Music in the Temple Church – an opportunity for all

Any organisation must adapt to its surroundings to survive, and this has never been more relevant and important in church music. Temple Church’s choir and musical tradition stretches back to the 12^th Century, just after the church was built and continues to flourish in a lively and varied programme today. Our current music programme encompasses a chorister programme for girls and boys aged 8-13, a youth choir for teenagers aged 14-21, an expanding singing outreach programme to primary schools, a choral scholarship scheme for emerging professional singers, and a weekly international organ recital series encompassing student showcase opportunities. Our ethos is to have entry points for participation at every age level, from age six to professional musician. 

The choristers of the Temple Church attend a range of schools in London, and come to the church for a rehearsal at 16:30 most weekdays. Many collegiate style choirs require children to attend particular schools, but at Temple we pride ourselves on this opportunity being open to anyone who can reach the church for rehearsals. We currently have children from 14 different schools, so the choir is a unique team of individuals. The daily musical training they receive is designed to enable them to thrive in a professional choir for their performances here and, equally as important, to equip them with musical skills for life. 

During 2024, the choirs performed a range of major services and concerts, including a landmark performance of Handel’s Messiah at Christmas, and concerts on the theme of ‘Song of songs’ and ‘Lamentations’, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Purcell’s Come ye Sons of Art with period orchestras, Britten’s Ceremony of Carols and premiere performances by contemporary composers Cecila McDowall and Anna Semple. The choir also performed alongside the choir of Hampton Court and recorded a track for the Cathedral Music Trust’s Christmas card. 

Equal opportunities 

In September 2024, the choir welcomed its first girl choristers, which was a welcome decision and an exciting new direction for the choir. Quite simply, the girl choristers have been integrated into the treble line alongside other new juniors in school year 4, and joining the team of existing boys. The transition has been very smooth on account of the pre-existing culture of support, pastoral care, positive encouragement, and first rate teaching in the pursuit of musical excellence. The choristers went on a residential choir camp to Norfolk in May, joining with Norwich Cathedral Choir for a service, as well as being able to spend time together as a team doing team building activities. The atmosphere of mutual respect and encouragement across the age range is similar to that of a well-run football team. In fact, a chorister versus football match is quite a spectacle, especially as the Temple Church choristers train with a tennis ball in their breaks along the South side of the church! 

Musical apprenticeship 

The music profession has always relied on training and a sense of musical apprenticeship, with an exchange of skills. This sense of mentoring has come to fruition with our choral scholarship scheme, now in its fifth year. The female choral scholar scheme has enabled four singers each year to work alongside the professional singers of the Temple Church Choir. Developing this further, in 2025, we will offer an opportunity to four postgraduate singers (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) at the start of their professional journeys. The choral scholars have the opportunity to sing alongside our professional singers and receive bespoke training and mentoring from the music department. Above all, we recognise the importance of encouraging young musicians and helping them to develop their confidence, resilience, and the widest possible range of skills. To survive in the profession today, musicians need to be able to turn their hand to different skills and to fit into a variety of ensembles and settings throughout their careers. 

Looking back, looking forward 

2025 sees the 70^th anniversary of the reforming of the choir after the post-war restoration in the 1950s. A number of original members of the choir are working alongside us to organise a special choir reunion on Sunday 26 October 2025 for former choir members and scholars of all generations. Former members of the choir will join forces with the current choir in singing parts of the service of choral Mattins that morning. 

‘Sing Out’ 

In 2022, I led an initial pilot project, called ‘Sing Out’, to primary schools in London. Working with a team of colleagues from the choir, we delivered free sessions to year three and four classes, preparing them for a celebration concert at the church with two or three schools together. This project has become an annual fixture in the church now, and we are expanding our network across London, meeting new partners and linking organisations each year. Most of the children we work with have not heard a professional singer perform live, have never heard the church organ or even set foot in a building as old as the Temple Church. 

Sessions in schools last typically an hour, and link to the core music skills we teach in the choir. Beginning with a warm up of the body and the voice, we get straight into how to make the children’s voices project and connect naturally with their speaking voice and supported breathing. We then learn a range of songs, typically folk songs and rounds, and immediately start to relate this to school curricula, reading, storytelling, emotions, acting and history. The concert typically ends with two songs by contemporary composer Jonathan Dove from his Seasons and Charms.  

Each year we have worked with around 150 children, and we plan to increase this in the future. In early 2025, we made a new appointment, a Head of Choral Education and Outreach, who will work in the music department and take a lead on developing our engagement work, developing partnerships, continuing to build a talent pipeline of young singers for choristership, and establishing a junior choir. We have been delighted to appoint Yvette Murphy, who has previously run the schools outreach programme for the Diocese of Westminster and who will continue to build our community engagement projects across a range of ages, encompassing both singing and the organ. 

An opportunity for all 

Above all, our work at the church is about proudly building on our heritage, but making sure there are no barriers preventing participation. We are proud of the excellence on which we build, and aspire for this level of musical quality and opportunity to be available to all. We seek to ensure that our resources are shared widely with our neighbours, and that, above all, we make our musical offerings in liturgies and concerts are relevant to modern day London. Every new venture is ultimately about investing in the future of our music programme, and making it relevant for the future. We seek to work through the lens of tradition but with the confidence to adapt, react, and innovate with purpose. In this way, the next steps on our journey as an institution are defined by their relevance and engagement in London today. Temple Church’s history, and music, have a unique way of opening the doors to this ancient place, whatever your story. 

Thomas Allery 

Director of Music, Temple Church  

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