Jonathan Dods, Director of Music at St Michael & All Angels, writes:
Music is a central part of our spiritual life at St Michael’s. Music sets the tone for our worship when we come into Church from the busy world; it helps us to express our love of God and to articulate things we are unable to express. Music is also a key part of how we bring people into our Church. In 2012 we installed a new Organ, which has transformed our worship and concerts. See: Friday Lunchtime Organ Music
See Jonathan’s comments in The Chiswick Calendar‘s Guide to Classical Music in Chiswick
St Michael’s Choir
St Michael’s choir is a group of 20 talented singers from the parish and local area. We sing traditional choral music to a high standard for services and enjoy regular trips to cathedrals. We rehearse on Tuesdays at 8.30pm and sing full choral Mass and Evensong once every month plus special services. We are a friendly group; you don’t have to be a member of the church, just sympathetic to the aim of the choir, which is to perform to a high standard to enrich the liturgy.
If you would like more information about joining the choir contact Jonathan Dods, the Director of Music by email.
The Choristers
The Choristers are a group of children aged 7-15 who lead the music at Family Masses. They benefit from the musical education of a Cathedral chorister. They are led by Jonathan Dods and are trained along the lines of a Cathedral choir, gaining an understanding of musicianship and worship in an enjoyable and engaging way. They lead the music at the Family Masses during termite and are sometimes called upon the read the prayers and lesson during this service.
The Organ
St Michael’s is blessed with a spectacular organ in French style by La Manufacture d’orgues St Martin as well as a chamber organ by Lammermuir. More…
From 12.30pm to 1.15 on the first Friday of every month, we present Friday Lunchtime Organ Music
All welcome, free entry, collection at the end for music at St Michael’s. See: Friday Lunchtime Organ Music.
Concerts
St Michael’s is in great demand as a venue for concerts. Find out about forthcoming concerts and musical events in our weekly newsletter and our Diary of Concerts & Events.
Jonathan Dods – Director of Music
Jonathan Dods plays the organ, directs the choir and the choristers and runs the music programme. He has been director of music at St Michaels since 2007. Jonathan was a choral scholar at Christ Church, Oxford, where he studied music. He undertook further study at Milan Conservatoire whilst he was Assistant Organist at Lodi Cathedral. Returning to England, Jonathan is in demand as an organist, singer and conductor. He assists the Director of Music at St Martin in the Fields directing choirs and playing the organ as well as singing in the professional chamber choir St Martin’s Voices. He broadcasts regularly on BBC radio and television. His most unusual concert experience was singing with a choir at 11pm in a suburb of Vienna as part of Wien Modern. The piece involved making the noise of a helicopter and the concert ended with a punch-up between the composer and one of the singers.