Oxford University Composing for Choirs Summer School 2019
Overview
This course runs in parallel with the Choral Singing course. Composition students not only participate fully in the Choral Singing course but also receive additional daily tutorials (small-group tuition) in choral composition. During the course of the week, composers will be set assignments in word setting for choral ensembles and will receive mentoring from internationally renowned choral composers. Through their participation in the Choral Singing course, they develop choral musicianship skills from the inside, working within a small choir typical of those found in many of Oxford University’s colleges and chapels. Studying and living in Oxford’s former Anglican monastery, now a Hall of the University of Oxford, students are immersed in the riches of the English choral tradition. The beautiful buildings of St Stephen’s House include some of the university’s finest acoustics for music and provide an atmosphere of serious study whilst being set in a vibrant quarter of the city. Applications are especially welcomed by composers who already possess good musical skills.
Hear some recordings of the 2017 cohort here.
Programme details
Students attend daily tutorials or seminars in choral composition (normally in the afternoon) in addition to the singing requirements each weekday morning from 10.15am to 12 noon and each weekday afternoon from 2 pm to 3.30pm. There is an evening session daily after dinner, from 8.30pm - 9.30pm, in which composition students’ work may be rehearsed alongside another course repertoire. In free moments, composers will work on their assignments or take inspiration from the beautiful cloistered surroundings of St Stephen’s House.
An introductory session on the first Sunday evening opens the course which concludes with a performance event on the Saturday before the final dinner. Students depart after breakfast on the final Sunday.
Singing session themes:
Monday
Plainchant and medieval music
Tuesday
Music of the Sixteenth century
Wednesday
Sessions with the course guest conductor
Thursday
Music of the Seventeenth to Nineteenth Centuries
Friday
Music of the Twentieth and Twenty-first centuries
Recommended reading
Students will receive scores of some of the set works in advance and will be expected to have prepared them thoroughly in advance of the course.
Certification
On successful completion of the Summer School, all participants will receive a University of Oxford Certificate of Participation.
Please note that this course does not offer any form of official credit to participants.
Fees
Programme Fee 1: Tuition, Full Board, Ensuite Accommodation: £1555.00
Programme Fee 2: Tuition, Full Board, Standard Accommodation: £1450.00
Programme Fee 3: Tuition, Full Board, No Accommodation: £1245.00
Funding
Up to two scholarships may be awarded to the value of up to 50% of the fee. Applicants should complete all the mandatory elements of the application as shown above and should additionally submit the following:
1. A personal statement that outlines the value which the course might be expected to have to the candidate, especially as to why it presents opportunities that may not otherwise be available. This should also state how the candidate’s experience or abilities would enhance the group.
2. A statement was written by a teacher, colleague or associate that outlines the suitability of the candidate for a scholarship.
Course aims
The course, through practical seminars with singers and through individual and group tuition for composition students, aims to deepen understanding of the skills, techniques and philosophies of setting text for a chorus of singers.
Assessment methods
There are no formal assessments for this course.
Application
Prospective students must supply:
A completed application form.
Personal statement of all musical experience including, but not limited to, composition.
Two samples of your existing compositional work.
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/oxford-university-composing-for-choirs-summer-school?code=O18I528CCR