Two videos have been added to the choir's YouTube channel:

​John Taverner: Mater Christi sanctissima

Shenandoah (arr. James Erb)

Herbert Howells: Before me, careless lying

Choral scholarships are an ideal way of combining academic studies with high-caliber choir singing. Each year, Somerville offers around five Choral Scholarships to applicants wishing to read any subject. We are looking for enthusiastic singers with voices in the soprano, alto, contraltos, tenor and bass range to join our choir.  During term time, rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings and regular performances take place each Sunday.  In addition, there will be further performances, both in the college and abroad.  Choral Scholars are expected to be leaders of the choir, both musically and socially, and in return receive generous funding for singing lessons, frequent solo opportunities, and regular free meals.
 
Organ Scholars at Somerville are provided with generous funding for organ and conducting lessons, and are guaranteed rooms in college for the duration of their course.  The primary function of the Organ Scholar is to play the organ and accompany the choir in rehearsals and performances, however, depending on each Organ Scholar's personal priorities, there are opportunities to sing with the choir, direct the choir and experience orchestral conducting.
 
For more information on applying for a Choral or Organ Scholarship, please visit the following part of the University admissions website. If you are interested in applying for a Choral or Organ Scholarship at Somerville, please contact the College’s Director of Chapel Music, Will Dawes, who is very happy to meet with interested parties at any convenient time.

The first video recording of our concerts and services in America has now been uploaded to YouTube: 

The Choir of Somerville College (conducted by David Crown and accompanied by organist Robert Pecksmith) sings Charles Wood's Expectans expectavi at Washington National Cathedral.

UPDATE

More live recordings from our US tour:

Charles Wood: Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D
(Washington National Cathedral, 1 July 2014)

Arthur Somervell: O Saviour of the World
Andrew Carter: Go before us, O Lord
(St. John's Episcopal Church, Northampton/Massachusetts, 5 July 2014)

John Joubert: O Lorde, the maker of al thing
Paul Simon: Bridge over troubled water (arr. Sechler)
(Christ Church Christiana Hundred, Wilmington/Delaware, 3 July 2014)

A video recording of a selection of choruses and chorales from the choir's two performances of Bach's St John Passion in Woodstock and Oxford (14/16 March 2014) is now available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS3TvhXQ_6k.

The recording also features the Musicians of the Dreaming Spires, Robert Pecksmith (organ/harpsichord continuo), David Crown (conductor) and Christoph Schnedermann (bass - Pontius Pilate).

The latest addition to our YouTube channel, a live recording from our service at Coventry Cathedral:

Herbert Howells
A Hymn for St. Cecilia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVWOAjRYZRQ

Two extracts from our concert at Douai Abbey:

Gabriel Fauré: Sanctus (from Requiem, op. 48)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ph8TmL_eos

John Rutter: O clap your hands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU16Pu7U0I0

The Choir of Somerville College, Oxford
David Crown, conductor
Robert Pecksmith, organ

Today at 4pm we will be making our first appearance on Radio 3. The Choir, presented by Mary King, will include a live recording of our performance of Psalm, the result of our collaboration with composer Daniel Saleeb and poet Chloe Stopa-Hunt.

We sang the world premiere of this piece at the Britten in Oxford concert in the University Church last month. The recording features the Choir of Somerville College, Oxford, conducted by David Crown and accompanied by organist Robert Pecksmith.

The programme will be available for download from BBC iPlayer for the next seven days.

This musical advent calendar from Oxford University's leading mixed-voice college choir is our second release on the Stone Records label, following a highly successful recording of Duruflé’s Requiem and Milford’s Mass for Five Voices. 

The beautifully-presented album is a countdown to Christmas of 24 tracks (with a bonus track for Christmas Day) featuring wonderful performances of some of the best-loved carols of all time, and a handful of première recordings that will delight all classical music lovers. Each Advent Sunday is marked by a Bach chorale, and the listener is guided through Advent, as the excitement builds for the arrival of Christmas Day. The track list includes favourite carols by Rutter, Warlock, Poston, Gardner, Cornelius, Goldschmidt and Wood as well as newly commissioned works by Toby Young, Raymond Head and Paul Sartin (member of the folk band Bellowhead).

The Choir of Somerville College, conducted by David Crown, is joined by guest soloists Mary-Louise Aitken (soprano) and Jeremy Carpenter (baritone), who was most recently seen in the Royal Opera House's production of Britten's Gloriana. They are accompanied by Robert Pecksmith (organ), Douglas Knight (organ) and Keith Fairbairn (percussion).

The album will be released on 4 November 2013 (UK) and 12 November 2013 (USA and other countries). Advent Calendar is available for purchase from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Presto Classical, Stone Records and Blackwell's Music (Broad Street, Oxford). Please see our discography for a full track list. A promotional video is available from YouTube.

The first promotional video for our new album Advent Calendar, which will be released by Stone Records later this year:

John Rutter: The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Choir of Somerville College, Oxford
David Crown, conductor
Douglas Knight, organ

Next week the choir will be recording its second commercial CD for Stone Records.

The album will feature a selection of advent music by Bach, Cornelius, Wood, Warlock, Poston and Gardner as well as newly commissioned pieces by Toby Young, Raymond Head and Paul Sartin.

Soloists and accompanists include Mary-Louise Aitken (soprano), Jeremy Carpenter (baritone), Robert Peckmith (organ), Douglas Knight (organ) and Keith Fairbairn (percussion). The recording sessions will take place in the chapel of Keble College, Oxford.

The new CD of advent music is a follow-up to our successful debut album Requiem æternam and will be produced by Alexander Van Ingen and Matthew Bennett.