THE
P RTAL
December 2016
Page 12
In Quires and places
where they sing....
Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane enjoy
an ambitious and exciting new project in the Borough
J
ust around the corner from the busy London Bridge railway station, you will find the Church
of The Most Precious Blood in O’Meara Street. We arrived one Thursday evening, having been invited to
Choral Evensong and Sung Mass. Apparently this is the normal Thursday evening pattern. Starting at 1800
with the evening Office, events continue with Sung Mass and close with a light supper.
This is a new project and has been going
about ten months. The choir comprises of
six adult and eight children’s voices. The
adults are professional singers, or at least
well trained ones, the children – all at a
local Primary School – are members of the
congregation who enjoy singing.
The Choir Master is Miles Ashdown, a
young man full of enthusiasm for music.
He told us, “We have been going since Miles Ashdown
February, and have children and some
professional adults. We sing traditional
ecclesiastical music with Anglican Patrimony
in mind. The idea is to introduce the children
to honour God in a more reverend way.
The choir is mixed, with boys and girls. This
presents us with no problems at all. The voices
blend well at this age, and they all get on. The
children are aged six to nine years. It is an Christopher Smith
The Children’s Choir
educational venture about liturgy and music.
The boys voices will break when they are
about twelve years of age, the girls will carry
on singing throughout their teenage years.
This is all part of a long-term plan to coach the
children and to provide excellent liturgy.”
Miles is a keen young man with talent to spare.
He is assisted by our dear friend Chris Smith
on the organ. Together they make a formidable
pair! While the children rehearsed, we spoke
with some of their parents. Martha Pabon, a
housewife, has four children, two of whom
are in the choir. They are parishioners at
Precious Blood. Martha tells us that it was
her children who wanted to join the choir.
Genet Tesfay has three children, two in
the choir. She works at a local school with
special needs children. Also a member of the
congregation, she said, “My children were