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CSCCOrganist

Application Pack

www.chch.ox.ac.uk/cathedral@ChChCathedralOx

www.cathedralsingers.org.uk@CSCCOxford

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Organist to the Cathedral Singers of Christ Church

About Christ Church

Founded by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525 as Cardinal’s College, the institution was re-founded twice by Henry VIII, first in 1532 as King Henry VIII’s College, and again in 1546 as Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford and the Cathedral Church of the recently created Diocese of Oxford. The Cathedral Choir was founded in 1526 by Wolsey, who appointed John Taverner as the first Organist and Master of the Choristers. Christ Church remains today a unique institution, as one of the largest of the colleges of Oxford University, and at the same time the diocesan Cathedral.

The Cathedral’s daily services attract regular congregations on weekdays and Sundays, and Choral Evensong is frequently attended by large numbers of visitors, partly because of the outstanding quality of the music. Services are sung by four choirs: The Cathedral Choir, Frideswide Voices of Christ Church, the College Choir and the Cathedral Singers of Christ Church. The Cathedral welcomes many visitors including tourists, choirs, pilgrims and schools; it is also the setting for concerts, lectures, exhibitions, dance and drama.

Christ Church is a self-governing community, and the Dean is both head of the college and Dean of the Cathedral. The Dean chairs the Chapter (the Canons of Christ Church) which governs the Cathedral.

Further information about Christ Church may be found on the website at www.chch.ox.ac.uk

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The Cathedral Singers

The Cathedral Singers of the Cathedral Church of Christ in Oxford of the Foundation of King Henry the Eighth, or more simply the Cathedral Singers of Christ Church (CSCC) is the mixed-voice voluntary choir of Christ Church Cathedral, and one of the most active choirs of its type in the country. Its main role is to maintain the Cathedral’s daily pattern of sung worship at times when the Cathedral Choir is away or on vacation, as reasonably directed by the Dean and Chapter.

An auditioned choir, its membership is drawn from across Oxford and beyond, with some members travelling some distance to come and sing. The choir operates a squad system, coordinated via online spreadsheet, to ensure a full choir sings for each service. As such, there are around 70 singers ‘on the books’ of whom 20-25 will sing for a given service.

The choir’s activities fall into two main strands. First, and primarily, is the maintenance of choral services at a high standard when the Cathedral Choir is absent, as described in Appendix A. Services are normally but not exclusively either Choral Evensong or Choral Eucharist, and the choir sings the full range of liturgical music, from Renaissance polyphony to newly-composed works. The choir recently mounted a week of choral services with music predominantly by female composers, and is committed to new music.

Secondarily, the choir undertakes concerts, visits to sing in other churches/cathedrals, and various non-Cathedral activities, as determined by the Director and Committee, with the permission of Dean and Chapter. Recently these have included a CD, recorded with Convivium Records, a tour to Brussels and Antwerp, and participation in Faculty of Music conducting examinations. These activities are an important part of the choir’s identity and supplement its work as the second Cathedral Choir.

The Organist to the Cathedral Singers has a key role, accompanying services and acting as deputy and assistant to the Director. Although the choir is administered by the CSCC Committee which has its own funds and constitution, both the Organist and Director are employees of Christ Church with all the attendant rights and responsibilities.

Further information about the Cathedral Singers may be found on the website at www.cathedralsingers.org.uk

BACKGROUND

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JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Description

• To play the organ for all services at which the CSCC are singing, preparing the accompaniments and providing voluntaries before and after the service, according to the schedule in Appendix A.

• To deputise for the Director as appropriate.

• To accompany two annual concerts given by CSCC as set by the Committee (usually in December and July), plus three evening rehearsals for each.

• To provide administrative support to the Director from time to time.

• To attend meetings of the Cathedral Singers Committee, currently held once per session, ie six times a year.

• The CSCC Organist will occasionally be asked by the Director to play for additional services such as weddings, funerals, and memorials, at which the CSCC are singing. These attract additional fees. The CSCC Organist may also occasionally be asked by the Cathedral Organist or Sub-Organist to play for services such as Said Matins, which also attract additional fees.

• To act as mentor to Sixth Form Organ Scholars and to take an active role in the organisation, promotion, and recruitment of this scheme, described in Appendix B.

• To accompany the choir on visits to churches in the Diocese to sing services or give concerts; and to assist the committee in the arrangement of mini-tours abroad and Cathedral visits. Currently the choirs aims for two or more Cathedral weekends or one-off services, and one mini-tour abroad per year. Fees for these are negotiated with the Committee, and expenses will be payable if they do not take place at the Cathedral.

• Such other duties as either the Director or Dean and Chapter may reasonably ask.

Key relationships

• Director of the Cathedral Singers of Christ Church (line manager)

• Committee of the Cathedral Singers (currently chaired by the Diocesan Canon Precentor)

• The Dean and Chapter; the Liturgy Department including the Diocesan Canon Precentor and Succentor; the Music Department including the Organist and Sub-Organist; the CSCC Music Librarians.

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Person Specification (Selection Criteria)

Essential Skills and Qualifications• A confident player and accompanist to at least ARCO (or equivalent) standard, with a

wide knowledge of the Anglican repertoire.• Experience in choral direction.• Sympathy with the ethos and mission of the Cathedral.• Excellent interpersonal and communicative skills; a team player.

Desirable Skills and Qualifications• Familiarity with notation software

Terms and Conditions• Salary: £9,200 per annum, paid monthly and subject to annual review which takes effect

from August each year. • Working hours: These are necessarily irregular both over the course of the year and

within the CSCC’s residence periods, which typically amount to no more than 16 weeks of the year. It is expected that the post-holder may well fulfil this role alongside a portfolio of other work.

