The Schola Gregoriana

 The Schola Gregoriana of Stamford meets monthly during academic term time in St Mary’s Church, Stamford to explore the glorious heritage of the Chant and to prepare occasional services. It is affiliated to The Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge, one of whose Cantors, Stephen Johnston, directs the Stamford Schola. In the monthly rehearsals, which are open to singers of all ages and abilities, we explore Chant music appropriate to the season, for example the great “O” Antiphons in Advent, or music proper to the great Feast Days of the year. In addition to singing three or four services a year such as the Feasts of All Souls, or Corpus Christi, or Compline during Lent, we look to hold an Annual Workshop with a Director of The Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge. We have recently sung a Patronal Festival service in Slipton Church, Northamptonshire; an invitation which we were delighted to be able to accept. There are other invitations from in the vicinity, already accepted.

There is neither subscription, nor a charge for music for rehearsal or the occasional services.

We sing chant from a variety of sources; from booklets of chant prepared by the late Dr Mary Berry, the founder of The Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge, such as “Chants of Life”; from the Liber Cantualis, from the English Hymnal and from other sources. We benefit greatly by having access to chant from researched programmes undertaken for The Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge (e.g. Chant for the Knights Templar).

We welcome beginners as well as more advanced singers of chant, for both of whom we look to cater. If you wish to join us, we hope you will wish to sing regularly, so as to become more familiar with the chant, but we understand that other commitments may occasionally interpose themselves.

We have a growing membership from within and without the congregation of St Mary’s and ask only, out of respect for the music and for fellow singers, that if you wish to sing in a service you attend the rehearsals beforehand. For further information, please contact:

Either the Director, Stephen Johnston, on 01733-893268 or (preferably) email at stephenduncanjohnston@gmail.com