Records dating back to 1388 show that there were four daily services at All Hallows Church in Northampton, of which two were sung by the choir of Boys and Men. All Saints’ Church, the fine classical building that now stands on the site of All Hallows (destroyed in the Fire of Northampton in 1675) is proud to continue that tradition. Today there are separate choirs of twenty-four boys, who are supported by a back row of eighteen lay clerks and choral scholars, many of whom are former choristers, and twenty-four girls. These choirs sing five or more fully choral services a week, with a voluntary choir, the All Saints’ Singers, leading the daily lunchtime Eucharist on Feast Days. With two Assistant Organists and two Organ Scholars, the music department currently boasts just over 100 musicians regularly leading the services. The choirs undertake regular tours, most recently to France (2011), Ireland (2010), to Poland for a performance of Britten’s War Requiem to mark the 60th anniversary of the Invasion (2009), and for two weeks in Canada, New York and the East Coast of America (2008). In 2007 the boys toured to
Germany, and in 2006 the Boys and Men held a residency at Truro Cathedral and the Girls and Men toured Guernsey, Brittany and Paris, performing motets by Jean Langlais accompanied by Marie-Louise Langlais at the Langlais Festival, and receiving a standing ovation at Sunday Mass at the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris. In May 2011 they returned to the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris to give the French première of Philip Stopford's Missa Brevis, in the presence of the composer, singing at the great Église Saint-Sulpice the next day, giving the world première of David Briggs' Messe pour Saint-Sulpice, again in the presence of the composer. The Choirs of All Saints are also active across the UK. In the past five years the Choirs of All Saints have performed in concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Northampton Bach Choir, Charivari Agréable, Fiori Musicali, the Queen’s Park Sinfonia, and the Stephen Petronio Company (in a performance of Rufus Wainwright’s Bloom). The Boys and Men gave the first of their now annual performances of Handel’s Messiah in 2008, and in recent years have given concert performances of J. S. Bach’s Wachet auf! and St Matthew Passion, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Haydn’s ‘Nelson’ Mass, Monteverdi’s Vespers (1610), Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs and Requiems by Bednall, Duruflé, Fauré and Rutter. They have also sung services in King’s College, Cambridge, St George’s Chapel, Windsor, Chester, Lichfield, Peterborough, St Edmundsbury and St. Paul’s Cathedrals, and held a residency at Westminster Abbey. After recordings on the Lammas and Regent Records labels, the choirs have launched their own CD label - ASN - which began with a recording of their most exciting new commissions, Omnes Sancti. In November 2011, the label will launch its second disc, Carol of Joy, a recording of Christmas Carols including their two new carols commissioned from Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. In early 2012 a second CD of French repertoire for upper voices will be released, Notre Père. Please explore the website to get a flavour of All Saints' Choir, their repertoire and other activities. If you would like further information about the choir or about the Friends of All Saints' Music, please contact the Director of Music.