Published on: 13/10/2026
St John’s Ranmoor will be hosting an interactive musical evening where people attending can control the playlist. Entrance is free, and donations decide what the choir sings.
Taking place on Saturday 17 October from 5pm, people can:
- Browse the church’s Choral Jukebox and choose favourite classics and crowd-pleasers.
- Place a bid to hear special requests performed
- Dedicate a song, request a solo, join in with the choir or have a go at conducting
We spoke with Director of Music Philip Collin about the upcoming concert:
When did you first get interested in music?
Started playing the piano when I was 6.
How long have you been involved with music at St John’s Ranmoor?
For 5 years.
How did the idea for this first come about?.
The choir was talking about things we could do to raise money for our spire (which needs some urgent structural work for which we need to raise £1,000,000) and someone suggested that could do a concert where we let the audience have an input into how the performance unfolds – and Choral Jukebox was born.
What will the concert look like?
The audience will be given a list of pieces they can choose from. They can pay to hear songs from the list or, for more money, can ask for something not on the list – if we can get hold of the music, we will sing it!
How can people get involved?
Come along and listen. And bring money (or card/contactless!) As well as selecting pieces of music, there will be other options available as well – audience members can bid to sing a solo or even conduct the choir!
Are there any songs you’re hoping will be chosen?
I’m hoping someone chooses something really leftfield that none of us have thought of, and that we manage to get the music, and do it justice!
Are you thinking of repeating something like this in the future?
Let’s see how it goes first…
