Singers Wanted for 30-hour Sponsored Hymnathon

All 542 hymns in the New English Hymnal to be sung at St Michael and All Angels

Choirs and singers from all over Chiswick will be converging on St Michael & All Angels Church next month to join in a 30-hour Hymnathon to raise money for its Organ Appeal and three charities. People can contribute on JustGiving at Hymnathon 2017.

For the third time in 30 years, people at St Michael’s will be singing all 542 hymns in the New English Hymnal, going right through the night. They say everyone is welcome to drop in for as long – or as little – as they like, and some members of the congregation are hoping to be there for almost the whole 30 hours! The Hymnathon starts at 12 noon on Friday 3 March and will end sometime after 6pm on Saturday 4 March.

“We last did it five years ago to raise money for our new organ and as well as being great fun, and bringing the community together, it was a wonderfully spiritual occasion” says Father Kevin Morris, the vicar of St Michael & All Angels. “People dropped in thinking they would sing just a couple of hymns and couldn’t drag themselves away!”

The singing will be led for much of the time by the Choir and Choristers at St Michael & All Angels, as well as various of its church groups, such as its sidespeople, readers, gardeners and Men’s Society. St Michaels’ director of music Jonathan Dods will lead the team of organists who will take turns to play throughout the 30 hours.

Lots of local choirs and churches are taking part including singers from Chiswick Choir, the Hogarth Singers, St Peter's Southfield Road, Our Lady of Grace, St Michael's Elmwood Road and St Saviour Wendell Park. There will also be children from local schools and singers from St Michaels’ three charities for 2017 - The Upper Room, Msaada and The Amber Trust – who will receive 20 per cent of the total raised.

Children are being encouraged to sing during ‘The Christmas Hour’ between 1pm and 2pm on Friday March 4th, when the hymns will include Away in a Manger, O Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem and other popular carols. Everyone else is welcome then too. You can see when each hymn is due to be sung in the Hour by Hour guide on the church website.

To sustain the singers, there will be food and drink provided by local businesses and the church’s own cake-bakers. There will also be a Midnight Feast on the Friday and Breakfast and Afternoon Tea on the Saturday (to coincide with the singing of Jerusalem and the National Anthem). Local firms that would like to support the event should contact Torin Douglas at torindouglas@gmail.com.

Choirs that would like to join in and book a specific time-slot should contact the Hymnathon organizer Oliver West by email at oliver@oliverandliswest.co.uk . Or singers can simply turn up with friends for as long as they like.

Oliver West organized the very first Hymnathon at St Michael’s in 1987, when he was the church organist. Pictures of the event made the front page of the Independent, and the inside of The Times.

He also masterminded the second Hymnathon in 2012, when the singing was accompanied by the old organ, which was on its last legs. In a blog about the event, the award-winning BBC drama producer Richard Broke wrote: “They did the whole thing once before - exactly 25 years ago and this time it is necessary as the organ is falling to bits. In fact, we cannot know who will crack first in this wonderful, slightly crazy venture - the choir or the organ.”

A film of the 2012 Hymnathon – compressing 30 hours into 3 minutes – can be seen on YouTube

Oliver West said: “For the first time we shall be singing the Hymnathon with our wonderful new organ and so we hope that this year’s will be even better than the last two.”

People are being encouraged to sponsor the singers and the hymns, and to add Gift Aid to their donations. The hymn that attracts the most backing will be sung as the Grand Finale, some time after 6.30pm on Saturday March 4th. Five years ago there was a dramatic tie between two hymns – Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer and O Praise Ye The Lord – so both were sung. The final top ten table is attached.

People can contribute online at JustGiving/Hymnathon 2017, or by cash or cheque using Hymnathon Gift Aid envelopes in St Michael & All Angels Church.

You can see full details of this year’s Hymnathon, and the two previous ones, on the St Michael & All Angel's website.

February 17, 2017