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The Parochial Church Council of Monken Hadley is a Registered Charity, number 1131428 on the Charity Commissioners' list.

Church Music

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
A 'Director of Music' is employed by the church to promote all aspects of music within the life of the congregation, and in support of our worship. The Director of Music is very much part of the ministry team, and has a wide-ranging brief for supporting and encouraging all aspects of music in the life of our church. As part of his duties he is also our regular organist. He is able to offer organ lessons to those interested in playing this musical instrument. He also encourages other musicians, and directs the choir. At present this post is vacant, and anyone interested in applying should approach our Rector or Churchwardens.

An enthusiastic musician is sought for what the local Area Bishop has called “London’s only rural church”. Medieval church on historic Hadley Common with excellent Forster & Andrews organ. Parish stretches from urban Barnet High Street to rural Hertfordshire farmland. Our new Director will play for Sundays (morning & evening) and Festivals, direct and develop a small choir, and encourage a range of musicians. There is a volunteer Deputy. Stipend in range up to £4,500pa depending on qualifications & experience. Fees income approx a further £1,500pa. Full details and application (without obligation) from:

The Rectory, Hadley Common, Barnet, EN5 5QD.


MONKEN HADLEY GUILD OF SINGERS
The Singers' Guild is an autonomous society within the life of our church. Our Rector is its President, and the Director of Music is its Chairman. The Secretary is Tricia Narracott-Wales (020 8449 7982 or email). It consists of those members of our church who have an active interest in singing, and currently consists of two main groups.
(a) The Church Choir
A small church choir sings regularly each week at the 10.30am and 6.30pm services. Practices take place every Friday night from 7.45pm to 9.15pm, also in church. New volunteers are always welcome to join. The choir has visited Italy four times during recent years, the last time being October 2008, when they sang Evensong in three Roman Catholic churches.
(b) The Choir Reserve
On special occasions the choir is often augmented by additional singers, who do not feel able to commit full-time to the choir, but nonetheless want to help out, particularly with the provision of a full choir for festivals, weddings, and other special occasions.

In recent years our own singers have been supported on various occasions by the 'Monken Hadley Singers' (most of whom sing at other local churches), and members of the 'Apollo Boys' Choir' (which, despite its name, is actually a choir of young men, and not treble boys).

THE FUTURE
We are constantly looking for new ways of enhancing the provision of music in our church, and encourage musicians of all sorts to join us. At present we have a pipe organ built by Forster and Andrews of Hull, with twenty speaking stops, built around 1850 (though not for us - it was moved to our church in the early 1990s), two pianos, and the facility for provision of digital music through our internal sound system. We are keen to encourage and develop new ways of making music in our church and for our worship. We have a small number of talented instrumentalists who hope to be able to work with our new Director of Music, once an appointment has been made.