Choral Summer School
27 July – 2 August 2025 at St Catharine’s College
Join us for a six-day course immersed in glorious music and all the delights that Cambridge colleges have to offer!
Welcome!
Our choral summer schools are singing holidays with a difference. Based at St Catharine’s College in the heart of this historic city, we’ll sing in exquisite chapels under world-class directors, with candle-lit services, a formal dinner, a chauffeured punt down the River Cam, a choral wine-tasting – good music, good friends, good times!
Experience Cambridge
This deep immersion in Cambridge choral life includes beautiful Evensongs and tranquil Complines with a repertoire of exquisite music spanning chant, psalmody, Renaissance polyphony, masterpieces of the 20th century and choral music from living composers. The ‘holiday’ element of the singing holiday includes free time for punting, museum visits and a chance to sample the wines from a college cellar.
Step out of your college room and enjoy…
- Singing Evensong in glorious Cambridge College chapels, each with a different acoustic, organ and feel: St Catharine’s, Trinity, Corpus Christi
- Sing under world-class choral directors including Dr Edward Wickham (Director Music at St Catharine’s College), Professor Steven Grahl (DoM at Trinity College), Graham Ross (DoM at Clare College) and organ scholar Alex Robson (St John’s College)
- A private viewing of historic manuscripts preserved in the University’s libraries
- Gala Concert in St Catharine’s College, which friends and family are welcome to attend
- Compline by candlelight – a tranquil end to a busy day
- Chamber group work exploring selected pieces in more detail
- Develop your voice with 1-2-1 singing lessons tailored to you
- Nurture your vocal health with daily sessions from our specialist vocal coach to develop and sustain your voice
- Exclusive workshops on consort singing and choral directing
- Singing madrigals on a punting picnic on the River Cam
- Formal dinner in the Old Kitchen at Trinity College
- All meals included and prepared by college chefs
- Wines (and port) selected from the College cellars by the expert College wine steward
There will also be time to explore Cambridge for yourself, perhaps the most intensive square mile of choral singing in the world; and to visit the famous Fitzbillies tea shop, Jack’s Gelato and The Eagle pub, where Crick and Watson celebrated their discovery of DNA in the old Cavendish laboratory across the road. Part of the fun is of course breaking bread together, and we’ll enjoy delicious food prepared by a team of St Catharine’s chefs and wines from the College cellar – plus the opportunity for warm camaraderie and building new friendships with people who share your passion for singing.
Applications
If you’re an experienced choral singer with good note-reading ability, this is the course for you!
We seek to create a balanced chamber choir, with places capped at 30-40 places depending on the college.
In order to achieve a balance of voices, we welcome applications throughout the year, and we will assess them on 31 May 2025.
Please note: CCA courses involve walking between colleges to experience different chapels so please bring comfortabel footwear.
FAQs – please click to find answers to questions, or don’t hesitate to email our friendly team: [email protected]
Cambridge Chorał Academy is an independent organisation which contracts with Cambridge colleges for the use of facilities. This event otherwise has no connection or association with the University of Cambridge or its Colleges
It was like a dream being there, forgetting the ares of daily life and conentrating with like-minded people on choir singing!
Repertoire
This year’s repertoire offers a wide range of styles and periods, from the Renaissance to the 21st century.
Three Renaissance motets by Phillips, Lassus and Palestrina honour women from the New Testament, and include Palestrina’s monumental double-choir setting of the Stabat mater. We have two contemporary settings of the canticles, both associated with Cambridge colleges – Joanna Forbes L’Estrange’s service for King’s and a setting by Sally Beamish commissioned by our artistic director Edward Wickham for St Catharine’s.
And then we offer the not-so-guilty pleasure of two ‘bangers’ from the Anglican choral repertoire: Balfour Gardiner’s mighty Evening Hymn, and Wood’s exuberant Hail gladdening light.
Fees
All-inclusive fee: £2,050
Non-residential fee: £1,695
Student Scholars: £995*
The Choral Summer School course fee includes full board for 6 nights in a Cambridge college, all tuition including a one-to-one singing lesson, welcome drinks reception, music hire and other activities. All rooms are en-suite, single occupancy, with bedding and towels provided.
We have a limited number of double rooms so if you’d like to bring a partner along, there’s lots for them to do in Cambridge while you’re singing. They are welcome to join us for meals and social activities and attend evensongs and concerts. Non-singing guest fees: room-share £955, separate room £1450.
A limited number of Student Scholarships at £995 are available for singers aged 18-25yrs*. To apply, please email [email protected].
* Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer
** Discounted “Bring a Friend” offer places are limited, with earlier applications prioritised. Your friend must be new to CCA.
“This was the best singing week I’ve been to – and I’ve done a few in my time!”
“Uplifting and inspiring to experience top choral directors and to hear and meet the extraordinarily talented organ scholars”
“The folk who come to CCA are my tribe!”
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