For livery companies
Carol services in livery halls and City churches, and grace at the Christmas court dinner

How we work with livery companies

Send us the date, the hall or the church, whether the building has a playable organ, and the numbers you expect. A written quote comes back within 48 hours with a suggested ensemble, two or three programme options, and a running order the Clerk can put in front of the Court.

Ensemble size follows the room. A Small Choir of four covers grace at dinner and a short set of carols in the hall. A Full Choir of eight with an organist is the usual shape for a service in a City church. Where the church is large and the congregation sings, the twelve-voice Chorus leads the carols and still has the weight for a descant on the last verse.

Accompaniment follows the building. If the church has a pipe organ we send an organist who knows that kind of instrument, from £225. Halls without an instrument are straightforward, because the choir sings unaccompanied and needs no power supply and no amplification. For a drinks reception or a dinner we can also provide a pianist, including a package where the piano plays quietly between the choir’s sets.

Lead times are the one thing worth acting on early. We close December out by mid‑September every year, so a service in the second week of December is best confirmed as soon as the Court fixes the date. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are bookable; both carry a premium, which we confirm in the written quote rather than adding later.

What the Court and your guests receive

The repertoire runs from the traditional carols, which the whole hall can sing without a word sheet, through to a cappella arrangements of popular Christmas songs for the reception before or after. For a service we programme choir-only pieces between the congregational carols, so the Court has something to listen to as well as something to sing. Nothing is pulled off a fixed list; you see the programme and approve it before anything goes to the printer.

Grace before a Christmas court dinner is a short job, done precisely. We sing a traditional grace setting, and if your company has its own grace, or a setting it has used for years, send it over and we learn it. The singers stand where the beadle puts them. They can leave once grace is sung, or stay and perform a set of carols later in the evening.

Dress is concert dress or all black, and the choir arrives changed. Christmas jumpers are available if a reception calls for something lighter, though nobody wears them into a church service. A standard Christmas booking runs up to an hour and a half including breaks, or the length of a church service. Anything longer carries a premium, quoted upfront.

Booking and invoicing

The legal entity on the invoice is Alma Consort Ltd, the operating company behind the London Choral Service. Standard payment terms are 30 days net from the invoice date. Tell us at the booking stage if the invoice needs a purchase order number, a cost code, or the Clerk’s own reference, and it goes on the document so your accounts team can clear it without coming back to you. BACS to a UK business account is the usual route.

If a December booking sits awkwardly across your financial year, we can issue an advance deposit invoice at confirmation, typically 30 percent, and invoice the balance after the event. A single invoice sent the working day after the event is equally fine. Alma Consort Ltd carries £5m public liability cover; halls and churches often want the certificate before they confirm access, and we email it the same day you ask.

Prices are the standard ones published on our pricing page. Carol bookings start with a Small Choir (4) from £1,150, Quintet from £1,400, Sextet from £1,600, Full Choir (8) from £2,000, and Chorus (12) from £3,000. They include all taxes, fees, and travel within Greater London, and we do not charge more at Christmas. The exceptions are bookings on 24 or 25 December, which carry a premium confirmed in the quote.

For a service that repeats annually we put a master service agreement on file once and invoice against it in later years without further paperwork. After the first December the booking usually takes one email from enquiry to confirmation.

Frequently asked questions

Can you sing a full Nine Lessons and Carols with an organist in a City church?

Yes. A Full Choir of eight singers with an organist is the usual shape for it, and the organist is booked as part of the same quote (from £225). We work to your order of service: nine readings, the congregational carols between them, and the pieces you want the choir to sing alone.

Can the choir sing grace at a Christmas court dinner?

Yes. We sing a traditional grace setting, and if the company has its own grace, or a setting it has used for years, send it over and we learn it. Four singers are enough for grace in most halls, and the same four can perform a set of carols later in the evening.

How do you coordinate with the hall staff and the beadle on timings and access?

Once the date is confirmed we deal with the beadle or hall manager directly. We need the arrival time, the door the singers use, somewhere to leave coats and change, and the point in the running order where the music starts. The choir arrives at whatever time the beadle sets, changed and ready.

How formal can the repertoire be?

As formal as the occasion asks for. In a City church that usually means traditional carols sung by everyone, with choir-only pieces from the English choral tradition between the readings. At the reception afterwards the same singers perform a cappella arrangements of popular Christmas songs. You approve the programme before anything is printed.

Can we book the same date every year?

Yes. Once your company has a fixed week in December we put the same slot in the diary each year, with a master service agreement on file so the paperwork does not repeat. December closes out by mid-September, so confirm as soon as the Court has set the date.

Tell us about your service

Send the date and the venue and we’ll come back within 48 hours. For a quicker conversation, head to the contact page or call Luca on 07356 042468.

Or visit the contact page, or call Luca on 07356 042468.