Come and Sing Day 2026
Saturday 28 March 2026 at The Lighthouse Church, Heswall
We are delighted to invite you to join us for the St Peter’s Singers Come and Sing event.
Whether you have sung with us before or have simply expressed an interest in our events, this is a wonderful opportunity for anyone who enjoys singing.
Led by Joe Cooper, Director of University Music at Bangor University, the afternoon will focus on learning and performing Stainer’s The Crucifixion, in a friendly and supportive setting.
Across the afternoon we will work together in rehearsals, picking up practical singing tips and techniques throughout, culminating in a free final performance from 5-6pm where all are welcome!
It promises to be an inspiring, enjoyable and sociable afternoon of music-making.
The day
Time: Please arrive at 12:45 to register and collect music, ready for a prompt start at 1pm.
13:00 – 14:30 Session 1
14:30 – 15:00 Break
15:00 – 16:15 Session 2
16:15 – 17:00 Break
17:00 – 18:00 Performance
Cost: £20 for participants. This includes the cost of music hire. Book and pay here. Please note that bookings are non-refundable after 21 March 2026.
Venue: The Lighthouse Church, Telegraph Road, Heswall CH60 0AJ
Parking: Pye Road Car Park, Heswall Hall Car Park, Mount Avenue (all Pay & Display)
Dress code: There is no formal dress code – please wear something smart and comfortable.
Refreshments: Tea, coffee and a tempting selection of homemade cakes will be available during the breaks, for a small donation. To save on waste, please bring a cup with you if you are able.
You will gain a wide range of singing skills and tips during our rehearsal sessions. Our programme promises to be both inspiring and enjoyable for all participants.
The music
We will be learning and performing The Crucifixion by John Stainer which is a ‘Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer’, and tells the story of the final days of Jesus’ life, including his Seven Last Words from the Cross. Stainer composed the piece in 1887 for the choir of Marylebone Church in London and wrote it for tenor and bass soloists, choir and organ. Stainer wanted to write a piece for Easter that followed the model of J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion and St John Passion, but for smaller forces in a single hour-long piece. Like Bach’s music, there is a mixture of choral music, solo arias, a duet and hymns for everyone to join in with.
Joe Cooper
Joe Cooper is Director of University Music at Bangor University. He began his musical training as a chorister at St Peter’s Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton where he was also Organ Scholar. He has studied organ with Henry Fairs and Daniel Moult and conducted with Paul Spicer and Jeffery Skidmore. Joe holds a Master’s degree from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and is a recipient of the Wolfenden Award for conducting.
Adrian Griffiths
As well as being the Musical Director of St. Peter’s Singers, Port Sunlight Choral Society and the Vale of Clwyd Singers, Adrian is a freelance organist and has just marked 27 years singing with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir. As an organ builder with David Wells Organ Builders Ltd, he tunes and maintains the largest pipe organ in the UK, Liverpool Cathedral. His spare time (!) is taken up keeping a fleet of Reliant Scimitars on the road.
Soloists
Tenor – Jonathan Bowden’s musical life started at the age of eight as a chorister at York Minster under Dr. Francis Jackson. After obtaining a degree in Management he went on to read music at Cambridge University where he was a choral scholar in Trinity College Choir. On leaving university he was a Lay-Clerk at Ely Cathedral for four years before joining organ builders Henry Willis & Sons and moving to Liverpool. A keen enthusiast of classic cars, Jonathan spends a lot of his spare time keeping his 55 year old MG and 22 year old Bentley on the road, the rest is spent planning trips in them to France.
Bass – Jonne Quint has been singing in Cathedral choirs since the age of nine. Born and raised in the Netherlands, Jonne was a chorister at Utrecht Cathedral before joining the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Choir as a Choral Scholar in 1993. What was initially intended to be a gap year has escalated somewhat as Jonne has now been living – and singing – in Liverpool for more than 31 years. As well as singing with the Metropolitan Cathedral Choir, Jonne regularly performs as a soloist and chorus member with other ensembles, including the Liverpool Bach Collective and the St. Peter’s Singers
The performance
The open performance commences at 5pm at The Lighthouse Church, and is free of charge. All are welcome, please encourage your family and friends to come along. We simply ask for a voluntary donation on the door.