KCS IS RECRUITING AN ACCOMPANIST
Following the distinguished tenure of Gavin Roberts, Kingston Choral Society (KCS) seeks an accomplished and versatile pianist to accompany the choir. Rehearsals take place on Thursday evenings during term-time from 8-10pm at The Hollyfield School, Surbiton, a five-minute walk from Surbiton Station.
Led by talented and renowned Musical Director Andrew Griffiths, and with a membership of over 100 singers, KCS enjoys a reputation for quality music-making across a wide spectrum of the choral repertoire. The choir gives four concerts a year, at least two of which are accompanied by professional orchestras, and regularly engages outstanding soloists. Most performances take place in the Royal Borough of Kingston, but the choir also regularly visits Cadogan Hall.
KCS’s repertoire is enterprising and often unusual: in recent seasons the choir has performed music including Cecilia McDowall’s Da Vinci Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht, Kerry Andrew’s Hymns and Charms for Fly-Away Things, Dyson’s Sweet Thames, Run Softly, and a devised Venetian Vespers for Ascension, alongside many more standard works. You can read more about the choir and its concerts on this website.
We seek to appoint a talented and motivated accompanist, committed to making music as part of a friendly community group, who will play a vital role in supporting the choir and Musical Director. Our accompanist will also perform with the choir at concerts requiring piano accompaniment. For the appropriate candidate, the role may offer opportunities to perform on the organ, orchestral keyboards or continuo, and to deputise for our Musical Director at rehearsals.
The remuneration rate is £120 for each two-hour rehearsal call, plus travel expenses up to the equivalent of a standard train ticket from central London per rehearsal. This will be subject to an annual review.
The application deadline is 14 August 2026 at 5pm
Auditions and interviews will take place in early Autumn 2026, and we anticipate that the successful candidate will join us in January 2027. If you are interested in applying, here is the job description.
One of Surrey’s leading choirs, focussing on high-quality classical concerts. Kingston Choral Society is a vibrant, friendly mixed-voice choir based in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. We give four concerts a year, mostly in Kingston and Surbiton, but also in Cadogan Hall, Chelsea, performing with professional orchestras and soloists of the highest calibre. Our concerts cover a wide range of music from the 17th century through to the present day, including new works. The constitution under which we operate can be viewed here.
We have over 120 singers and welcome new members to join us.
Musical Director: Andrew Griffiths
MIDSUMMER MUSIC: Make Our Garden Grow – 20th June – St Andrew’s Church
On a very warm evening our audience enjoyed our summer programme, which focussed on the natural world. All things pastoral were celebrated in a delicious series of anthems, partsongs and folk songs, including music by Bernstein, Hadley, Howells, Stanford, and Dowland in his 400th anniversary year. Meanwhile Cecilia McDowall‘s haunting cantata The Ice is Listening, inspired by accounts of frost fairs on the River Thames, considered nature’s fragile balance — a theme amplified by Raymond Yiu‘s rich song cycle The Earth and Every Common Sight. Many thanks are due to our wonderful soloist Donna Lennard and our magnificent organist/pianist Gavin Roberts.
Very sadly, this concert marks the end of Gavin’s tenure as our rehearsal accompanist as he moves on to pastures new. A well-deserved gift presentation and speech, singing his praises and thanking him for his wonderful piano-playing, were given at the end of the concert. We wish him well in his future career.
NEXT CONCERT: Haydn’s Creation – 21st November – All Saints Church, Market Place, Kingston KT1 1JP
From the opening evocation of chaos to the joyous love-song of Adam and Eve, and from the depiction of the creation of light to the illustrations of the different animals, Haydn’s musical invention is truly breathtaking.
Soloists:
To be confirmed
The Purcell Orchestra
Conductor: Andrew Griffiths
Enquiries: 020 8398 0651
Kingston Choral Society are grateful for the financial support from the Humphrey Richardson Taylor Charitable Trust
COVID-19
We want to ensure the safety of our audience members and performers. If you are considering attending our event, please stay away if you have Covid-19 symptoms such as a cough, sore throat, runny nose or a temperature, or if you have come into recent close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. We encourage audience members to protect themselves and each other by wearing face coverings.