Kids can make their voices heard at choir
Youngsters urged to make some noise at Paisley Abbey
An urgent call has gone out for young people to sing up and sign up to become a chorister at Paisley Abbey.
The choir is down to the bare minimum it needs to perform the huge repertoire of church music for which it is renowned.
And 14-year-old chorister Molly Kyle has joined the recruiting drive to encourage other young people.
The teenager loves singing in the 12th-century church’s choir, which is directed by Dr George McPhee.
Molly, from Foxbar, who has been a member of the choir for five years, said: “It’s an old tradition in my family. My uncle came and my sister joined.
“I really liked the music so I joined too.”
Molly found things a little bit daunting to begin with.
“At first of all, yes, because it was a big choir at the time,” she said.
“But being in the choir, you make new friends, you meet a lot of people and you get to sing in different languages.
“And when all the choir comes together and it just works, it’s really special.”
Molly is urging young people to put aside any nerves about auditioning and being a member of such a distinguished choir.
“I’d say you’d be a little bit nervous about coming along at first, but once you get to know everyone then you’ll get used to it,” she said.
And being a member of Paisley Abbey Choir is by no means a sombre experience.
“You get a lot of laughs,” Molly said.
“Dr McPhee always tells us lots of stories about old composers – he’s really funny.
“We also go on trips, we don’t just sing here.
“Last year we went to the Isle of Cumbrae for three days and it was really fun.”
Dr McPhee said the choir can take choristers from the age of seven right up to the age of 14 or 15 for girls, or for the boys it’s from seven until their voices break.
“They’ll be faced with the great classic composers, learn a lot about music and learn how to read music,” he said.
“They just learn the repertoire and know what makes music work and makes it tick.
“They should learn a lot.”
The choristers are expected to turn up every Tuesday and Thursday from 4.30pm to 5.45pm, and occasional rehearsals take place on Fridays from 7pm to 9.30pm.
On Sunday mornings, they will be expected to turn up for a 9.45am start and finish at noon, and once a month there is evensong in the afternoon, finishing at 5pm.
Easter and Christmas are busy times too.
Adults are also being sought for the choir.
“Especially men, tenors and basses,” Dr McPhee said.
And he added: “We are now really quite desperate for new choristers, quite a number have left one way or another.
“There were 13 choristers, children but we are now down to seven or eight.”
And Dr McPhee urged potential choir members not to worry about the necessary audition.
“It’s not a daunting procedure at all,” he said.
“The can just turn up and do what they can, and I can usually tell one way or another.”
To register an interest in becoming a chorister at Paisley Abbey call 0141 889 7654.
You make new friends and you get to sing in different languages Molly Kyle