The Choir of Christ Church St Laurence is one of the oldest continuing choirs in Australia and was founded shortly after the consecration of the Church in 1845. It performs an extensive repertoire incorporating music from Gregorian chant through to compositions of 21st century composers.
The Choir sings every Sunday morning at Solemn High Mass and again at Solemn Evensong, which uses the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. Special music is also provided for all major festivals and feasts throughout the church’s calendar.
The Choir is committed to new music by Australian composers and has recently commissioned liturgical works from William Yaxley (Mass for St Laurence, 2019) Joseph Twist (Missa brevis, 2020), Oscar Smith (St Laurence Service, 2020), Fiona Loader (Angelus ad virginem, 2020) and Brooke Shelley (Viri Galilaei, 2021).
Apart from the commitment to liturgical worship, the Choir regularly gives concerts. In recent years, performances have included Bach’s St John Passion (2022), Handel’s Messiah (2021), Charpentier’s Te Deum and Vivaldi’s Gloria with ensemble-in-residence, the Muffat Collective (2019).
The Choir is regularly heard on national radio and has also released several recordings, including Light’s Glittering Morn (2013), which features music from Lent to Easter and is part of a larger project to record music for the liturgical year. The Choir has toured extensively in New Zealand, Europe, the United States of America and the United Kingdom, including residencies in Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral, London and services at Notre Dame, Paris.
Choral Scholarships
Supported by St Laurence Music Inc, the Choir of Christ Church St Laurence offers choral scholarships to foster the next generation of church musicians. Scholars contribute to the choir which is made up of auditioned singers who volunteer their time.
The scholarships are intended for university students and/or early career artists and are distributed across soprano, alto (including counter-tenor), tenor and bass voices. Full scholarships are oered for the High Mass Choir which rehearses on Wednesday evenings and sings the Sunday morning and weekday feast High Masses. Partial scholarships are offered for the Evensong Choir which rehearses on Sunday afternoons before singing Solemn Evensong and Benediction at 6.30pm.
The Director of Music is always happy to hear from potential choristers or choral scholars.
DOWNLOAD INFORMATION ABOUT CHORAL SCHOLARSHIPS:
St Laurence Music iNC.
St Laurence Music Incorporated was established in 2001 to promote the appreciation of choral, organ and orchestral music through performances, recordings, tours and scholarships at or in association with Christ Church St Laurence. St Laurence Music provides funding for groups and individuals to assist in further training in singing, playing, the study of music as well as public performances.