Choral and Chapel Music
Chapel Choir
The Chapel Choir, currently comprised of around 65 auditioned singers from all year groups, is one of the most high-profile pupil groups in College. Many members of this choir have gone on to win choral scholarships at various universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. The foremost responsibility of the Chapel Choir is to lead the worship in our beautiful Neo-Gothic Chapel, singing at the weekly College Eucharist or Morning Prayer on Sunday mornings, as well as on major occasions such as the Advent and Christmas Carol Services, Prize Day and Commemoration services, Confirmation, Remembrance and Old Marlburian Club Day. The repertoire is varied in style and genre, from plainsong to music from the present day.
The choir enjoys frequent performance opportunities outside College, including an annual recital at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, as well as highly anticipated tours in the UK and abroad. Parents and guests are always welcome to join us at Chapel services when the choir sings.
Chamber Choir
The Chamber Choir is a small group of the school’s most senior singers. All Upper Sixth members of the Chapel Choir are invited to join. They perform a mixture of sacred and secular repertoire to a high standard. The performance opportunities enjoyed by the Chamber Choir are many and varied, from Chapel services to concerts in College and externally. One of the highlights of the Chamber Choir’s calendar is the early-morning performance of madrigals on May Day atop the Bradleian Arches in the College Court.
Compline Choir
The Compline Choir is a group formed of the College’s finest singers in the Remove, Hundred and Sixth Form, strictly by invitation. Many of these singers are ex-cathedral choristers and the repertoire aims to challenge and reward the brightest and the most talented. The choir sings Compline at least one evening a term, alongside other performance opportunities. Most past members of the Compline Choir have gone on to win choral scholarships at universities.
Junior Singers
The Junior Singers comprises of over 30 boys and girls in their first year at Marlborough and welcomes pupils of all abilities. They sing a wide variety of contemporary arrangements (pop, rock, and music theatre) and sacred pieces. Rehearsals take place once a week and recent performances have included Memorial Hall concerts and the annual Advent Carol Service.
Choral Society
In 1934 the College Musical Society performed a large-scale choral work with orchestra in Chapel, establishing a tradition that continues today. Now made up of nearly 300 members, the Choral Society has performed major works such as Requiems by Verdi (2015), Mozart (2014), Brahms (2013), Fauré, Dvorak and Rutter, as well as Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Haydn’s Creation and Bach’s St John Passion and Mass in B Minor. The Choral Society is looking forward with great excitement to performing a new musical work, commissioned by the College, from world-renowned composer Paul Mealor.
Contact Us
For further information about choral music at the College, or to join the Choral Society, please contact Louisa Freeman on 01672 892486 or at lfreeman@marlboroughcollege.org.
