An imaginative partnership between St Nicholas church in North Walsham and St Giles-in-the-Fields in Covent Garden will bring an exciting development in the choral work of the Norfolk church. The partnership involves St Giles providing financial support of £5,000 a year for three years to St Nicholas’ choir. The grant will be used to bring in four ‘lay clerks’, experienced singers who will join the choir to mentor and develop younger choristers, enhancing the already-respected choir’s musical offerings.
Rev David Warner of St Nicholas and Rev Tom Sander of St Giles collaborated on the project, aiming to boost the choir’s choral tradition post-Covid. The grant from St Giles is specified to be used solely for music and people, rather than instruments, as a way to support the growth and development of the choir. Both clergy members are hopeful that other grant-giving organizations will be inspired by the progress of this project, leading to further development and support for St Nicholas’ choir in the future.
Rev Captain Tom Sander of St Giles views the project as a way to support creative grassroots work in parishes outside London, emphasizing the importance of helping the next generation and promoting the Book of Common Prayer. The project aims to enhance the existing choir at St Nicholas, providing opportunities for experienced singers to mentor younger members and further enrich the musical offerings of the church. By supporting projects like this, St Giles hopes to contribute to the development of choral traditions in churches outside London.
The project at St Nicholas is not just about enhancing the choir’s musical abilities but also about outreach and sharing the choral tradition with a wider audience. The church hopes that a larger and more versatile group of singers will bring their music to various settings and events, making their choral tradition more widely known and appreciated. This project serves as a kick-start to further developments in the choral work of St Nicholas church, with the potential to bring their music to a wider audience and nurture future generations of church singers and musicians.
