Great St Mary's Choir

Great St Mary’s Church has, for centuries, had a dual role as church to the University of Cambridge and church to its own city-centre parish.  As a result, it also has a colourful musical tradition.  The Gothic building is lucky in boasting two fine pipe organs, one maintained by the Parish, and one (first installed by ‘Father’ Bernard Smith in 1698) maintained by the University.  Great St Mary’s is also one of few parish churches to hold three choral services, Eucharist, Mattins and Evensong every Sunday during term time.

The Parish Choir, traditionally formed of adult altos, tenors and basses with a soprano line sung by boys has existed since the late Nineteenth Century, and has thrived in the Twentieth Century under the direction of Dr Douglas Fox, Alan Tranah, Graham Sudbury, Christopher Moore and Jonathan Gregory to name a few.  Today the choir comprises around twenty members, with boys (from the age of eight) being drawn from local schools, and adults from across the city.  The idea for forming a girls choir came at the end of the 1980s when the concept of giving girls access to a Cathedral-style musical education (hitherto exclusively the domain of boys) was gaining momentum across the country.  Great St Mary’s Girls Choir was formed in 1989 by Jan Payne, and quickly gained popularity.  Under the direction of Michael Haynes in the late 1990s, the Parish Choir and Girls Choir were brought under unified control, and now frequently sing together for major services and tours.  Michael Haynes also established the Girls Chamber Choir, a smaller group comprising the eldest singers in the main Girls Choir.  Girls can start singing in the Girls Choir at Great St Mary’s from the age of eight, and normally move into the Chamber Choir around the age of fourteen.  Many of the children who sing in the main choirs at Great St Mary’s start off singing in the Junior Choir (for those aged five and above), directed by Sue Binns.  Children in the main choirs receive voice coaching from soprano Lucy Jack.

The Choirs have made several recordings over the years, the first being ‘The Sounds of Great St Mary’s’ under the direction of Graham Sudbury.  The present recording is the first for a number of years and presents much well-known Christmas music alongside a number of new works and première recordings, and provides a musical backdrop to the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany

Sam Hayes

Samuel Hayes was born in 1982 and was educated at Guildford County School, and Queens’ College, Cambridge, where he was Organ Scholar.  During his time as a student he was active as a conductor with the University Music Society, the University Chamber Orchestra and the University Gilbert and Sullivan Society.  He also made two recordings with Queens’ College Chapel Choir (the second in his capacity as Director of Music in Chapel, 2004-2006).  He has been Director of Music at Great St Mary’s since 2005.  In addition to his work there, he also teaches organ and piano and supervises papers for the Cambridge music degree course.  He achieved the Associateship, Fellowship and Choral Conducting Diplomas of the Royal College of Organists in the space of a year, in the latter winning both of the major prizes.  He has also participated in two International Masterclasses in Choral Conducting in Uppsala, Sweden (2006) and Paris (2007).  He has founded and directs two vocal ensembles, Appassionare and The Larks Ascending, the latter geared to focus on his main musical passion, modern British repertoire.  He also directs the Michaelhouse Chorale, a choir formed of mental health patients and their carers, in association with the Arts and Minds foundation

Leigh Simpson

Leigh Simpson started learning the organ at the age of twelve. After attaining Distinction in ABRSM Grade 8 Organ he worked as Assistant Director of Music at St Mary’s Church, Disley, before leaving the countryside for the city. Leigh came to Cambridge to study Engineering at Robinson College, where he was an Organ Scholar for three years. He has now graduated and has been Organist at Great St Mary’s since 2006. He studies organ with David Sanger.

Composers on the Disc:

Richard Lloyd (1933-), Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989), Herbert Howells (1892-1983), J.S. Bach (1685-1750), Simon Whiteside (1965-), Paul Bryan (1950-), Selwyn D. Image (1938-), Charles Wood (1866-1926), Malcom Archer (1952-), Adam Pounds (1954-), Paul Edwards (1956-), H. J. Gauntlett (1805-76)

We are happy to license recordings from our back catalogue for commercial, semi commercial or educational use. We will take applications for charitable purposes but there will be a nominal charge made to cover documentation If the music is still in copyright the licensee will need to contact the publisher for permission and pay any fees requested to Performers and Artists when synchronisation rights are being requested. Please CONTACT us for more information.