The Saint John Singers
About Us
The Choir
The Saint John Singers is a group of accomplished and committed amateur singers which leads the musical worship at some of our country’s most beautiful cathedrals, minsters, and abbeys, as a visiting choir whilst the resident choir is on holiday or otherwise engaged. We are incredibly fortunate to have Jeremy Jackman as our Musical Director. The choir undertakes three or four cathedral visits per year during the holiday periods Easter, May, summer and October. The choir also holds one or two Workshops/Training Days per year, open to all, which offer the opportunity to gain help, encouragement and advice on effective breathing, vocal production and stamina and guidance on developing reading and listening skills. Further Information
Rehearsals
During the weeks leading up to a cathedral visit the choir usually rehearses four times, on alternating Thursdays and Fridays, at St John the Baptist Church, Windlesham, Surrey. The music is sent out to the singers well in advance and the choir is expected to familiarise themselves with the scores so that rehearsals can be focussed on performance rather than note bashing. Our upcoming schedule of visits and rehearsals can be found here. The Saint John Singers welcomes new singers in all voice parts. Contact the Secretary if you would like to come along to a rehearsal.
History
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2019, The Saint John Singers made its debut cathedral visit in 1989 under the direction of Ron Ferris. Ron was the Director of Music at St John the Baptist Church, Windlesham, where the choir still rehearses, and had been organist and tenor at St John's, Park, Swindon, hence the choir's name. During Ron's 23 year tenure the choir experienced many memorable occasions, including taking part in a service at Guildford Cathedral to mark the late Queen Mother's 100th birthday, and a special evensong at Worcester Cathedral on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Edward Elgar. From 2013 until 2021 the choir's Musical Director was Andrew Phillips and went from strength to strength under his leadership.
JOIN US
The Saint John Singers welcomes new singers in all voice parts. Contact the Secretary if you would be interested in coming along to a rehearsal.
Contact the SecretaryEvents
Below you will find the details of upcoming cathedral visits and rehearsals (provisional). All rehearsals will take place at St John the Baptist, Windlesham from 7.30-9.30pm. Workshop/Training Day venues as detailed. You can also open and/or add a live calendar with all dates using either iCal or Google Calendar links.
Chelmsford Cathedral 31 August/1 September 2024
First Rehearsal - Friday 12 July 2024
Second Rehearsal - Thursday 25 July 2024
Third Rehearsal - Friday 16 Auust 2024
Fourth Rehearsal - Thursday 22 August 2024
Training Day - 2nd November 2024
Details to be confirmed
PAST EVENTS
The music below was sung by the choir at the services of our most recent cathedral visits
Bristol Cathedral - 1/2 June 2024
Preces & Responses in D - Jackman
Canticles - Harwood in Ab
Anthem - See what Love hath the Father - Mendelssohn
Eucharist - Missa Johannes Baptistae - Brian Chapple
Anthem - Ave verum - Byrd
Canticles - Watson in E
Anthem - The Lord hath been mindful of us -Wesley
Chester Cathedral - 13/14 April 2024
Preces & Responses - Clucas
Canticles - Wood in D
Anthem - My Song is Love Unknown - Jackman
Eucharist - Harris in F
Anthem - Verleih uns Frieden - Mendelssohn
Canticles - Watson in E
Anthem - Ye choirs of New Jerusalem - Stanford
Sherborne Abbey - 28/29 October 2023
Introit - O Sing Joyfully - Batten
Preces & Responses - HCStewart
Canticles - Harwood in A flat
Anthem - My Song is Love Unknown - Jackman
Eucharist - Schubert Mass in G
Anthem - Let all Mortal Flesh - Bairstow
Anthem - Peace, Perfect Peace - Gibbons
Introit - Oh! for a closer walk with God - Stanford
Canticles - Smart in B flat
Anthem - O Lord the maker of al thing - Joubert
HEAR US
Below you can listen to some recent recordings of the choir
Chester Cathedral- Eucharist - 14 April 2024
Kyrie in F - HARRIS (Nave)
Gloria in F - HARRIS (Nave)
NEH 351 'Come, ye faithful, raise the anthem' (Nave) - final two verses
Chester Cathedral - Evensong - 14 April 2024
Responses - CLUCAS (Quire)
Psalm 73 - Hopkins, Stonex, Edward (Quire)
Nunc Dimittis in E - WATSON (Quire)
St Mary's Church, Shalford - March 2023
Preces - Sanders
Psalm 84 - Archer
Magnificat in Eb No.2 - Wood
The Lord hath been mindful - Wesley
Cathedral Visits Facts
A few statistics from the choir's 35 years of cathedral visits including a map showing all the cathedrals visited - click into a cathedral to see the date(s) visited and the music sung.
