A vacancy has arisen for one Tenor Lay Clerk to join the group of eight regular Lay Clerks, at St George's Roman Catholic Cathedral, starting February 2024 or soon after.
During full term, Solemn Mass is sung each Sunday at 12pm by the Choristers (mixed) and Lay Clerks, preceded by a 10.40am rehearsal. For extra services (including all Solemnities) the Lay Clerks function as a separate entity, being joined by professional adult sopranos, and these are usually midweek with a 5pm rehearsal and 6pm service. At Solemn Mass there is a predominance of Latin motets and Mass settings, with Gregorian chant propers. The Cathedral Consort, the cathedral’s youth choir, leads worship at the 10am Family Mass, and the Cathedral also has a Junior Choir which rehearses weekly and sings for mass monthly. Choristers are drawn from local state primary schools in the Elephant and Castle area and are often taught to read music and sing from scratch. The Music Staff consists of a Director of Music and Cathedral Organist, two Choral Directors based in diocesan schools, and eight lay clerks.
There are approximately 40 choral Sundays and 25 additional choral masses per year. On non-choral Sundays (one per half term and the whole of August) a cantor sings at each Mass. Lay Clerks are expected to prioritise attendance at the required services in order to maintain a consistent and cohesive group, enabling us to continue to lead the worship at St George's Cathedral with dignity and musical excellence.
A minimum of 75% attendance at core Sunday services is expected, and the services of Christmas, Easter and the Triduum are compulsory for all.
The current standard fee for each service is £70.50 plus holiday pay, and for certain services including the Triduum the fee is £88 plus holiday pay. Additional opportunities are available to sing as a Cantor during the holidays as well as at weddings and funerals. The Cathedral Music Department also oversees the Southwark Singing Programme, a schools-based education project for Catholic schools across the diocese. Additional work as a vocal tutor to choristers or delivering whole-class singing provision in schools may be offered to suitable candidates on an ad hoc basis according to their skillset.
Applicants should be excellent singers with extensive experience in ensemble and liturgical singing, fluent sight readers and familiar with Gregorian chant (four line) notation. An understanding of and sympathy with the Christian faith is essential, as is a sense of formal worship appropriate to a Cathedral. The position of a Lay Clerk comes under the heading of regulated activity and as such is subject to an Enhanced DBS check. This is an employed role with PAYE in place, and fees are paid one month in arrears.
If you wish to apply for the post, please send a copy of your Curriculum Vitæ to Jonathan Schranz, Director of Music at music@stgeorges.org.uk together with the names and contact details of two referees, by 5pm on Friday 5 January 2024. Shortlisted candidates may be invited to deputise at Solemn Mass and/or to an interview and audition at mutual convenience at St George's Cathedral.