Contact:
Revd Joe Moore
Email:
joe.moore@richmondteamministry.org
Address:
St John the Divine
Kew Road
Locality:
Richmond
Postcode/Zip:
TW9 2NA
Musical Requirements:
• be an excellent and experienced organist in performing and accompanying choirs (ARCO or equivalent qualification as a minimum)
• be a skilled choir trainer who can work with singers with a wide range of abilities
• have a good understanding of liturgy and of the role of music in worship
• enjoy a range of musical styles
• be able to work sympathetically within our church tradition
• be a sensitive and inspiring leader, and an easy communicator, to bring the best out of choir and congregation
• be a team player, able to work collaboratively with the Team Vicar and other ministers, with church officers, and members of the congregation
• be sociable
• have good computer skills for administrative duties
• be prepared to work within and committed to our Safeguarding procedures and be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check
Other details:
Desirable
• be open to exploring fresh ways of enhancing the music in the liturgy
• be keen to develop the broader involvement of children and young people within the musical life of St John’s
• be keen to promote St John’s as a venue for concerts and other musical events
• be able to bring a good sense of humour to the work
It is not essential that the Director of Music is a practising Anglican, but the successful candidate must be sympathetic to the Anglican tradition as it is expressed in the Richmond Team Ministry.
Job description
The Organist/Director of Music is to
• lead the weekly choir practice (at present on a Wednesday evening) and rehearsals before the 11:00am service (to end in time to allow for a pre-service voluntary)
• conduct the choir and play the organ (or piano where appropriate) at Sunday services and festivals, playing voluntaries before and after the service, accompanying, and improvising as needed
• seek to maintain and build up the choir, working to recruit new members and develop both the skills of choir members and the current musical repertoire
• help engage the congregation in worship through the choice and presentation of music
• select appropriate music for services, in collaboration with the Team Vicar or other ministers
• meet with the Team Vicar, other ministers and colleagues, for the planning and review of music in worship
• fulfil the role of Organist/Director of Music at Festivals and Holy Days observed at St John the Divine, and to support the music at those observed at other churches in the Team
• to make reasonable endeavours to play and arrange the music for occasional offices
• to encourage the social life of the choir
• to oversee the maintenance and tuning of the organ and piano
• to oversee the organisation of the music library
• to comply with Health and Safety requirements, including making Risk Assessments
• to comply with our Safeguarding Policy - this includes being subject to an enhanced DBS check
Festivals and Holy Days
St John the Divine, in collaboration with the other two churches in the Team, observes the major festivals of the Church, including those that do not fall on Sundays, when the choir is expected to sing. These include festivals which are kept as Team Services (rotated around the churches from year to year), at which the Organist/Director of Music is expected to assist or lead in the preparation of a Team choir and/or to play at the service. These services are currently: Candlemas, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Day Dawn Eucharist, Ascension Day, Evensong prior to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, All Souls Eucharist, Christ the King. Some festivals are always celebrated at St John the Divine and the Organist/Director of Music is expected to conduct and/or play the organ and (where relevant) to prepare the choir. These at present are: All Souls’, Corpus Christi, Music and Readings for Christmas, Christingle/Nativity Service, Christmas Midnight Mass, Christmas Morning Eucharist.
Practice
The organ is available for practice when the church is not otherwise being used. The organ is available at most times.
Summary of key Terms and Conditions
A contract of employment will be drawn up between the Director of Music and the Parochial Church Council (PCC) of the Richmond Team Ministry.
The key contact from the Richmond Team to whom the Organist/Director of Music will be accountable will be the Team Vicar at St John’s.
The Organist/Director of Music is entitled to five Sundays off each year. The PCC will meet the cost of deputising fees for these Sundays. Deputies must be fully competent for the duties required.
The Director of Music will be paid an initial salary of £7,000pa, paid monthly in arrears by bank transfer. There will be opportunities to earn further income from fees by playing for occasional ...