Our international and award winning College Choir

Girton Choir is one of the most accomplished, committed and exciting choirs in Cambridge. As you can see elsewhere, the benefits of membership are wide-ranging and exciting; the limited time commitment is not only compatible with almost any Tripos subject, it also allows serious musicians a great deal of scope to be proactive in the College’s vibrant and innovative musical life.

We offer an opportunity to escape the stresses of Cambridge term through its visits to major churches throughout Britain; recent visits have included the cathedrals of Bristol, Ely, Lincoln, Canterbury, Exeter, Norwich and Lichfield, and Westminster Abbey. This year the Choir will sing services on trips to Salisbury Cathedral and St George’s Windsor.

Recent foreign tours have included Israel & Palestine, Canada, Portugal, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, USA, Germany, Slovenia, France, Ireland, Switzerland and Spain.

The Choir has had the privilege to work regularly with distinguished and exciting guest directors, including, in recent years, Judith Clurman (Juilliard School, New York), Dr Christopher Robinson, Tim Brown and David Lowe. This year there are plans for the Choir to work with musicians from world-renowned ensembles the Sixteen, Magnificat and I Fagiolini.

The Choir also benefits from collaborations with musicians from professional ensembles such as the London Mozart Players, Xacona, members of the Gabrieli Consort and the Cambridge University Collegium Musicum; the Choir also collaborates regularly with eminent guest directors such as Christopher Robinson, Judith Clurman, Tim Brown and David Lowe. There are plans this year for the Choir to work with members of the Sixteen, Magnificat and I Fagiolini, as well as enjoying ongoing collaborations with, and invaluable support from, the College’s Musicians in Residence.

The Director of Chapel Music, Gareth Wilson, is always delighted to meet with prospective candidates for Girton Choir at any time. Singers are welcome to get in touch by email. You are encouraged to come and visit Girton, to see what the College has to offer, and hear the Choir in action.

The Choir sings a full Choral Evensong (Sunday), Compline (Tuesday), and Vespers (Friday) each week, and rehearses for this and other major feasts – such as Eucharists on Ascension Day and Ash Wednesday – just twice a week. The Choir also sings at major College events such as Commemoration of Benefactors, College Feast, and other occasions to which guests are invited.

The Director of Chapel Music, Gareth Wilson, is responsible for running the Choir, and for looking after the training and development of the Organ Scholars, as well as the vocal and musical progress of the Choral Scholars.

Despite the limited time commitment, the Choir’s repertoire is extremely varied – ranging from twelfth-century plainchant by Hildegard von Bingen to world premieres by composers including Nico Muhly and Jonathan Rathbone. Rising composers Tim Watts, James Lark, Elizabeth Croad, and Elizabeth Coxton have written several pieces for the Choir, as have both current and recent Organ Scholars. Services can also involve instrumental contributions, including Bach cantatas with a Baroque ensemble, Mozart masses accompanied by a string quartet, and Renaissance polyphony with ensembles of early brass instruments.

• Tuesday: 20:00 rehearsal, for Compline at 21:00 (the Choir divided into smaller groups for this service in order to spread out the workload)
• Wednesday: 18:00 rehearsal (until 19:20)
• Friday: 18:00 rehearsal, for Vespers at 18:45
• Sunday: 16:00 rehearsal, for Evensong at 17:30

Girton Choir has one of the most ambitious international touring schedules of all the Cambridge choirs. Recent destinations have included Israel & Palestine, Portugal, Canada, Japan (twice), Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Girton Choir tours always allow time for sightseeing and cultural visits as well as singing; in Australia, for example, the Choir sang on the set of Neighbours, and on the Choir’s most recent tour to Israel & Palestine, the Choir sang at an orphanage in Bethany and visited a refugee camp in Bethlehem.

The Choir often visits major cathedrals during term time, offering a welcome change of scene during a busy term, and the chance to sing services in some of the country’s greatest buildings. The College contribute's generously to the Choir’s activities; domestic tours cost the members nothing, and international tours are heavily subsidised.

As well as the Choir’s concerts on tour, concerts in College afford the Choir the opportunity to sing ambitious, non-liturgical repertoire, often with orchestral accompaniment. Recent performances have included various Bach cantatas, verse anthems by Purcell and John Blow, Brahms’ A German Requiem, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Mozart’s Requiem and Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms.