Founded in 1975, The Anglican Singers choir was formed by singers who were passionate about Anglican Choral Music. Today our repertoire goes beyond the Anglican choral tradition with music drawn from a wide range of composers, styles and periods. The Anglican Singers perform in all kinds of services and musical events, embracing the rich diversity and possibilities offered by composers writing in the religious tradition, dating from the sixteenth century to the present day. Listen to a sample of our music here.
Musical Director – Martin van Bleek
Martin grew up singing and playing the organ in The Anglican Church Haarlem and has been has involved in choral music ever since .
At the age of 14 he ended up on the organ bench and became the church organist at the age of 17. He is also active in the choirs of both Haarlem and Amsterdam and Festival co-ordinator for the Archdeaconry of North-West Europe. He was the Area chair for the Royal School of Church Music in North-West Europe for many years. Since 1999 he has been the conductor of the European Cathedral Singers. This choir, made up of singers from North-West Europe (including the Anglican Singers and Haarlem Church), sings regularly in English Cathedrals during the holidays of the cathedral choirs. He is frequently asked to conduct choral events in other churches both in the Netherlands and North-West Europe.
In 2025 he was made a Ridder (Knight) in the Order of the Orange Nassau for his contribution to the community including his years long work in music and choirs.
The Choir
The members of our choir are from the Netherlands, the UK and America and share a love of the beauty and scope of English Choral Music. We sing at a high level and cherish all elements of the choral tradition – from Choral Evensong to Eucharists, from traditional Services of Nine Lessons and Carols to concerts. Many of the members also sing in other choirs including our sister choirs The Choir of the Anglican Church Haarlem and the European Cathedral Singers, who this year sang in Chichester Cathedral, United Kingdom.
Our Music
The choir’s repertoire ranges from the 16th Century to the present day. Due to the variety of services and concerts in our agenda, we confidently sing Anthems, Motets, The Canticles (Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis), Preces and Responses, Psalms, Carols and Hymns. We joyfully sing, and practise, the whole spectrum of the English Choral tradition. We have also been selected to sing new works including by the renowned composer Partick Hopper (Let all the World in every Nation Sing) and in 2016 we premiered a work by Grayston Ives in the Cathedral of Bury St Edmunds.
New Singers
We welcome singers, also without experience, but who have a shared love of this music. Expect a fast pace and for many a steep learning curve in our weekly rehearsals but equally you can also be sure of support within your vocal group, the choir and, of course, from Martin our Musical Director.