Join us

If you're interested in joining us as a singer, read on to find out how it all works.

Are you recruiting?

Yes, and we are actively looking for more altos at the moment!

Although we are a small choir, we are always interested in hearing from potential new members for any section. If you're interested in joining us, please get in touch.

What's the commitment?

Rehearsals: We rehearse monthly in central York on the second Sunday of each month, between 2pm and 4:30pm. We're not draconian about it, but we expect all our singers to be able to commit to every rehearsal and not miss any without good reason.

Gigs: We sing a mixture of services (mostly Sunday mornings and evenings through the year) and weddings (mostly Saturday afternoons in spring and summer), plus the odd concert. Everything's arranged in good time, normally with at least a couple of months’ notice and often much more. On average, we do about eight services and weddings each year.

It may sound counter-intuitive, but as a member of the Clerkes, rehearsals are compulsory and gigs are optional! That is, as long as you attend all our rehearsals, you can pick and choose which gigs suit you. You could easily be a full member of the choir and yet only choose to sing 4 services a year, for instance. However, we generally hope that most of our members can make most of the dates — and if you're often busy on Sundays, the Clerkes may not be for you.

Once you've said yes to a date, we use that information to plan repertoire and rehearsals (not to mention signing contracts with brides- and grooms-to-be!), so we expect you to stick by your commitment.

What skills do I need?

You will need to be an experienced singer and a good sight-reader. Our rehearsals go at a fair pace, and focus less on note-bashing and more on ensemble and musicality. Because we only rehearse once a month, we can’t afford to do things otherwise.

It would also help if you had some experience of the world of Anglican church music but this is by no means essential. If you're unfamiliar with this world, that’s fine, but be prepared for a steep learning curve when it comes to things like hymns, responses and Anglican psalm chant!

We don't have any requirement about religious commitment. Our members have a variety of beliefs, from atheist to devout. But of course you'd need to be comfortable singing in churches and services, since that’s mostly what we do.

Is there an audition process?

Yes. Initially, we will invite you to join us at one of our regular rehearsals so you can see for yourself what we do and we can get to hear how you get on with the music and how you blend with the choir.

If after the first rehearsal you are still interested in joining we may invite you to a second rehearsal, during which we will ask you to do a short audition with our Musical Director. This will involve singing a short prepared piece, some quick vocal exercises and a bit of sight-reading. After this, we’ll let you know as soon as we can — often straight away.

What does it cost?

We charge a small subscription to cover the costs of our MD and music purchases. Members can chose to pay this yearly or monthly. Our income from weddings allows us to keep subs as low as possible and also allows us to pay pay travel expenses for singers who share lifts to our more distant gigs.

What do I need to provide?

We supply all your sheet music, plus a rehearsal folder and a separate posh folder for performances.

You'll need to wear your own smart clothes for most gigs — generally a smart black dress or skirt with a black top, or black suit with a white shirt and coloured tie.

What are the benefits?

You mean, apart from being part of a musically excellent and highly versatile chamber choir? :-)

We're a very friendly and sociable group. We always go to the pub after rehearsals, and when most of the choir gets together for a service or concert, we usually go out of our way to organise a meal or similar social event afterwards.

Obviously, none of our social events are compulsory. But we're very keen that everyone feels part of the group and really hope that you’ll be able to join in.

Interested in joining?

Please get in touch with us and we’ll take it from there!