• Absence: During CSCC sessions, the CSCC Organist is expected to play for all services. Occasional absence may be approved by the line manager, and in this case it is expected that the Organist will arrange and pay for a competent deputy, who must have undergone a Right to Work check and any other preliminaries required by law or Christ Church policy (a list of such eligible organists is maintained).

• Illness: Illness should be reported by 10am on days affected to the Director and Cathedral Secretary. The Cathedral is responsible for arranging and paying for suitable cover.

• Professional development: Christ Church is committed to professional development and support will be made available for this as appropriate to the successful candidate after discussion with the line manager.

• Other Benefits: The post-holder may use the Cathedral’s two organs for practice outside of University term-time, subject to availability.

• Probation Period: There will be an initial probationary period of six months.

This post is offered subject to satisfactory references, fulfilment of the necessary right to work and Disclosure and Barring Service checks, and proof of qualifications and professional registration. An enhanced DBS disclosure is required due to the post-holder’s supervision of the sixth-form organ scholars (see Appendix B).

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HOW TO APPLY

Interview and Audition

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview and audition. Audition requirements will be sent to shortlisted candidates and will include two prepared pieces, tests of improvisation, transposition and score-reading, as well as a short conducting exercise.

It is hoped that the successful candidate will take up the role in February 2020 or as soon as possible thereafter.

How to Apply

Candidates should email their applications to Sarah Hope, the Cathedral Secretary, at sarah.hope@chch.ox.ac.uk no later than the deadline of noon on Monday 11 November 2019. Late applications will not be accepted. Applications should include: a covering letter addressed to the Director, stating your interest in, and suitability for, the role; a CV; and contact details of three referees. References will be taken up after interview. Interviews for shortlisted candidates are scheduled to take place on Monday 25 November.

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact the Director, james.potter@chch.ox.ac.uk.

Christ Church is committed to equality of opportunity. It is our policy and practice that entry into employment and progression within employment will be determined only by criteria which are related to the duties of a particular post and the relevant salary scale. No applicant or member of staff will be treated less favourably than another because of his or her age, disability, ethnicity, marital or civil partnership status, parental status, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Candidates are encouraged to include a completed equal opportunities monitoring form with their application and submit it as a separate PDF document to the Clerical Assistant in the Steward’s Office, bridget.guiste@chch.ox.ac.uk. Your information will not form part of the selection process and will not be disclosed to the selection panel.

Privacy Notice

Please note that any personal data submitted to Christ Church as part of the job application process will be processed in accordance with the GDPR and related UK data protection legislation. For further information, please see the Christ Church Privacy Notice at: https://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/privacypolicy.

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FURTHERINFORMATION

APPENDIX ASchedule of CSCC services

When the choir is in session, the usual weekly routine is:• Tuesday-Friday: Rehearsal 5-5.45pm, Choral Evensong (Thursday: Choral Eucharist)

6-7.05pm• Saturday & Sunday evening: Rehearsal 4.45-5.45pm, Choral Evensong 6-7.10pm• Sunday morning: Rehearsal 10-10.45am, Choral Eucharist 11am-12.20pm

Sessions generally run as follows:• The three Cathedral School half-terms (one week each in October, February and May)• either two or three weeks after Christmas, and after Easter (or before Easter, depending

on when it falls)• four or five weeks immediately after the Cathedral School breaks up in July• one or two weeks at the beginning of September

In addition, the choir is usually asked to sing a number of one-off services (such as the diocesan Ordination services), for which three months’ notice is given.

The total number of CSCC services requested by Dean and Chapter will usually amount to between 100 and 110 in a calendar year January-December. Any service requests from Dean and Chapter beyond 110 services attract additional fees.

APPENDIX BThe Sixth-Form Organ and Choral Scholarship Scheme

The Cathedral Singers offers an organ scholarship and four choral scholarships, aimed at talented sixth-formers from local schools.

For organists, there is the opportunity to work alongside our Organist during services, and share playing duties with them, learning the repertoire, accompanimental practices, and all the skills necessary in a cathedral organist. It is therefore invaluable preparation for a University Organ Scholarship, and previous holders have gone on to hold scholarships including St John’s College, Cambridge, and Oriel College, Oxford. The scholarship carries an honorarium of £300 per annum, during which time it is hoped the scholar will attend as much as possible.

For singers there is one scholarship in each voice-part: Soprano, Alto/Countertenor, Tenor, and Bass. The scholarships each carry an honorarium of £200 per annum. Once appointed, we hope that scholars will sing with the group as much as is reasonable, especially at weekend services.

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FURTHERINFORMATION

Benefits of the scholarships include: singing to a high standard alongside experienced choral singers, and under the experienced direction of our conductor; getting to know a great deal of music, as well as improving sight-reading skills; expenses paid for trips and tours.

The scholarship is invaluable preparation for those considering applying for university choral scholarships, and would therefore suit sixth-formers or those embarking on pre-university gap years.

APPENDIX CInstruments

The Cathedral organ is a versatile classical instrument installed in 1979 by the Austrian firm Rieger Orgelbau. It is situated at the West End, has responsive mechanical action, and is convincing in a range of repertoire.

There is also a portable chamber organ made by Kenneth Tickell & Company.

Possibilities for augmenting the provision of organs at Christ Church are currently under review by the Cathedral Organist and Dean and Chapter. During this period the Cathedral has arranged an extended hire of a two-manual tracker action organ with twelve speaking stop, built by Nelson and Co of Durham for Billy Row Methodist Chapel in 1918. This instrument is currently situated in the north presbytery to accompany repertoire sung from the chancel stalls.