Joining the Choir
We welcome strong singers of any musical background. Solid sight reading skills and an ability to listen to your fellow singers and fit into the blend are key, but don't worry if you haven't had much experience of choral singing before; our pre-term rehearsals and regular performances from the very beginning of term get everyone up to speed rapidly. What matters most is your potential as a choral singer.
When applying you will be asked to sing a piece of your choice and will be tested on your sight reading and aural skills. It's a relaxed and friendly process where we'll all be focused on getting the best that we can out of you. We're also happy to arrange informal auditions ahead of the official one, so get in touch if you fancy dropping by sometime. |
There are three types of membership in our choir, which combine to form a group of approximately twenty-four singers.
The first type of membership is for those who are offered a place through the University-wide Vocal Assessments in the year before arriving in Cambridge, and are then offered a grade-dependent Choral Scholarship at Queens’ College. They receive the standard financial scholarship for the University (currently £100). The title of Choral Scholar requires membership of the Choir for the full duration of the Scholar’s academic course (which one may apply to have renewed if pursuing a further course in the University). Choral Scholars are also expected to play a large role in the musical life of the College. |
The other two forms of membership are for singers appointed at the beginning of the academic year (or occasionally at another point in the year), namely Choral Exhibitioners and Volunteers. A Choral Exhibitioner has a position similar to that of Choral Scholar, holding the position for the full duration of their academic course after appointment, but is from another College. A Volunteer may be from Queens’, from another College or occasionally from the city more generally, for example from Anglia Ruskin University. These positions are reviewed on an annual basis.
If you are interested in learning more about joining the choir, please contact the Senior Organ Scholar, Ben Markovic Pillinger (bjm65@cam.ac.uk) or Ralph Allwood (allwood.ralph@gmail.com) who would both be delighted to provide more information, discuss entry into the choir and arrange an audition or informal meeting as you wish. We also accept initial applications via this website; to fill in an application form, please follow the link below. |