Blog

Artistic Director Dr Edward Wickham wrangles with notational challenges as he celebrates the 550th birthday of St Catharine's College with performances of works from the time the College was founded in 1473. Greetings from St Catharine’s College; and – if you are...

Are you on the fence about applying to Cambridge Choral Academy? Maybe you're asking yourself whether you'll fit in, whether it's worth it - or needing to justify the expense of a choral course? Choral courses offer a multitude of benefits to people of all ages and...

At this time of year we enter into the strange, parallel universe which is 'Bridge-mas'. Since University terms are relatively short here, and the students barely make it into Advent before disappearing home, an alternative Christmas celebration takes place around a...

There is no way in the English language (that I know of) to offer greetings at the start of Lent. Happy Ash Wednesday! doesn’t sound quite right. And yet we are entering a period of the year in which choral musicians – whether they are of a faith or not – have the...

Choral singers have to pace themselves during Advent. For sopranos, it’s those descants you have to watch out for; and for us baritones, you’ve got to take it easy on the top Es in ‘Hark the herald’. Too much enthusiasm early on in the season – combined with a surfeit...

 We are entering a season of Remembrance, book-ended by All Souls’ Day and Remembrance Sunday. There is barely a choir in Cambridge that isn’t currently preparing one of Fauré, Duruflé or Victoria’s Requiems; and organists are busily setting registrations for what is,...

As a way of warming up to our Singing Retreat repertoire, here are a few suggestions for choral pieces you might like to listen to by the same composers.... Christopher Tye We are going to be singing Omnes gentes, Tye’s setting of the psalm ‘O clap your hands...

Record companies and concert promoters love names. The problem with so much early music is that so much of it is by ‘Anon’, and there is no greater dampener to music sales than the mention of ‘Anon’. Whether it be contemporary recorded albums or 16th century motet...

Cambridge Choral Academy Artistic Director, Dr Edward Wickham, shares insights on Cambridge music education in the 16th century from manuscripts in the University Library.   One of the most impressive musical artefacts in the Cambridge University Library is a...