music as a career.
The choir of keen volunteer adults is supported by eight sixth-form choral scholars in weekly sung services. The choir supports all the major liturgies, including the Sunday morning Parish Eucharist, monthly choral evensong, and regular special services and concerts in addition to annual festival services in Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter.
Under the direction of Nicholas Chalmers, Organist and Director of Music, the choir has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and provides a friendly, supportive social environment in addition to a high musical standard. We welcome applications from prospective choir members throughout the year, in all voice parts. Entry to the choir is usually based on joining a few services on a trial basis before an informal audition with the Director of Music. Please find more information about choral scholarships below.
Director of Music Nicholas Chalmers
Nicholas Chalmers is one of the leading conductors in the UK, and has been Organist and Director of Music at St Jude-on-the-Hill since 2003. His energy and vision have seen the establishment of highly successful artistic and education projects and his work impacts thousands of young people each year. Nicholas is driven by a passion to bring classical music to the next generation and to ensure that people in areas of under provision have better access to training and engagement in the performing arts. As founder Artistic Director of Nevill Holt Opera, his 10 year leadership of the company saw the creation of an exquisite new theatre in Leicestershire, which won plaudits for its acoustic design and reached the final of the RIBA Stirling prize in 2019. He is a Senior Associate Artist of the Royal Opera House, where he will make his conducting debut in autumn 2024. Nicholas was conductor of Northern Ireland Opera and works with all leading orchestras and opera companies.
Nicholas is the Associate Conductor (Learning) of the BBC Singers and made his BBC Proms conducting debut in 2020 with the group. With the BBC Singers, he has programmed and conducted numerous broadcasts and concerts throughout the UK and helped establish the Singers’ partnership with youth choral groups in Stratford East, the future home of the BBC performing groups. From September 2024, Nicholas has been the Fernside Chair of Choral Conducting at The Royal Academy of Music, in addition to his role as Principal Conductor of the National Youth Choir (18-25 Years Old).
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Choral Scholarships
Since 2013, St Jude-on-the-Hill has developed a highly successful choral scholarship scheme, beginning with four annually-renewable scholarships held by local Sixth Formers who join with adult volunteers to form the core of the choir. From the start of the academic year 2024-25, there are now eight choral scholars, which has supported a growing reputation as one of the most vibrant parish choral programmes in North London. St Jude’s choral scholars and the whole Choir have participated in a varied and exciting programme. Recent highlights have included participation in interfaith musical events, ecumenical services and a recording of lessons and carols for the Church of England’s 2024 Online Carol Service. This service had the highest engagement and acclaim of any of the Church’s Christmas services, with over 1,000,000 views and 207,000 hours of viewing.
Scholars’ roles include supporting the less experienced singers in the Choir as well as performing regularly as soloists in our weekly sung Sunday Eucharist, regular Evensongs and festival services. Recent highlights have included Vivaldi’s Gloria with Orchestra for Easter, and Allegri’s Miserere for Ash Wednesday. This experience of the choral canon and musicianship training provides an excellent foundation for choral awards at University level: more than 25 St Jude’s scholars have gone on to hold positions at Oxford (recently including Merton and Keble Colleges), Cambridge (recently including Clare, Trinity, Gonville and Caius Colleges), and beyond.
We welcome applicants for choral scholarships from pupils in school years 11 and 12. We normally hold informal auditions after potential applicants have sung a few services with the choir on an informal basis. We feel that this is a great way to discover if you enjoy singing with us and wish to apply. Please get in touch at music@stjudeonthehill.com to arrange a trial period with us. We welcome enquiries throughout the year.
Benefits of being a choral scholar at St Jude-on-the-Hill include:
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Sunday commitment (2 hours per week)
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Scholarship value up to £850 per year
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Improve your sight reading
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Supportive and welcoming community
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University choral scholarship preparation
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World class acoustic
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Cathedral choir musical standard
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Monthly choral evensong
Join us
Adult & Young Volenteer Singers
We are currently recruiting adult volunteers in all voice parts. Some experience of the Anglican choral repertoire is desirable but not essential, though some standard of sight-reading is required due to our limited rehearsal time and ambitious repertoire. Please contact us at music@stjudeonthehill.com to arrange to sing with the choir on a trial basis.
