The Choir

Our Director of Music

Giles has spent all of his life in the world of Classical music, firstly as a chorister at York Minster. He moved on to study music at the University of Oxford, where he was the Organ Scholar at Worcester College. Now based full-time in Edinburgh, he splits his time between conducting choirs at St John’s and the University of St Andrews. He is also a recitalist and award-winning composer.

Who are we

The adult choir of St John’s comprises 30-35 experienced and committed amateur singers. We perform a large and varied repertoire, from Byrd and Bach to Britten and MacMillan. Highlights of our last year include Bach’s Komm, Jesu, Komm; Duruflé’s Requiem and Parry’s Songs of Farewell. We prepare all that we do at the weekly rehearsal from 7.30-9.00pm on Thursdays.

What do we do

The choir is at the very heart of the three services that take place on Sundays, firstly at 9:30am with Choral Matins. The church and choir are tremendously proud to be one of the few churches in the country to sing this service every week. The 10:30am Choral Eucharist is the mainstay of our Sunday worship, where we are fortunate to have a thriving and supportive congregation. And finally, at 6:00pm Choral Evensong, where we can showcase more challenging repertoire. In addition to this we undertake a number of special services, such as concerts, weddings, memorials and carol services, depending on the time of the liturgical year.

Who are we looking for

We are always interested in meeting keen and committed singers, and we are a friendly and sociable group of people. If you would like to find out more, please email Giles, our Director of Music, under giles@stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk or by using the form below.

If you’d like to hear the kind of music the choir sings, why not watch one of the recordings from our livestreams on Facebook. The choir also has a dedicated Instagram page.