All Saints Margaret Street.

All Saints Margaret Street, London, W1

Post of Assistant Director of Music

The Vicar and PCC of All Saints Margaret Street, London W1, invite applications for the post of Assistant Director of Music, vacant following the resignation of Charles Andrews, who held the post from 2011 to November 2016.

The post, which is part-time, offers an exciting opportunity for a recently-qualified organist to contribute to the life of an historic London city-centre church, which has an international reputation for its music and liturgy. Recent holders of the post have combined the activity with post-graduate research or training.

General information and background

All Saints Church, Margaret Street was consecrated in 1859, to an outstandingly colourful design by William Butterfield, as a ground-breaking manifestation of Anglo-Catholicism. Its choir enjoys a distinguished reputation as one of London’s finest church choirs. Initially, the church ran a choir school for boy choristers, which closed in 1968. The Choir nowadays is made up of professional adult women and men with 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, and 3 basses.  

Previous Organists and Directors of Music have included Walter Vale, Michael Fleming, Harry Bramma, and Paul Brough. The current Director of Music is Timothy Byram-Wigfield. There is also an Organ Scholarship, named after Dr John Birch, Organist of the church from 1958-1961, currently held by Laurence Long.  

Music at All Saints  
The musical component of our weekly choral service is substantial, and greatly valued by congregation and visitors alike. It is centred on the 4-manual Hill Harrison organ of 1910 (restored in 2003), generally acknowledged as a superb vintage example of its type. The Choir enjoys a widely-held reputation for its professional yet friendly working atmosphere and attainment. 

The Choir sings every Sunday during the year for two principal choral services: High Mass, and Evensong and Benediction. It also sings at weekday church feast days, listed in Appendix 1 to these particulars. 

Sunday’s timetable runs as follows:

10-10.45 a.m. Rehearsal, 11 a.m. High Mass (usually finished by 12.30p.m.)

5-5.45 p.m. Rehearsal, 6 p.m.  Evensong and Benediction (usually finished by 7.10 p.m.)

Timetable for High Mass on weekdays: 
5.30 – 6.15 p.m. Rehearsal, 6.30 p.m. High Mass

More information about music lists for services may be found on the church’s website.

Duties and responsibilities 
The Assistant Director of Music provides ongoing musical, administrative and collegial support to the Director of Music, in the provision of music for services in the church.  

The music staff consists of the Director of Music, the Assistant Director of Music, the Organ Scholar, the Choir Librarian, and 11 regular singers.

Musical duties include, but are not limited to:

Playing, accompanying or rehearsing/conducting services for the principal Sunday services for 44 weeks of the year, as directed by the Director of Music  Similarly, playing, accompany or conducting services for up to 12 of the listed weekday feast-days  Assisting in the mentoring of the Organ Scholar by supporting their development with encouragement and advice and leading by example   Maintaining the Library of Organ copies  Assisting in a range of administrative duties, liaising with the Parish Administrator – for example over compilation of the monthly music lists – and monitoring the maintenance of the Organ E-mail communications to Choir members.

Personal 
We are looking to appoint an organist of high ability, a recent music graduate, who has studied the organ to FRCO or equivalent level, and can demonstrate considerable experience of service-playing and solo performance.  Candidates should have some experience of, and affinity with, the Anglo Catholic musical tradition. Candidates will ideally be fluent in liturgical improvisation and plainsong accompaniment. The potential Assistant Director of Music will need to demonstrate their ability to work within a team, and to collaborate with and provide support to a group of peripatetic singers.

Remuneration 
The Assistant Director of Music is a free-lance musician, engaged by All Saints Church for his/her services. The Assistant Director of Music plays for a total of 44 Sundays of the year, and for no more than 12 of the special High Days falling on weekdays. The break-down of the fees is given in Appendix 1 to these particulars, and totals c. £9,000 p.a. Services such as weddings, funerals, charity services and events, attract extra fees.

Application and selection procedure 
Application is by full c.v. plus details of any relevant professional information (lists of recent recitals, performances or recordings).  Applicants are also asked to write a covering letter, of no more than one side of A4, giving an outline of the attraction of the post, and ways in which they see the post might benefit the progress of their career.

Please provide the names and contact details of two referees, who will be asked to comment on your musical ability, your work with a choir, and your contribution to a team of musicians. Ideally one should be a member of the clergy, and the second a musician of standing, who has been a recent colleague or teacher.  

Applications should be addressed to the Vicar, Fr Alan Moses, and emailed to the Parish Office at: astsmgtst@aol.com with the email titled ADoM Post plus candidate name.  

Closing date and time for applications: 5.30pm Friday 6 January 2017. The preferred method of communication is by email; hard copies of documents are not necessary.

Please Note: Prospective applicants from countries other than the U.K. should write to astsmgtst@aol.com for special circumstances surrounding acceptance of applications. Unsolicited recordings will not be accepted, and candidates must be in the U.K. and available to audition in the time-span specified.  

There will be two stages of short-list.
Stage 1
Selected candidates will be invited to come to All Saints to audition.
Within an informal interview, candidates will be asked to perform two contrasting pieces, one of which must be a substantial piece by a Baroque composer; perform a prepared accompaniment of a movement or section of a Mass by Mozart or Haydn; sight-read a short extract; play a short extract of a hymn, and improvise from the hymn-tune into a related key; and to accompany verses of a plainsong hymn. There may also be transposition and harmonisation tests.  

Stage 2
Short-listed candidates will be invited to be present for a whole Sunday Evensong and Benediction, (Sunday 15 or Sunday 22 January), to rehearse and direct the Choir for the anthem and to accompany the service.
More details of this section of the process will be given nearer the time.

For the final two candidates, there will also be an interview with the Vicar, Fr Alan Moses and the Assistant Priest, Fr Michael Bowie on Tuesday 17 January 2017.

Basis of Appointment 
Appointment to the post of Assistant Director of Music is subject to the receipt of a satisfactory DRB check, approval of the PCC and completion of a probationary period of 6 months.

Four Manual Harrison & Harrison Organ – specification available on application to the email address above. 

Website: http://www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk

December 2016