International Tours

Girton College Chapel Choir tours abroad at least once a year. International tours are heavily subsidised, while domestic tours cost choir members nothing. Continental destinations have included Berlin, Brittany, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, which the choir has now visited three times. 1996 saw a highly successful tour to Italy, where the choir was guest of the British Ambassador to the Vatican, sang at a Mass in St Peter's and performed to a live audience of 10,000, including the Pope. In the summer of 1997 the choir toured Central America as guests of the Bishop of Mexico, resulting in invitations to return for concerts with the Orquesta de Cámara del Nuevo Mundo. In 1999 the choir was invited to Japan to take part in the Kumamoto International Youth Festival and the Takarazuka International Chamber Chorus Contest. In the former the choir shared the stage with such celebrated groups as the Netherlands Youth Orchestra; in the latter the choir won three prizes, including the Gold Medal in the mixed chorus division and the Grossmann Prize, awarded to the choir with the best sound. In 2001 the choir toured Thailand, Malaysia and Sarawak. Among their engagements was a concert for the United Nations specially approved by the Secretary General, Kofi Annan. The choir toured Hong Kong and Japan in the summer of 2004, accepting an invitation to perform again in the Kumamoto Festival following the successes of 1999. The tour culminated in a performance in the British Embassy in Tokyo in honour of Crown Princess Takamado. This was preceded by appearances at prestigious events hosted by the Oxford and Cambridge Society (Hong Kong) and the Japan-British Society Chorus Club (Kumamoto). Future plans include a return visit to Mexico, an invitation to the Juilliard School in New York, and a tour of Australia and New Zealand, most likely in 2006.

Domestic Tours

In addition to gaining international recognition, the choir also tours nationally at least twice a year. The choir has been invited to tour Cornwall for several years now, and these January excursions have become something of a tradition in starting off the New Year, as well as providing a chance for the newer members to fully acquaint themselves with the existing choir. The choir also tours at the end of the academic year in June; most recent locations have included Dulwich, Croydon, and Brighton. Choir members tend to be heavily involved in organising tour itineraries and venues; there are always arranged in a democratic manner according to suggestions from individuals.