The choir

The present church choir, one of the finest choirs of its type in the UK, is an excellent mixed-voice choir with over 30 members who are currently 'brought up to music' by Benjamin Newlove, Director of Music.  

The choir’s repertoire of sacred music ranges from the 16th to the 21st centuries, including a recently commissioned and premièred work by Roxanna Panufnik.   The choir sings to a cathedral-standard every week at the Sung Eucharist on Sunday and Choral evensong every last Sunday in the month.  It also sings at special services during the year and goes on tour each summer.  Recent tours have been to Dordogne/Aquitaine (2013), Bordeaux (2014) and  Rome (2011,2012,2016).

In addition to its primary function of leading services at St Alfege Church the choir is often invited to sing at other venues and has been broadcast on television on the South Bank Show.  In 2012 the choir was broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 and also whilst on tour to Rome, on Vatican radio.

Benjamin Newlove, Director of Music



Benjamin Newlove enjoys a busy schedule as a freelance harpsichordist, organist and conductor based in London, whilst holding the position of Director of Music at the Royal Church of St. Alfege, Greenwich. Previous posts include positions at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, St. Michael’s Church, Cornhill, St. Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, St. Stephen’s Church, Gloucester Road and St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Currently, Benjamin is studying for an MMus in harpsichord performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Prior to this Benjamin studied at King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Music. At the ages of 17 and 20 respectively, Benjamin gained his Associateship and Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists, in which for the former he was a multiple prize-winner for both paperwork and performance.  
Originally from Warrington, Benjamin began studying the organ with Michael Wynne, moving to Chetham’s School of Music in 2014 where he spent his sixth form years. Here, Benjamin studied the organ with Christopher Stokes and piano with Masa Tayama and Jonathan Middleton. Benjamin currently receives harpsichord tuition from James Johnstone and organ tuition from Stephen Farr. Recently, Benjamin has taken part in masterclasses from Simon Johnson, Bine Bryndorf and Martin Schmeding as well as the Ryedale, New Paths, Greenwich Early Music and London Contemporary Music festivals acting as both a recitalist and accompanist. In 2019, Benjamin appeared as an accompanist on the CD ‘Cornhill Visions’ with the Choir of St. Michael’s, Cornhill.