The choir

The present church choir, one of the finest choirs of its type in the UK, is an excellent mixed-voice, auditioned, SATB, voluntary choir of about 30 members who are currently led by Benjamin Newlove, Director of Music.  

The choir’s repertoire of sacred music ranges from the 16th to the 21st centuries.

As well as singing at weekly services, the choir also performs occasional concerts and has undertaken tours in Italy and France as well as broadcasting on TV and radio.

Church music for the month

If you are interested in joining the choir

We welcome committed, talented, and energetic musicians to become part of our thriving auditioned, amateur choir and church community in the parish of St Alfege, Greenwich.
 
Weekly commitment:
Thursdays: 19:30-20:45 (Rehearsal)
Sundays: 9.15-12.30 (Rehearsal and Choral Eucharist) 
Last Sunday of the month: 17:30-19:30 (Rehearsal and Choral Evensong)
 
What we can offer you:

• The opportunity to improve sight-reading, singing skills and general musicianship 
• Option to occasionally sign-out for rehearsals or services 
• Occasional paid weddings and funerals for confident singers
• A thriving choir social life 
• To be part of a supportive church community in the heart of Greenwich 
• To give or take part in recitals and concerts as part of the church’s successful weekly programme

To apply please email the Director of Music, Ben Newlove 

Choral scholarships

The PCC, Vicar and Churchwardens are pleased to announce that we are recruiting four choral scholars to join our choir for the 2024/25 academic year. Find out more here.  

Benjamin Newlove, Director of Music


 

Benjamin Newlove enjoys a busy schedule as a freelance harpsichordist, organist, and conductor based in London, whilst holding the position of Director of Music at the Royal Church of St. Alfege, Greenwich. In addition to performing, he is also a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, specialising in the choral music of Tallis and Byrd. Previous posts include positions at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, St. Michael’s Church, Cornhill, St. Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, and St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Benjamin is a prizewinning master’s graduate from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (generously supported as a Help Musicians Postgraduate Award holder), a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, the Royal School of Music, Trinity College London, and the Royal Society of Arts. Prior to Trinity, Benjamin studied at King’s College London, the Royal Academy of Music (Entrance Scholarship), and Chetham’s School of Music. Previous teachers have included: Christopher Stokes, Stephen Farr, Anne Marsden Thomas, Simon Johnson, and James Johnstone.

Benjamin has taken part in masterclasses led by Bine Bryndorf and Martin Schmeding as well playing in the Ryedale, Lausitz, New Paths, Greenwich Early Music, and London Contemporary Music festivals as both a recitalist and accompanist. In addition to this, he has given recitals at some of the UK’s most prestigious venues, including: Westminster Abbey, St. John’s Smith Square, and the Temple Church.  As a consort musician he has performed with many UK based professional groups, most notably: the Armonico Consort, Platinum Consort, Epiphoni Consort, English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble, the Britten Sinfonia, and The Sixteen. Combined with his work at St. Alfege, Benjamin is the Music Director of the Hill Singers, accompanist to the University of Greenwich Choir, and School Organist of All Saints Catholic College, North Kensington.

Ben Banks, Assistant Organist

Ben graduated in the summer of 2021, achieving first class honours in his undergraduate degree in Music from The University of Oxford. During his time there, he enjoyed accompanying and conducting Oriel College’s Chapel Choir, directing the College’s Music Society, and playing in numerous recitals and concerts around the city. He also sang in The University’s chamber choir, Schola Cantorum. He has held positions at Peterborough, Portsmouth and St Edmundsbury Cathedrals, as well as accompanying the Christ Church Cathedral girl’s choir while at university.

Ben is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and an ATCL in piano. He is also training to be a chartered accountant and enjoys hiking and football.