CHOIR & MUSIC

At Sunninghill Parish Church

We have a robed choir of over 25 mixed voices - children, ladies and gentlemen. We sing at the main Sunday morning service which is either Prayer Book Mattins or Prayer Book Communion. We also sing at Weddings and other special services from time to time. The choir takes part in the annual Runnymede Deanery Choirs Festival which in 2000 celebrates its 50th anniversary with a special evensong in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The choir is affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music and we hope to extend the training scheme for young choristers in the future. Details of our anthems and organ voluntaries are published in the porch. Our weekly rehearsal is on Thursdays at 7pm and new committed members, especially altos, will be welcomed.

ORGAN

The organ is a large three-manual instrument superbly built by Gray and Davison at a cost of £780 in 1899, replacing an earlier instrument by Gray and Davison which was sold at that time to St. George's, Ogbourne St. George, near Marlborough.,Wiltshire. The Sunninghill organ underwent some modifications in the early 1970's by John Bowen of Northampton. These included the removal of the Great Trumpet to the Choir and Pedal, and the electrification of the pedal action incorporating unit ranks.. A new Great Mixture III was acquired at this time. Action repairs and regulation were carried out by Percy Daniel of Clevedon during the summer of 2000. A new blower, together with an efficient modern humidifier, was installed by Stewart Fothergill of Wareham in March 2000. Full details of the organ can be found by surfing The British Institute of Organ Studies National Pipe Organ Registry website, Our entry is DO 5278. This link will take you directly into the main page of the National Register of Organs. When you arrive, look on the left hand column for "Search NPOR for: " and click on BUILDER. A new page will come up and type in first box........"DAVISON" and hit the send button. Scroll down the page until you arive at Berkshire and then find Sunninghill, and in due course our Church. You will see two reference numbers : NO 9930 and DO 5278. Click on the first one to give you the history and specifications of teh organ from 1899 until 1937. Click on the second reference for the history and specs of the organ from 1937 until now.....

ORGANIST & CHOIR DIRECTOR

The organist is Henry Macey who spent his childhood at Suninghill and returned to the village in May 1999 to become organist in succession to the renowned blind organist, Thomas Reed FRCO. Henry was born in Windsor and educated at Windsor Grammar, and went on to study at Trinity College of Music, London University and later Reading University and in Austria. He became Director of Music at Langley Grammar, Slough in 1974 and now combines his duties with those of Senior Master. He was organist at Sunningdale Parish Church until 1987 , where as co-founder of the Sunningdale Music Society he arranged and conducted many successful seasons of concerts. From 1987 to 1998 he was been organist and choir director at All Saints' Boyne Hill, Maidenhead. Henry was conductor of Egham Choral Society from 1968 to 1981 when the society had some of its most successful concerts including several premiers and visits to Germany; he continues to be in demand as a freelance choral and orchestral conductor, repetiteur and organist.

Henry C Macey - 15b Gordon Road Windsor SL4 3RG UK ( Tel & Fax: + 44 (0) 1753 859981 E-Mail:)