Choral Scholar Information

www.sjcchoir.co.uk

The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge

The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge is one of the finest collegiate choirs in the world – known and loved by millions from its broadcasts, concert tours and over ninety recordings. Founded in the 1670s, the Choir is known for its rich, warm and distinctive sound, its expressive interpretations and its ability to sing in a variety of styles.

The special sound of St John’s

The Choir is made up of 16 choristers and 4 probationers who are educated at the St John’s College School.The alto, tenor and bass parts are usually taken by 15 undergraduates, with 2 organ scholars assisting in the daily running of the Choir. Services in the College Chapel follow the Cathedral tradition of the Church of England, with Evensong six days a week during term and Sung Eucharist on Sunday mornings. The Choir’s services are frequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

The Choristers, Choral & Organ Scholars

“The Choir thrives under Nethsingha” Gramophone Magazine

Andrew Nethsingha, the Choir’s Director of Music, has performed as a conductor and organist in North America, South Africa, the Far East, and throughout Europe. His musical training began as a chorister at Exeter Cathedral, and later he studied at the Royal College of Music, where he won seven prizes. Andrew held Organ Scholarships under Christopher Robinson, at St George’s Windsor, and George Guest, at St John’s College, Cambridge, before becoming Assistant Organist at Wells Cathedral. He was subsequently Director of Music at Truro and Gloucester Cathedrals. Other recent positions have included Artistic Director of the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival and Musical Director of the Gloucester Choral Society. Andrew has also worked regularly with some of the UK’s leading orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia orchestra.

Andrew Nethsingha

“Stirring and Polished” The Telegraph

Concerts and Tours The Choir is regularly invited to perform throughout the world, recently touring Japan, the USA and countries all over Europe – The Netherlands, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Switzerland to name a few. As well as concerts abroad, the Choir performs regularly in the UK: recent concert venues include St John’s Smith Square, Ely Cathedral, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Cadogan Hall and Royal Festival Hall.

The Choir’s repertoire is extremely varied, spanning over 500 years of music, from Spanish polyphony and Haydn masses to French romantic music and the music of the 20th century. It is also renowned for championing contemporary music, regularly enriching the repertoire in its commissioning of new works. Recent commissions have been written for the Choir by John Rutter, Judith Weir, James MacMillan and Jonathan Harvey, not to mention past commissions, many of which have become firmly established in the repertoire of choirs worldwide, by such composers as Herbert Howells, Lennox Berkeley, Roxanna Panufnik, Francis Grier, Jean Langlais, Michael Tippett and John Tavener.

Repertoire

On the concert platform, the Choir regularly performs in high-profile venues and festivals around the UK, with orchestras and ensembles including the Philharmonia orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra and His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts.

The Choir of St John’s College was the first Choir in Europe to broadcast weekly webcasts of its services. A service is webcast on the Choir’s website at midday every Tuesday throughout the year, and a large worldwide following of up to 10,000 per week listen regularly to the Choir, ‘at home’ in its Chapel. This innovative and exciting enterprise not only widens awareness of the Choir’s day-to-day work, enhancing its already high reputation but also makes their performances accessible to people around the world in a way that was unthinkable even a few years ago.

Webcasting

Recordings by St John’s College Choir are highly acclaimed and have often featured as the Editor’s Choice in Gramophone Magazine. The Choir has recorded with Argo, Chandos, Decca, EMI, Hyperion, Naxos and Nimbus. The extensive discography dates back to 1959 when the Choir was under the direction of George Guest, including the famous Haydn Masses with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields on Decca. The Choir usually makes two recordings each year. The Choir is also known for the sequence of recordings of English 20th century music for Naxos under Christopher Robinson, which have sold over 300,000 copies. The Choir recorded four discs under David Hill with Hyperion Records, and the Choir has so far recorded nine discs with Andrew Nethsingha under their new contract with Chandos. Each year the Choir also broadcasts live on BBC Radio 3 on several occassions, including the Advent Carol Service, as well as their Ash Wednesday service and regular broadcasts of Choral Evensong. The Choir has recently done radio broadcasts in Japan and the Netherlands.

