Music at St Michaels has been an important element in the worship since it began in 1852. It is one of the few fully functioning Parish choirs in the city of Christchurch. With musical leadership at 10:00am Sunday Masses and 7:00pm Choral Evensongs,  the very efficient and friendly choir covers a wide range of repertoire.

Parish Choir at St Michael's:

The principal choir is a Chamber Choir (SATB) of about 16 voices. Rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings 7:30pm – 9:30pm. With musical leadership at most 10:00am Sunday Masses and three 7:00pm Evensongs a month, the very efficient and friendly choir covers a wide range of repertoire.

Full time Choir members sing at 10:00am Mass on Sundays. Full Time Choir members also sing at the 7:00pm Festal Evensong on the 1st Sunday of the month and at major Festivals.

Evensong Choir members sing at 7:00pm on the 2nd and 3rd Sundays of the month (made up full time members rostered from the above and exras from the Deputy List see below).

Deputies: Applications are invited (scroll down for attached application) to join a register of singers who deputise 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."

Further Musical Opportunities at St Michael's:

St Michaels Young Voices (more details - scroll down for attached application):  For boys and girls of Primary School age is held weekly on Wednesday afternoon from 3:10pm – 3:50pm, in school term time. Those interested should contact the Director of Music or pick up forms from St Michaels School or Church. Initially, singers join the training group which meets at 3:10pm and finishes at 3;25pm. When they have achieved their ‘White Level’ they are promoted to the ‘Performance group’ which rehearses from 3:25pm till 3:50pm. It is intended that they perform at least once per month. They also qualify for the ‘Voice for Life’ training programme which entitles them to badges and/or ribbons at  five achievement levels.

Chamber Choir (scroll down for attached application): Further applications are invited from experienced and competent singers wishing to join the Chamber Choir of ten voices called ‘The Ten’. The group sing at an Evensong on the fifth Sunday of the month if there is one.  Occasional concerts are envisaged to promote works not often performed in New Zealand or to promote first performances.

Organ tuition: The Director of music is happy to provide organ tuition and to encourage young 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.

Contact: Paul Ellis, Director of Music if you require information or wish to take part in our active music programme. Paul Ellis (03) 337 3370 email: paulv.ellis@clear.net.nz

Director of Music, Paul Ellis………began his musical career as a Chorister in the Christ Church Cathedral Choir under Dr C Foster Browne. It was Foster Browne who offered to teach him to play the organ.  As a pupil at Christ’s College he was Assistant Organist and Head of the Chapel Choir. He was awarded the Maling Memorial prize for outstanding service to the school. On leaving Christ’s he attended Christchurch Teachers’ College for Primary School  training, embarked on studying Mus.B. and Dip Mus. at Canterbury and assisted with organ playing at several churches, including St Saviours Sydenham, where his father was Vicar. He was appointed Organist and Choirmaster at St Mary’s Merivale, where he served from 1967-1973. There was a vibrant music programme with four choral services each Sunday and four choirs. He was the winner of the first NZ Organists’ Association Competition for playing and improvisation in 1972. While in London he studied organ with Douglas Hawkridge and sang in the Bach Choir.  On returning to New Zealand he acted as Director of Music at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament 1978--1980, while Don Whelan was overseas. For thirteen years he was fully involved with the Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival, conducting a massed choir of 600 children and the auditioned Senior Representative choir of 90 voices. He directed the Music at St Barnabas, Fendalton 1981-1987. He was Director of Music at Christ’s College from 1988-2001. He was National President of the NZAO from 1987-1991. He has directed many Choir Festivals and courses, including RSCM Summer and Winter Choir Schools, and served many locums as a Conductor and Organist, including three tenures at St Paul’s Cathedral Dunedin and two at Christ Church Cathedral. He was Assistant Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral 2002-2009. He has directed the Girl's Choir at the Cathedral Grammar Girl's School since 2002. Currently he is President of RSCM (NZ) and was appointed Organist and Director of Music at St Michael and All Angels in July 2008.

THE ORGAN:

St Michael's ordered the current organ for installation in the current church building erected in 1872 (but the organ didn't arrive until 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 organbuilders, 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 1881 had been resited in its present position with a Pedal Violin on the chancel case. This work was done by Jenkins who also added a Gamba stop 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. 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.

Apart from essential repairs and action modification by Lawton and Osborne in 1941 and James Strachan a local organ builder in 1971, the organ, apart from the ungainly detached console, remains as it was in 1895.    It could be considered a good investment when no major work has been done on the instrument for over 110 years!

The sound is bright and clear and the instrument has definite character, especially in the string and reed stops.

It is in urgent need of a rebuild and the Parish will be sourcing ways of raising the significant sum needed to do this historic organ justice, in the not too distant future.

Organ details acknowledgements: John Middleton/ Ron Newton/ Christopher Templeton/ Ian Bell