CHORAL SCHOLARSHIPS 2024/2025
Woking Choral Society is looking for experienced and confident singers, with skills in sight singing and solo singing to join the choir as choral scholars. We are one of the UK’s foremost amateur choirs, comprising some 65 members under the leadership of conductor Cole Bendall, who was appointed as the choir’s eighth musical director in 2022. Notable guest conductors in our 125 year history include Sir Edward Elgar (conducting a concert of his own works in 1920) and Woking resident Dame Ethel Smyth.
We welcome applications from singers of diverse ages, experiences and backgrounds – we anticipate this role will be of particular benefit to singers currently studying as an undergraduate or postgraduate at university or college who wish to gain professional experience to develop their musical career.
As a choral scholar, you would support your assigned section and, in addition to singing with the section, be expected to help support and encourage your colleagues in their own vocal development. You will also have the opportunity to promote the choir on social media and work closely with our professional conductor, Cole Bendall, and accompanist, Suzy Ruffles. We will expect your attendance at all of our concerts (usually one per term), and no less than 80% of rehearsals. Where opportunities allow and where appropriate for the chosen candidates, we will also help provide further opportunities for career development including small concert solos, understudying larger concert solo roles, and conducting and choir coaching skills with our Musical Director.
Scholars for the 2024-2025 are now all in place. We are looking to continue the scheme into the 2025-2026 season. Details will be published this summer but in the meantime, you are welcome to register your interest in the application form below.
Details of the scheme for 2024-2025 are below.
The scheme will run from September 2024 to June 2025 and is aimed at 4 scholars, one for each voice part. We rehearse weekly, effectively during school terms with a concert at the end of the term. Rehearsals are on Monday evenings at 19:30 in St Andrews Church in Goldsworth Park, Woking – our members are able to offer a lift to and from Woking Station for those who come by train.
Our concert dates for 2024-2025 are:
30 November 2024 - Purcell - Timon of Athens, Dido and Aeneas and Chacony in G minor, plus pieces from Rameau and Hildegard of Bingen with a chamber ensemble from Southern Pro Musica
12 April 2025 - Faure Requiem with Vasks’s Dona Nobis Pacem and Carter’s Horizons
05 July 2025 - Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, Finzi’s Eclogue and Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light - A Requiem, with Southern Pro Musica
The scholarships are for £1000 per annum (ie for the year September to July) paid in instalments monthly in arrears during term time.
Applications can be made online here - alternatively, please use our contact form for further queries.