The choir

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St Botolph’s is proud of its voluntary, non-auditioned choir, that meets each Sunday before the morning service, usually a Sung Eucharist but once a month Choral Mattins. Choral Evensongs also occur from time to time in place of sung morning worship.

Some members attend each week, forming the backbone of the choir while others, with family and other commitments, come when they can, especially for ‘Big’ events, such as the annual Requiem (Fauré, Duruflé, and more) that takes place around All Souls Day, and the annual Carol Service, when we have anything up to 30 in the choir.

Members of the choir are drawn from all choral backgrounds; the essential requirements are enthusiasm and a basic ability to read music. All voice parts are welcome.

The Choir is directed by Roland Robertson, formerly Director of Music at Bradfield and at Prior Park in Bath, and Director of the vocal ensemble Opus Anglicanum.

The choir recently performed in Venice, singing Sunday Eucharist at St George's Anglican Church and a concert of English Tudor masterpieces in the Scuola Grande dei Carmini, as part of the Venice Music Project. Recent repertoire has included Bryan Kelly ‘Crucifixion’, Stanford 'Beati' and ‘O for a closer walk', canticles in D by Dyson, settings of 'Ave verum' by Elgar and Mozart, and Masses by Haydn, Charles Wood and Charles Gounod. Choral Mattins for the 700th Anniversary of the Accession included Handel's 'Zadok the Priest' with organist David Poulter. For Candlemas 2024 the choir sang a pre-Reformation Latin Vespers as the conclusion of a workshop project on chant notation.

If you would like to try out the choir, please contact Roland directly on rolandrobertson606@gmail.com

Hello and welcome to St Botolph's. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
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Planning your Visit

Welcome to St Botolph's

The following information is specifically for those planning a first visit, so that you know beforehand what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

Our services are at St Botolph's church in the centre of Cambridge (details below). On Sundays these always start at 11.00am. We suggest planning to arrive 10-15 minutes early, especially if driving as parking spaces are in short supply in central Cambridge, and to find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by a sides person who will help you find somewhere to sit and will give you a hymn book and a prayer book, or a service sheet.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after the service and we hope very much that you will stay for a chat. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Plan your journey:

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Accessibility: There is wheelchair access. Please let the sides person know on your arrival and they will help you. Please note access to the toilet requires a step.

The service

Our Sunday service begins at 11am and follows the Book of Common Prayer. On the first, second, fourth and fifth Sundays we have a Sung Eucharist. On the third Sunday we have Choral Mattins with a said service of Holy Communion at 8am. There will be organ music before the service and the bell will ring for about five minutes before the service starts. All services will have a sermon from the Rector or a visiting preacher. These usually last for around 10-15 minutes. The choir plays a part in all services, leading hymns and sung elements of the service. The service ends with an organ voluntary. Many people sit and listen to this for five minutes or so. Others will start to congregate around the tea and coffee table for a chat.

What about children?

We welcome children of all ages and no one should be embarrassed if young ones cry or older ones wander around. We do not have a Sunday School so children remain in the service with their parents. There is a carpeted area in the side chapel which is available for parents and small children who want to step away from the main church for a while.

Getting in touch

Helping with services and the life of the church

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make our services run smoothly, please let us know. We are always looking for help with anything from flowers, to refreshments, to opening the church for visitors during the week and a hundred and one other tasks that keep the life of the community.

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

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Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


The Rev'd Jonathan Collis, Rector		Sarah Eastwood, Churchwarden

We hope that you will feel at home at St Botolph's.

Best Wishes,
All at St Botolph's