Music at St Michael’s has been an important element in the worship since it began in 1852.
We have one of the few fully functioning Parish choirs in the city of Christchurch. The principal choir is an SATB Choir of about 16 voices. Rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings 7:30pm – 9:30pm. With musical leadership at most 10:00am Sunday Masses and usually three 7:00pm Choral Evensongs a month, the very efficient and friendly choir covers a wide range of repertoire. The choir performs to a high standard.
Our organ, one of a handful in Christchurch which are fully intact, is a treasured feature of our worship.
Any enquiries about music at St Michael and All Angels, about joining choirs, or
organ tuition, should be addressed to our director of music Daniel Cooper.
Our Choir
We have one of the few fully functioning Parish choirs in the city of Christchurch. The principal choir is an SATB Choir of about 16 voices. Rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings 7:30pm – 9:30pm. With musical leadership at most 10:00am Sunday Masses and usually three 7:00pm Choral Evensongs a month, the very efficient and friendly choir covers a wide range of repertoire. The choir performs to a high standard.
We have four groups of adult singers.
Full Time Choir members sing at 10:00am Mass on Sundays, 7:00pm Festal Evensong 1st Sunday of the month and at major Festivals. They can choose to sing in the evenings as well.
Evensong Choir Usually sings 7:00pm 1st, 2nd and 3rd Sundays of the month and is made up of full-time members rostered from the above and extras from the Deputy list.
Deputies A pool of singers who offer to sing on an occasional basis in their chosen voice part when a full-time member is absent. Entry to the St Michael’s Choir is usually through this channel. Some elect to sing only in the ‘Evensong Choir’.
St Michael’s Scholars
Since its humble beginnings choral music has been a significant bridge of connection between the Parish of St Michael and All Angels, and St Michael’s Church School. In recognition of 175 years of worship, divinity, and the nurturing of a curiosity of Faith in the central city, The Parish of St Michael and All Angels is delighted to be able to offer a new choral music outreach programme for the St Michael’s Church School community: St Michael’s Scholars.
Students accepted into this programme will rehearse with the Director of Music of St Michael and All Angel’s from:
- 3pm-4pm on Wednesdays each week, and lead the singing in 10am High Mass at St Michael and All Angel’s on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, during the term time, beginning from Term 3 2026.
The Scholars (usually in years 6-8) will be responsible for leading the congregational singing of hymns and psalms, as well as presenting an anthem during communion.
The primary aims of the Scholars programme are as follows:
- To give students at St Michael’s Church School the opportunity to serve and participate in the historic worship tradition of St Michael and All Angels
- To equip students with a foundational church musicians’ technique that they can call on throughout their lives to engage with a wide variety of historic worship forms and their related music
- To foster in young singers an understanding and lifelong appreciation of the historical musical traditions of the church In its delivery the programme will offer to students:
- A disciplined, productive and nurturing learning environment, where commitment and dedication to the service of one’s community are lauded.
- School wide recognition through house points (each term) and a lapel pin (badge)
- The opportunity to achieve recognition through the RSCM “Young Voices Scheme”
Students in years 6-8 who with a good musical knowledge who would like to join Scholars, are welcome to do so directly. after consultation with the Director of Music. The training pathway for entry to the St Michael’s Scholars Programme is through joining the Preparatory Group. The Preparatory Group is designed for students in years 3-5.
- The Preparatory Group will meet on a Wednesday lunchtime for 30 minutes during the school term from Term 2 2026.
And while the expanding on initial voice training as is already provided by St Michael’s Church School, will focus on teaching children the essential initial practical skills of a church musician: reading and singing psalms, plainsong chant, and general cantorial type leadership of singing.
How to join: contact Daniel Cooper.
Our Organ
The present Organ at St Michael’s, ordered for the new church for installation in 1872, arrived in 1873. Like its smaller predecessor in the old church, it was built by the London firm of Henry Bevington and Sons. Shipped in zinc lined crates it was assembled by Henry Edgar Jenkins, a local organ builder who had worked with two of the greatest European nineteenth century organ builders, Aristide Cavaille-Coll and William Hill. Jenkins set up a workshop in Kaiapoi and was much involved in the organ at St Michael’s over the coming years. It is curious to note that all pipes were numbered by Bevington, presumably because there was no guarantee of skilled assembly in the Antipodes! The two manual instrument was a modest one which within a year had the addition of a Pedal 16-foot wooden Diapason and by 1886 had been resited in its present position with a Pedal Violin on the chancel case. This work was done by Jenkins. A Gamba stop was then added in 1883. In 1895/6 the organ was rebuilt by the organ-building partnership of Fincham and Hobday in favour of obtaining a new organ from Lewis of Brixton in London. By curious coincidence George Fincham had been apprenticed to Henry Bevington at the age of fourteen. Fincham and Hobday enlarged the instrument to a three manual one and retained all the Bevington pipework as well as adding 10 new ranks of their own.
The Director of Music is happy to provide organ tuition and to encourage people, especially those with piano experience, to take up the organ. There are many more potential opportunities for organ performance than for piano on a concert stage.
Music News
As a part of the 175th Anniversary of the Canterbury Settlement and the bicentennial of his birth we will be having a Festive Evensong to celebrate the architecture of Benjamin W. Mountfort (St Michael's Belfry and other significant Canterbury buildings.) Details below. There will also be an organ r...
Palm Sunday
Solemn Mass (10:00am)
Before the blessing of Palms: Plainsong 508 – The Children of the Hebrews (Mode 1)
After the Palm Gospel is read: Processional Hymn 509 All Glory Laud and Honour.
This Sunday, the 10th of April, we will follow Jesus's path to the cross as we pray the Stations of the Cross.
Derek and Keryn Ward will sing excerpts from Pergolesi's Stabat Mater accompanied by our Organist Paul V. Ellis.
Download the order of service here.