Recordings of St John’s

“The very best the Anglican Choral tradition can offer, free at the touch of a button to anyone, anywhere in the world” The Rev’d Duncan Dormor, Dean, St John’s College

The Gentlemen of St John’s The Gentlemen of St John’s are an independent close-harmony group made up of the Choral Scholars of St John’s College Choir. Described by BBC Music Magazine as “an immaculately blended, responsive, interactive consort”, The Gentlemen of St John’s are famed for their “pure tone and controlled excellence” (Counterpoint Music). All of the Choral Scholars are members of the group, which has enjoyed a remarkably busy schedule of concerts and recordings for forty years.

The Gents have an extremely varied repertoire, from early sacred music to folksongs and more modern close-harmony, which, combined with a confident yet sensitive style of performing, allows them to please audiences in churches, on the concert platform or even in the dining hall.

In recent years, the Gents have had the privilege to perform at such venues as London’s Cadogan Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, and performances have taken them to America, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Italy and South Africa. In August and September 2008, they toured Bangkok and Singapore. They have recently enjoyed leading workshops at schools in the UK and abroad. Not only does the regular flow of concerts (usually around twenty five engagements per year) give the Gents some extra spending money (up to £2,000 per year), but it also provides them with considerable consort and directing experience. In 2012 the Gents gave concerts at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon and at the delectable Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons (for guests of Raymond Blanc). The Gents also performed at St James’s Palace in the presence of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

Each year the Gents host their infamous Garden Party, hailed as the ‘best night in May Week’ and they also perform the final set at the St John’s College May Ball, voted 7th best party in the world by TIME magazine.

The Gents have released a number of CDs, capturing the broadness of repertoire and wide-ranging shades of vocal colour that the Gents make their own.

Like Take 6 and The King’s Singers, the Gents perform and record many of their own arrangements. Many members of the group enjoy writing arrangements of folksongs and close-harmony versions of pop music, as well as creating personal renditions of some of the classic Jazz standards. The most recent addition to the Gents’ Discography, ‘Lazing’ was released in June 2012. The Gents are especially busy during the summer, and on this album they have tried to capture something of the Cambridge summer season of garden parties and May Balls.

In 2012 a new process for applying for Choral Scholarships to Cambridge took effect. Each September St John’s and King’s Colleges hold additional Informal Choral Open Days for those wishing to apply for Choral Scholarships to St John’s or King’s Colleges.

Please contact the Admissions Department for more information on the academic application process (01223 338703). To find out more about being a Choral Scholar email the Choir Office choir@joh.cam.ac.uk (01223 338718).

A Gentle Christmas was released in December 2009 and includes a wide selection of Christmas music ranging from fifteenth century polyphony to new arrangements of traditional carols and popular classics, mostly written by members of the group. This best-selling disc also includes specially commissioned arrangements by Christopher Robinson, David Hill and Robert Rice.

The Gents performed for HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at St James’s Palace

‘Lazing’ features a range of music, from Gershwin to Britney Spears and includes brand new arrangements.

The Application Process

The Gentlemen of St John’s - Recordings

A Current Choral Scholar’s Perspective...

Andrew is looking for warmth of tone, musicality and enthusiasm for singing. Naturally, he does not expect sixteen year olds’ voices to be fully mature but is interested in a candidate’s vocal potential. It is helpful to be a good sight-reader but Andrew will also appoint singers who are less proficient in this area as long as they are willing to work hard. In order to improve your sight-reading, it is possible that Andrew will suggest that you consider spending a gap year singing at a cathedral; many around the country offer choral scholarships. Alternatively he may advise that you simply practise sight-reading on your own, or with a teacher at school.

What qualities does Andrew look for in choral candidates?

Andrew is always keen to hear prospective candidates, so it is highly recommended that you arrange an informal meeting with him. During the meeting, you will usually sing a short song (choose a piece that you are comfortable singing, and demonstrates the full range of your voice) and then perform some sight-reading and aural tests. It is the perfect opportunity to discuss your potential application and any queries you may have about singing at St John’s.

How does the audition process at St John’s work?

David Lowe, one of the most experienced singing teachers in the country, is the Honorary Vocal Consultant to the Choir. All of the Choral Scholars are entitled to receive five lessons per term with David, paid for by the College. At St John’s, your personal vocal development is very important, as the ‘St John’s sound’ is built on high quality individual singing. This is reflected by the number of Choral Scholars that go on to postgraduate singing courses at the various conservatoires, such as the Royal Academy of Music.

How easy is it to balance work and other interests with the commitments of a St John’s choral award?

What is the expectation regarding singing lessons for Choral Scholars?

