A Royal Navy officer is asking anyone with an interest in church music and singing to consider filling his role as Tavistock Church choir director as he is posted overseas.

Andrew Lundie has been St Eustachius’ choir director for about two years after joining the choir as a singer and jumped in at the deep end when volunteering to conduct on one occasion. His role then developed as the director which includes preparing the choir for wedding and funeral performances and for special concerts.

He said the choir’s reputation for high quality singing has been spreading and in the past two years it has received an increasing number of invitations to perform at life events. The choir has also performed at the Horn of Plenty in St Anns Chapel, nursing and care homes and last year performed the ‘challenging’ King’s Coronation music commissioned by the Royal School of Church Music

Andrew is a Royal Navy GP and is due to spend two years in Gibraltar at a service medical centre. He said: “It’s normal for me to spend a week or so heading up clinics in various locations as a Naval GP and I could fit my choir duties in, but this time it’s two years. So, anyone who is passionate about preaching God through sacred choral music and singing would find this a very rewarding role.

“I am sure the choir will manage well in rehearsals without me with the support of the Rev Matt Godfrey, a former Royal Naval chaplain who I previously served with, and the choir secretary Rita Bilverstone and organist Mary Mazur-Park.

“But a director is needed over such a long time. The choir is a very welcoming, supportive and talented. I joined St Eustachius because I have a young family, two children aged five and seven, and there’s a thriving young vestry group and so-called Messy Church.”

One of the highlights for Andrew and the choir was when he led the open invitation for choral singers to perform John Steiner’s Crucifixion, along with a meditation.

Further details on the St Eustachius’ web site: https://www.tavistockparishchurch.org.uk/