Choral and Organ Scholarships
Leeds Minster is the civic Church to a vibrant and enterprising city, set by the river on an ancient and holy Christian site where prayer and worship have been offered to God for over fourteen hundred years.
The present building was erected in 1841 and from early times was known for its outstanding music. This continues to the present day as the Minster community celebrates the English Sacred Choral Tradition as one of the key features of how we seek to structure our approach to worship within the mainstream of the ongoing Anglican tradition.
Choral and Organ Scholarships are offered to students in full time education within the city’s universities and colleges and from the surrounding area. At the present time, students from the University of Leeds, Leeds College of Music and York University are included among our Choral Scholars.
The basic commitment is as follows:
Thursdays: 6.30pm rehearsal for 7.00pm Choral Evensong, followed by a rehearsal until 8.45pm
Sundays: Choral Services at 10.30am and 5.30pm, each of which is preceded by a rehearsal
There are also extra services from time to time as would be expected for a Civic Church. These are detailed in the Choir Diary which is published at the start of each new term.
While it is expected that Choral Scholars would be available for services which might fall outside university term times, such as those at Christmas, Holy Week and Easter, there may be some flexibility in this if discussed and arranged far enough in advance with the Director of Music and the Rector.
The present choir is an adult chamber choir of approximately 24 auditioned singers and comprises a healthy mix of skilled volunteer singers and choral scholars. The Minster Choir’s repertoire is wide-ranging, the work is fast paced and the choir is an extremely friendly community. Applications are welcome from sopranos, altos (male or female), tenors and basses.
The basic value of each scholarship is £1500 per annum, with the potential for additional payments for excellent attendance and additional services or recitals.
Scholarships may be offered following a successful audition with the Director of Music who must be in receipt of two satisfactory references, one from a professional musician and the other a character reference ideally from a parish priest or else from a teacher. Any appointment will be subject to successful receipt of a satisfactory DBS disclosure.
Please contact the Director of Music, Alexander Woodrow (alex.woodrow@leedsminster.org) for an informal conversation or for more details.