Many Cambridge students find that there are times when it is hard to get all of your work done but singing at regular times in Chapel actually helps to give structure to your daily routine. Obviously there is more pressure to be organised than for other Cambridge students. Despite the commitment, most Choral Scholars achieve top grades in their degree courses every year, in a wide variety of subjects such as History of Art, Archaeology and Anthropology, Natural Sciences and Languages.

Informal Choral Open Days take place in September prior to the UCAS application deadline. Once your UCAS application is submitted, you may be invited to an academic interview. If you successfully secure an academic offer, you will be invited to attend the University’s Choral Trials, which take place in March each year. You will be notified shortly after the Choral Trials as to whether or not you have been awarded a Choral Scholarship.

St John’s does not sing services at Christmas; services are largely confined to the University term dates. During the summer, the Choir sings for a two week period after May Week has finished (services end temporarily before May Week, so you can make the most of what Cambridge has to offer in this great week of May Balls). There are usually two recordings and two tours that occur outside of term time each year. This annual routine means that everyone has plenty of time to relax and rest in the holidays, and that during term time there are not too many extra commitments to get in the way of the many things that are going on in Cambridge.

Outside of term, how much time do Choir commitments take up?

Performing the last set at 5am at St John’s May Ball 2013

A Gents’ dinner in Cambridge

“The great thing about the Gents is that you are made to feel included from the very beginning.”

The Choir usually tours two or three times a year, and for many Choral Scholars, tours with the Choir provide some of the best experiences during their time at St John’s. All travel, accommodation and meal expenses are covered by the Choir and, whilst the priority is ensuring that all our concerts and other engagements are of the highest quality, the atmosphere is relaxed and tours are always a chance to have some fun. The current plans for 2015 and 2016 include tours to the Far East, the Netherlands and the USA.

What is the best venue that the Choir has performed in?

Does the Choir go on tour?

Opera City and Suntory Hall in Tokyo have been my personal favourites to sing in since I have been at St John’s. Another highlight was performing at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Next October I’m really looking forward to performing Verdi’s Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the choirs of Clare, Jesus and Gonville & Caius colleges. Ultimately, any three years spent in St John’s Choir will feature performances at a variety of unbelievable venues, often accompanied by world class ensembles.

The Choir with her Imperial Highness Princess Takamadoin Tokyo

Giving a concert in Delft, Holland

Performing live on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune

The Choir performing in St Louis Cathedral, USA

All Choral Scholars receive £525 per term for all non-Chapel service engagements, such as recordings, tours and concerts. In addition, the Gents (the independent choral group which consists of all the Choral Scholars at St John’s) make money mainly during the vacation periods by singing at weddings, providing after-dinner entertainment and giving concerts around the country and occasionally abroad. The standard fee received by each singer for a ‘Gents’ gig’ is £80.

How much money do you earn from singing as a Choral Scholar?

For me, the fact that as soon as you arrive in Cambridge you are part of an extremely fun and welcoming social group is invaluable. Whilst we all are very serious about maintaining and achieving a very high standard of singing and music-making, the Gents pride themselves on being a great social group in Cambridge.

What is the best thing about being a Choral Scholar at St John’s?

We make it our aim to welcome and include everyone in the group, whether we are having a drink at ‘The Maypole’, going for a meal after evensong or playing football against another choir in Cambridge. This, for me, is why St John’s is the best place in the country to spend your undergraduate years as a choral student!

The Gents on tour in Heidelberg

The Gents preparing for their football match against King’s

Will there be time to pursue other interests? Several St John’s Choral Scholars usually have parts, ranging from lead to chorus roles, in one or more of the many operas that occur throughout the Cambridge year. The Opera Society President is currently a St John’s Choral Scholar and a number of the men were involved in recent productions of Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute. Many of the Gents also play musical instruments and are involved in the university orchestras and music societies. Outside of music, several Gents have been involved in College and University sports teams as well as many of the student theatre productions that occur dur-ing term time, so there is no need to worry about missing out on any of Cambridge’s other extra-curricular opportunities.

www.sjcchoir.co.uk

For general enquiries please contact:

Caroline MarksThe Choir AdministratorSt John’s College CambridgeCB2 1TP

c.f.marks@joh.cam.ac.uk

+ 44 (0)1223 338718

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Facebook: www.facebook.com/stjohnschoircambridgeTwitter: @SJCCHOIR

The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge