Services & Rehearsals

The choir sings full Choral Evensong and Compline each week. Rehearsals for these and other engagements take place four times a week. The College's Director of Music, Dr Martin Ennis, has principal responsibility for the running of the choir, but he is assisted in this task by the organ scholars (see below for further details).

Guest Directors

The choir also enjoys regular visits from guest directors, including some of the world's leading choral conductors. In recent years Sir David Willcocks, Dr Christopher Robinson, Judith Clurman (Head of Choral Studies at the Juilliard School in New York) and David Lowe have all rehearsed with the choir and led a service.

Cathedral Visits

The choir is invited each term to deputise for some of the most prestigious choirs in the country. Recent visits to cathedrals have included Salisbury, Lincoln, Canterbury (where the choir was invited to perform as part of the Canterbury Festival), St Paul's, York Minster and Westminster Abbey. These weekend trips provide an invaluable break from academic work and prove to be as cultural and relaxing as they are functional.

Choral Scholars

Girton is prepared to elect up to eight Choral Scholars each year, and two thirds of current choir members hold either University or College awards. Holders of choral awards are expected to sing in the Chapel Choir and to take an active part in the musical life of the College. Although the choir is extremely active and performs to a very high standard, the commitment in terms of time is less than at some Colleges, and a Choral Scholarship at Girton is particularly suited to those who wish to read for the more onerous Tripos subjects, such as Natural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine. There is certainly little sense of the routine, which afflicts some of the Cambridge choirs with more frequent commitments.

In addition, the college offers several internal awards each year. These are called Jill Vlasto Choral Exhibitions, and are open to all members of the College by audition at the beginning of the academic year

Choral Scholars and Exhibitioners receive the standard Cambridge award of £100 per annum. They are also entitled to a generous allowance towards the cost of singing lessons. In addition, the College contributes generously to the choir's activities.

Concerts & Special Occasions

In addition to providing service music, Girton College Chapel Choir also regularly gives concert performances throughout the UK. Their diverse repertoire ranges from Byrd to Britten and beyond, incorporating secular as well as sacred works. Highlights have included a performance of Mozart's Requiem with the London Mozart Players at St John's, Smith Square in London, a performance of Bach's St John Passion with a list of distinguished soloists including James Bowman and Neil Jenkins, and the English première of Kenneth Leighton's Hymn to Matter. The choir regularly collaborates with leading professional ensembles, including Chaconne, the period-instrument ensemble resident at Girton, and members of the Gabrieli Consort.

The choir also takes part in many official occasions for the University. On several occasions the choir has sung for Her Majesty Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Girton College's Visitor from 1948 until her death in 2002), and for other dignitaries.