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Bishops' Choristers Awards

Church Music Awards for Choristers under the patronage of the Bishops of Brentwood and Chelmsford

The Award was established circa 1975 by Donald Coote, and ran with great success, until 1997, as an Award solely under the patronage of the Bishop of Chelmsford.

In 1998 the Award became ecumenical with the Roman Catholic diocese of Brentwood and is now under the joint patronage of the Bishops of Chelmsford and Brentwood. The Award is believed to be unique in this respect, and continues to be popular and to flourish across both dioceses.

There are two categories - the Junior Award for candidates up to the age of 14 years on the day of examination, and the Senior Award open to candidates from 15 years.

The Award is open to choristers in Church or School choirs within the area covered by the Roman Catholic diocese of Brentwood and the Anglican diocese of Chelmsford. The Award is also open to choristers of other denominations within this area.

The purpose of the Award is to encourage musicianship, loyalty and a growing awareness of faith in choristers and to give a tangible recognition of such a standard.

Examinations are held twice yearly, usually in May and November, with the Awards Ceremony being held in early December either in Chelmsford or Brentwood Cathedral. Training sessions are also held prior to each examination - usually in March and September.

As will be seen from the syllabi (see web site) the examinations are in three parts, Parts 1 and 2 covering music and Part 3 Religious Knowledge. Candidates are expected to demonstrate their ability in singing, both prepared and unprepared work, aural and sight-reading tests and general musicianship. Part 3 requires a sound knowledge of all the aspects touched on in the syllabus. Experienced examiners are drawn from within both dioceses and beyond.

Successful candidates are presented with a certificate and are entitled to wear the Award's medallion. For the Junior Award, the certificate will also reflect whether the candidate has met the required criteria for Merit (gaining 70% of the available marks) or a Distinction (gaining 80% of the available marks. Current entry fees are £16 for the Junior Award and £20 for the Senior Award. The current cost of a medallion is £12.

For any further information please visit the RSCM web site or contact the Administrator: Bill Brooks, 12 Walden Way, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 2LB; 01708 509489.

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