Cathedrals visited
Total visits
Visits per cathedral
Evensongs Sung
Gallery
A selection of photos from some of our most recent cathedral visits
- All
- St Albans
- Bath Abbey
- Portsmouth
- Worcester
- Rochester
St Albans
Descending from the Bridge
Bath Abbey
South Transept
Rochester
Rehearsal in the Nave
Rochester
Rehearsal in the Quire
Worcester
Rehearsing in the Nave
Rochester
Rehearsal in the Quire
Bath Abbey
Awaiting Evensong
Portsmouth
The Nave
Worcester
Processing to Evensong
Testimonials
Tim Popple
Music & Liturgy Officer, Bristol Cathedral
June 2024
St John Singers visited Bristol Cathedral in June 2024. They sang a new Mass commissioned for them, giving its first performance during their visit. A pleasure to deal with in the lead up to their visit, they were well received by our congregation while here. I would be very happy to have them back at Bristol Cathedral!
The Reverend Canon Michael Garland
Canon Succentor, Gloucester Cathedral
September 2023
I thought that the singing was of the highest order. We hope that you will come back to Gloucester at some time in the future.
St Albans Cathedral
February 2023
Their music choices were appropriate both for the lectionary and the forces in the choir, and they performed to a high standard. The choir has a real appreciation for the liturgy, and are well supported. We have extended an open invitation to them to sing here again.
The Reverend Canon Dr Gordon Giles
Canon Chancellor of Rochester Cathedral
April 2022
It was a joy to welcome the Saint John Singers to Rochester Cathedral in Eastertide 2022 to sing a weekend of Choral Mattins, Eucharist and Evensongs. With a mixed repertoire conducted with confidence and panache by Jeremy Jackman, the choir are attentive and able, singing with accuracy and aplomb. A big sound from a big hearted choir! Thank you for coming and do come again!
Member of Llandaff Congregation
Anonymous
October 2019
I should like to congratulate the St John Singers and their young organist during their weekend residence at Llandaff Cathedral. I was fortunate enough to be present at the 11am choral eucharist on Sunday last, and was both moved and impressed by the choice of music (Ives and
Gjeilo) and the very high calibre of the singing and playing. Please pass my sincere thanks and appreciation to all concerned for an uplifting service. I look forward to a return visit of such talented musicians to Llandaff.
Claudia Grinnell
Assistant Organist, Winchester Cathedral
June 2018
Please pass on our thanks to the choir! Their music-making was hugely appreciated by everyone who heard it.
Dean of Wells
The Very Reverend Dr John Davies DL
April 2018
I am writing on behalf of the Chapter to say thank you to your choir for singing the services in Wells Cathedral on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 April. We really enjoyed your contributions both musically and in fellowship. All of the hard work that goes into the music preparation and rehearsals is greatly appreciated.
Ben Morris
Assistant Director of Music, York Minster
November 2017
On behalf of all at York Minster, I’d like to thank you all most warmly for your contribution to the weekend’s worship here last weekend. Maintaining a high standard of choral worship during the
holiday periods is important to us and we were very grateful for your help in upholding that. We are aware of the hard work and preparation which goes into a visit such as this, and was in
evidence throughout the weekend in your well-chosen repertoire, and relaxed but well-prepared singing. We would be pleased to welcome you back to sing here again.
Sue Armstrong
Choirs Administrator, Winchester Cathedral
August 2017
The St John Singers have sung services at Winchester Cathedral on a regular basis over at least the past ten years. Those who run the choir are well-organised and efficient, sending their music in plenty of time. The choir has always been well-rehearsed and sung the services with great conviction and polish. We will be pleased to welcome them here again in 2018.
Who's Who
Meet the people who make it all happen
Eila Savill
Chair
Eila Savill
Chair
Angela Clark
Secretary
Angela Clark
SecretaryJeremy Jackman
Musical Director
Jeremy Jackman has been a member of The King’s Singers, Chorus Master of the London Philharmonic Choir, and was for 20 years the Musical Director of the English Baroque Choir. Along the way he has sung for the BBC Northern Singers and the Tallis Scholars, and conducted at St Paul’s Cathedral, the Royal Festival Hall, St Mark’s Venice and St John’s Smith Square. He has worked with Julie Andrews, Placido Domingo and John Denver all at the same time, and once found himself (for TV) singing Christmas music on horseback at 8.30 am on a freezing cold morning beside a lake in Yorkshire – wearing a monk’s habit (don’t ask!).
But running like a golden thread through all of this is his love of – and immersion in – church music. ‘The trouble is, you can’t read,’ (he didn’t mean the music) said a young Barry Rose, telling Jeremy (aged 4¾) why he couldn’t immediately join the choir of St Andrew’s Kingsbury. The two years he did spend under Barry’s direction were seminal. His formative years thereafter consisted of one great musical experience after another; a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral, a Junior Exhibitioner at the Royal College of Music, studying with Anthony Hedges (composition), and Paul Esswood and Mary Thomas (singing). Jeremy was a Lay Clerk at Westminster Cathedral (choirmaster, Stephen Cleobury) before joining The King’s Singers in 1980. With them he toured the world many times over, performing in the world’s most prestigious concert halls and making countless recordings and broadcasts.
On leaving the group in 1990 he founded Laudemus, a week-long Choral Evensong course in Dorset, England, in which the participants sing the office in a different church every day to different music. The course has now been running for more than 30 years. Jeremy’s compositions for church choirs include six settings of the Evening Canticles, five sets of Preces and Responses, introits, anthems, and a host of hymn arrangements and psalm chants. In early 2022 he was delighted to take up the post of Musical Director of the Saint John Singers.