Churches

Our music enhances worship for churches of all traditions.

“The choir sounded absolutely fantastic – it was a real blessing to have such high quality choral music in a local church setting.”
Rev’d Andy Patrick, Vicar of Christ Church, Dore

“Steel City Choristers have always been excellent in supporting our worship at St Mark’s. They have always been very flexible in fitting in with how we do things.”
David Willington, Director of Music, St Mark’s Church, Broomhill

“Steel City Choristers bring a quality of music and experience to people and places where it is not always easily accessible.”
Rev Nick Waterfield, PXI and PX Pioneer Methodist Ministry

“Steel City Choristers are a blessing to the City of Sheffield. Often going to places where no other choirs have gone before, they offer people a little piece of heaven on earth!”
The Rev’d Fr Grant Naylor SCC, Parish Priest of St Matthew’s Carver Street

The power of music

In most churches music plays a vital role supporting praise and worship through its unique ability to foster community, inspire a sense of awe and wonder, and express connection beyond words. High quality choral music provides a space for reflection and contemplative worship, in which our hearts and minds are drawn through and beyond the music to connect with the transcendent.

In the 4th century Saint Augustin wrote, “How I wept to hear your hymns and songs, deeply moved by the voices of your sweetly singing Church! Their voices penetrated my ears, and with them truth found its way into my heart; my frozen feeling for God began to thaw, tears flowed and I experienced joy and relief.”

Please contact us if you’d like to talk about how we could help lead worship in your church.

Choral music, whatever your tradition

We offer our choral music to churches of all traditions. We love meeting people from different churches and sharing in different ways of doing things.

Often we sing for churches who love the choral tradition but who are sadly no longer able to maintain their own choir. On occasion, we sing together with other church choirs supporting them in more ambitious repertoire. We also sing for churches of other musical traditions such as those whose worship is normally led by guitar, keyboard and drums, to enable them to experience the beauty and value of choral music in worship.

We sing services of Mattins, Eucharist and Evensong, as well as for informal Family Services and Songs of Praise services, and weddings. Whatever your tradition, we will work with you to plan a service that meets your particular needs and preferences.

Marking the moment

Significant events are often a time when congregations look to bring something special into church. We can help you to celebrate important moments in the church calendar, or other special events.

Steel City Choristers has sung a variety of services, such as:

Epiphany Cafe Church at St John the Baptist Church, Owlerton
Family service at Christ Church, Stannington
Candlemas at St Matthew’s Church, Carver Street
Songs of Praise at St Andrew’s URC and St Edmund’s Church, Castleton
Lamentations for Lent at Mount Tabor Methodist Church, Parson Cross, and Whirlow Spirituality Centre
Bach’s St Matthew Passion with St John’s Church Ranmoor
Mattins at Holy Trinity Church, Millhouses,
Good Friday meditations at St Marie’s Catholic Cathedral
A service to mark the 50th anniversary of an ordination at the chapel of Shrewsbury Hospital
A service for survivors of abuse for the Catholic Diocese of Hallam
Evensong as part of Beauchief Abbey’s National Heritage Open Day
The Faure Requiem for Remembrance Day at Chesterfield Parish Church
Advent carol service at Christ Church, Dore
Christmas carol service at St John the Baptist Church, Owlerton

Supporting our work

Our mission is to make our music available to congregations across the city and wider Diocese and beyond, particularly those who are least likely to be able to access high quality choral music. We don’t charge a fee. However, when churches are in a position to be able to give a gift to support our work, it enables us to reach out further to those who can’t afford it.

Our choristers are only able to sing so beautifully because of the hard work they put in engaging with our high quality musical education. Each year they commit around 200 hours of their time. Our Director of Music and singing teachers receive professional rates of pay for every hour of rehearsal, singing lesson, service and concert they lead. Churches’ financial contributions, however small, therefore help us to maintain the choral tradition in Sheffield and to share the joys of choral music with more people within and outside of the church. Further details about our financial situation are published every year in our annual report.

“We were delighted to have Steel City Choristers lead our Advent Service this year. Our own choir dwindled and disbanded a few years ago, so to welcome Steel City Choristers to lead us in choral worship was inspiring and invigorating. Their vision to serve a wide and diverse range of communities across the city and Diocese is a gift. I’ve already recommended them to other churches in the area and very much look forward to inviting them back to Christ Church.”

Rev Andy Patrick, Vicar of Christ Church Dore

“Steel City Choristers are a talented yet humble group of musicians who in a very short time have made an impression in many post codes in Sheffield and beyond. They are a fabulous resource to the diocese and greatly supportive, even to small parishes like ourselves… Our experience of the choristers here was uplifting and mutually supportive. We hope God blesses and uses them in the heart of the local communities where they are needed.”
Liza Nash, St John’s Church Hooton Roberts