Welcome to our Choir and Music Pages. Here you’ll find information about the sining and music making that happens here at St James and how you might get involved in it. We are happy to welcome musicians and singers of any ability to our programmes.
Gilli Dulieu choirleader@stjamesclacton.org.uk is an experienced choir lead. Her former role was as music director to Clacton Choral Society and she is a founding member of the Cantate quartet. She boats a significant musical pedigree and joined our church musical family in 2021.
Adults, experienced singers and beginners, are always welcome to our rehearsals, services and special events. Please don’t be shy in coming forward, we’d love to meet you! Rehearsals are held weekly at 19:00 at the Parish Church of St James, Tower Road, Clacton-on-Sea. If it’s your first time, come 5 minutes early or be in touch by email just to make yourself known.
Young People are welcome to join our principle choir, which leads our musical offerings on a Sunday Morning during worship and at other times throughout the year. We have a choir club which meets from 18:00-19:00 on Fridays in term time for anyone who wishes to come and sing for fun and develop their skills. Those looking to advance further graduate from the club to the principle choir as well and potentially to win a choral scholarship (more information below). We welcome singers from the Age 7 and ask all our new young people to begin with choir club.
Voice for Life
There are 5 main levels, progressing from white through to yellow, with three special levels for those who have completed the initial programme.
Scholarships for Choirister
We love our town, and we love living by the sea, but we lament that there isn’t always the oppotunities we might wish there to be for our young people. In response to this, and through the generosity of local people, we aim to award 5 scholarships each year to young members of our choir so that they might meet the costs of a musical eduction.
In exchange for these awards, the young people agree to share their developing skills with us by being part of our choir. The awards are enough to meet the costs of a weekly music lesson, and there is no restriction in what instrument this might be. Our only stipulation, alongside joining the choir, is that your music tuition follows a recognised grade system which cotains an appropriate amount of theory.
Those interested in finding our more should contact the vicar frjustin@stjamesclacton.org.uk or the choirmaster@stjamesclacton.org.uk
